This hour-long set from the Russian folk music ensemble in the Washington, DC area brings back fond memories of my many visits to the Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center which were the last times I heard the emotional, danceable tunes from this tradition. Samovar formed in 1996 and has played the Smithsonian, Hillwood Museum and Gardens, Russian Embassy and Ambassador's residence. Whether serving up polkas, waltzes, hopaks or songs, the sextet has established a cohesive sound emphasizing vocals, balalaika and accordion. The two women vocalists (Anya Titova, Olga Rines) are folklorists with a strong calling to preserve messages of their traditional musical heritage of Russia and the Ukraine. The songs are driven by feelings of the heart, with many allusions to the trees, river, garden, moon, fields, flowers, sea and wind. In some case, these natural elements calm one's heart. In other cases, they serve as parties in conversations and lyrical discourses that may question or provide advice. The CD jacket includes both Russian (and English translations) for all of the songs.

Instrumentally, the band features Michael Nazaretz (accordion), Yelena Rector (prima domra), Rick Netherton (contrabass balalaika), and Ilhan Izmirli (alto balalaika, guitar). Netherton's showcase piece is "Korobushka" (Little Peddler Box) with his walking bass line and a featured break. The spotlight shines on Nazaretz when he becomes the sole accompaniment to Anya Titova's singing of "Odinokaya Garmon" (Lonely Accordion) that poignantly asks "Why are you roaming the whole night alone? Why are you keeping the girls awake?" The CD's closing tracks refer to gypsy songs. I wonder if Samovar occasionally gets out of the city to the forest where they and their friends can sing, dance, drink wine and eat borscht and caviar by a river. (Joe Ross)
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