Michael Draine's Twisted Vista
Von Zamla
1983
(Cuneiform)
This sharp live recording captures two peak
performances by Sweden’s Von Zamla, a
progressive sextet with a line-up of guitar,
bass, keyboards, accordion, woodwinds,
and drums. The Swedish progressives
never fell prey to the labored pseudoclassicism
of their UK counterparts, turning instead to
the buoyant, tweaked melodies of Scandinavian
folk music for inspiration. Von Zamla was
formed by two former members of Zamla Mammas
Manna, keyboardist/composer Lars Hollmar and
guitarist Eino Haapala choosing a name that
translates as “after Zamla.” Zamla Mammas		Music Review Index
Manna was a member of Rock In Opposition
(RIO), a collective of European bands
(Henry Cow, Univers Zero, Stormy Six, Art
Zoyd) whose music often reflected leftist or
anti-commercial standpoints. Von Zamla’s
crunching rhythmic profile and puissant
ensemble playing generate an infectious,
floor-stomping energy, contrasted by the
ominous tones of Univers Zero member Michel
Berckmans’ oboe and bassoon. At once arch,
anthemic, dark, and rhapsodic, 1983 offers an
ideal introduction to Von Zamla’s complex and
challenging, yet ultimately tuneful musical
language.
published in Vendetta, 1999
www.cuneiformrecords.com