Solo/Band Leader/Featured Artist:
Family Tradition & Stay All Night
Alex Meixner's 2 latest cds
Review by Rob Savickis www.bestpolkabands.com
I received these 2 cds about a month ago, and wow, what a month its been. First, let me give you some background. Stay All Night is 2007 Grammy Nominated Musician/Composer Alex Meixner's latest cd which was just released this last year and Family Tradition was released the year before that, in 2008.
Family Tradtion pays tribute to a 4 generation legacy of Meixner Music in the United States. It is a collection of 19 absolutely fantastic tunes, some of which were written by Alex, some of which are traditonal, and many that were also written by other members of the legacy, such as his father. What I especially like about this cd is the variety of sounds that are presented. While staying true to the polka roots, the arrangements that Alex presents of these songs give the music a more contemporary feel that allows the music to be appreciated by a wider audience. As Alex himself states on the cd: "As styles and fashions change, what is old becomes new and what is new becomes old. I truly enjoy the opportunity to present both traditonal and contemporary styles and look forward to continuing the family tradtion for a number of years."
Of particular note on this cd are a number of the tracks. Having been a mobile DJ since 1987, my personal favorite was probably the Button Box Bonanza Medley. Meixner plays 3 Slovenian Polka Standards that will keep the crowd going for close to 6 minutes. Hurray For Charlie is a fun song in the dixieland style. Jux Polka would be the perfect song for a polka competition. And Alex says in the notes that he plays it even faster in the live show.
Track 12 is a beautiful waltz named after Alex's first daughter Zoey Lynn. Alex and his wife just celebrated the birth of their 2nd daughter, and I am sure both will be the inspiration for even more great music.
Moving on over to Alex's latest cd Stay All Night, the first track, Alpenade is an absolute musical masterpiece, and, with Alex's permission, I have been playing it on the www.bestpolkabands.com website for the last 2-3 months. Even more so than on Family Tradition, Stay All Night showcases what a complete master of the accordion (as well as other instruments such as the trumpet, slide trumpet, alphorn and flugelhorn) Alex Meixner is. Alex does not just play the accordion, he puts his complete heart and soul in to the task, and he manages to do things with the accordion that you would think would not be humanly possible, but he does it, and the result is incredible. The cover of the cd accomplishes showing visually the excitement and zest which comes thru on this cd, as do the many pictures of Alex in the liner notes. The graphic design on this cd keeps with the excellence of the entire project.
It was hard to pick favorites because all the songs on the cd excel in some special way, but I will do my best to explore the variety of the 22 tracks. As on Family Tradition, Meixner keeps the cd fresh by integrating a variety of sounds. Stay All Night, the title track as well as Guzevich's Fiddle Faddle introduce sounds that country fans would appreciate, and they work well on this cd. One of Meixner's own compositions, Livin' Groove, has a distinctlty jazzy sound that all jazz stations would be smart to integrate into their playlists. Of course polka plays the prominent role on this cd, with multiple fantastic songs such as Meet Me On The Midway, Tanzende Finger as well as original Alex Meixner compositions such as Donuts Polka, and Drunk Monkey Polka.
Very beautiful waltzes provide a nice musical pause to the rest of the cd. One song in particular, The Moldau, shows how versatile Meixner can be with the accordion, as he uses the instrument not only to create dynamic sounds, but extremely romantic and passionate sounds as well. Another Meixner original, I Saw A Girl Today, is a very sentimental waltz that I am sure many people can relate to completely.
The last 2 songs on the cd complement each other particularly well. Track 21, the traditional Hoe Down, is perhaps the ultimate example of how much energy Alex Meixner puts into the music he plays. By the end of the song, your heart is beating fast, and your blood is pumping to capacity. The next song, the last song on the cd, A Perfect Glow, helps you to calm down and relax as it is one of the best accordion solos I have heard in a long time, if ever. Half way thru the song, a horn of some kind enters the sound, showing how perfectly Meixner can combine his melodies and harmonies. If there are any movie producers out there, what came to my mind when I first heard this song, and then over and over again, was how perfect this song, another Alex Meixner original, would be in conveying thru the soundtrack, feelings in some very dramatic movie. All I can say is, John Williams, watch out.
Stay All Night by Alex Meixner (Meixner Music Productions 2009) - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/meixneralex2
Family Tradition by Alex Meixner (Meixner Music Productions 2008) - http://cdbaby.com/cd/meixneralex
Polka Freak Out! by Alex Meixner & Bubba Hernandez (Moon Zero Bird Records 2007) - Grammy Nominee - Best Polka Album 2007 - http://moonzerobirdrecords.com/catalog
Digitally Yours Vol. 1 by Al and Alex Meixner
Digitally Yours Vol. 2 by Al and Alex Meixner
Digitally Yours Vol. 3 by Al and Alex Meixner
Digitally Yours Vol. 4 by Al and Alex Meixner
Digitally Yours Vol. 5 by Al and Alex Meixner
Muzika Europa featuring Ilka Henits and Alex Meixner (2005) - http://cdbaby.com/cd/ilkaalex
Alex Plays Button Box and Other Stuff - Alex (Euro-Class CD-034)
Scenes from a Parallel Universe - Jazz Visions feat. Alex Meixner (Station House CD-101)
The Legacy - Alex (Euro-Class CD-005)
Familiar Faces in New Places - Alex (Euro-Class CD-961)
Like Father, Like Son by Al and Alex Meixner (Euro-Class CD-933)
Beliebte Volkslieder/Meixner Musik - Resi/Al and Alex Meixner (Euro-Class CD-029)
Button Box Dynamite/Slovenian Gold - Al and Alex Meixner (Euro-Class CD-037)
Al Meixner Trio
Off the Wall - The Al Meixner Trio (Euro-Class CD-058)
Mmm! Mmm! Gut! - Al Meixner Trio (Euro-Class CD-023)
Here Come the Polka Heroes Vol. 2 - Various Artists (Cleveland International HER-2004)
International Showcase - Al Meixner Trio (Euro-Class CD-985)
On Stage - Al Meixner Trio (Euro-Class CD-951) OUT OF PRINT
Collaborations as a Sideman
Dancing on the Volcano - Guy Klucevsek (Tzadik- 2009)
Polka Haunt Us - Various Artists (Cyphyre Music- 2008)
Dancing En Fuego - Bubba Hernandez (Moon Zero Bird Records- 2008)
A Tribute to Benzy Rathbone- Tony Grandovic (Grandovic Productions- 2007)
Dancing Fingers - Brent Buswell (BBCD-002)
Music of Al Meixner Volume 2 - Al Meixner (Euro-Class CD-059)
Zugabe - Kapelle Fellas (TKF-103)
Chapters - Joey Kiley (2005)
Agent Moosehead (2004)
Just for You - Brent Buswell (Buzzy Bee Music BBCD-001)
Move Away - Jim Groller
Yes, this is Happiness - Bob Russ
Looking for Frei Bier - Kapelle Fellas (TKF- 102)
Hugh Indigo - Jerry Lynn (Station House CD-102)
Czech/Slovak Favorites on the Button Accordion - Josef Kroboth (Euro-Class CD-012)
The Music of Al Meixner (Euro-Class CD-008)
Wild Nights - Roger Latzgo (Zlata Z-6254)
Edelweiss Land - Josef Kroboth (Euro-Class CD-984)
Encore from Otter Creek - Ron Pivovar (Euro-Class CD-981)
New Wine in Old Bottles - Roger Latzgo (Zlata Z-6252)
My Star- Johnny Dee Orchestra (Euro-Class CD-967)
Oktoberfest Souvenir - Al Meixner (Euro-Class CD-966)
Edelweiss und Enzian - Josef Kroboth (Euro-Class CD-965)
Weihnachtszeit - Al Meixner (Euro-Class CD-917)
Music and Friends - Walter Ostanek and Friends (World Renowned Sounds CD-10017) - Grammy Award Winner - Best Polka Album 1994
Euro-Class Sampler I - Various Artists (Euro-Class CD-971)
No Te Puedo Imaginar - Javier Portillo (custom production JPMC-101)
Signature Series - Dan Witucki (Euro-Class MC-924)
Nur Ein Bussi - Edi Hadner and Friends (Euro-Class MC-914)
International Dance Party - Dan Witucki/Al Meixner/Ty Baden/Alex (Euro-Class MC-913)
Signature Series - Kathy Hlad (Euro-Class MC-907)
Kein Schoener Land - Dan Witucki (Euro-Class MC-906)
Introducing the Meixner Kinder (Jo-Al MC-1027)
