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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
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Reviews

Jim Matus — This That I Have Done
(Ancient Records no#, 2025, CD / DL)

Jim Matus / Robert Markey — Whisper in Midzone
(Bandcamp Right Brain Records RBR081, 2025, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-08-03

This That I Have Done Cover artWhisper in Midzone Cover art

At Exposé we have been covering the music of Jim Matus from our very earliest days, beginning with albums by his group Paranoise, then his next groups Mawwal, Impulse Ensemble, and for the last ten or fifteen years with various solo recordings and collaborations, all very worthwhile endeavors that are worth seeking out for a listen. But these latest two are like nothing he’s done before that I’m aware of, both groundbreaking and innovative in their own way. This That I Have Done is an album of eight songs, just Matus, his acoustic Laoutar (a hybrid of a mandocello and Greek laouto, with eight strings tuned C/c-G/g-D/d-g/g) and his lyrics and vocals. Matus claims that most of the album’s lyrics and concepts came to him via dreams, though refined and edited while he was fully awake. The feel is very personal and folky, with Matus’ voice being somewhat fragile and unique, perfect for the task and really comparable to no other, and as a mandocello and bouzouki player myself, I can really appreciate the sound of the laoutar. Songs like “Unzip the Sky,” “No One Dies,” “Eighth Heaven,” and “Roof Father” are nothing short of exceptional, but once a listener has had a chance to go through all of these songs a time or two and absorb the sounds and carefully listen to the often surrealist lyrics (all of the song lyrics are available on the Bandcamp site at the link below), the wonder of This That I Have Done will come to light.

Next, released about six weeks later, is Matus’ collaboration with sitarist Robert Markey, who has studied classical music in India (Matus, from a completely different background studied jazz music at Berklee in Boston), though from the beginning of Whisper in Midzone it’s pretty clear that the musical chemistry between them is undeniable, as they focus on the ‘midzone’ that bridges Indian traditions mixed with Western harmonies and rhythms. Once again, Matus focuses on the laoutar exclusively here, and the music they make together is completely instrumental and improvised, with the laoutar being a ferfect foil for the sitar; together they cycle through ideas, one taking the central role while the other drops into the background, then trading roles, and occasionally all heaven breaks loose as they rise and fall together. If you purchase this on CD, you’ll get five long tracks, each well over ten minutes in length, and a couple that cross the eighteen minute mark. On the other hand, the download offers a sixth track, “Chairukesi,” that clocks in at fifteen. Them CDs juat don’t have enough capacity anymore, but at 77 minutes, no one should feel cheated by the CD length — plus you can drive around in your car listening to it (keep the windows up, or people are bound to look at you funny…). Needless to say, every cut here is a standout, the ideas just flow freely between Markey and Matus while the impact on the listener is completely immersive, sitar vs laoutar in a majestic cosmic engagement.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Jim Matus

More info
http://jimmatus1.bandcamp.com/album/this-that-i-have-done
http://jimmatus1.bandcamp.com/album/whisper-in-midzone-six-ragas

 

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