The mutual love for all things Americana is what united Belgian guitarists Thomas Decock and Artan Buleshkaj in recording their duo album Plain Songs.
The project started out rather informally: like many other (jazz) musicians, both Thomas and Artan are avid frequenters of local jam sessions.They would regularly meet each other and play at aforementioned hang-outs. They quickly discovered that they have quite similar tastes as far as repertoire is concerned, and decided it would be a good idea to meet up to further explore these tunes together.
Before long, their bag of jazz standards made way for more folk and country-oriented repertoire, which as it turned out, they also both love. A few gigs and one recording session later, and they have a 12-track album in the books. The result is a unique blend of country/folk-based harmonic structures and the adventurous spirit and improvisation one would typically associate with jazz.
No original tunes are played, instead composers from the folk tradition (Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, …) are featured alongside more modern artists (Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin…) and composers from the jazz idiom (Thelonious Monk, Richard Rodgers, Paul Motian, …). What glues it all together is a language and sound that’s unmistakably Americana.
As the album title suggests, a what you see/hear is what you get-philosophy pervades every track: what you’ll hear is two guitars plugged straight into the amp (if electric), with little to no effects. All of this was masterfully recorded and mixed by engineer/producer Koen Gisen, who is known for his analogue approach, making the music sound as realistic as possible.
Besides their duo project, Thomas and Artan both are very active in the Belgian (jazz) scene, and are/were involved in numerous projects spanning a wide gamut of genres.
Thomas and Artan are currently working on a follow-up album for "Plain Songs".
- Released : 13/09/2024
- Recorded : February 2024
- Sound engineer : Koen Gisen
