Music review: Mazaika in Cabaret

Published on Tuesday 11 August 2009 19:11

MAZAIKA IN CABARET THE BONGO CLUB (VENUE 143)

SARAH Harrison and Igor Outkine of the duo Mazaika are real troupers, to use an old-fashioned expression, but they're also real musicians.

She extracts fine tone, gypsy passion and snappy swing from her violin while he, a sort of Russian Rick Wakeman of the button accordion, switches from a conventional instrument to a Midi accordion – a veritable Tardis of an instrument, much more than it appears, from which he coaxes everything from guitar tones and saxophone solos to a James Brown back-up band. And he sings, with all the earthy passion of a Russian tenor – but he's not above a quick rendition of I Feel Good.

Despite the "in cabaret" label, they're on stage and the audience are in rows – a real caf table set-up would have been nice for this act, but no-one was feeling short-changed about it and the duo frequently brought the house down.

They are hugely entertaining, she a deadpan English foil to his Russian effusiveness, but musically they couldn't be tighter, and their repertoire ranged engagingly.

They opened and closed with impassioned Hungarian and Romanian gypsy material, including the classic The Lark played with great brio, with its stratospheric trills and birdcalls.

There was also all the strut of an Astor Piazzolla tango and some "Hot Club" style gypsy jazz, Harrison's fiddle singing sweetly over snappy accordion chording.

Outkine gave us an operatic aria with bel canto extravagance, then reverted to Russian and called upon his electronic box of tricks to sound as if he had half the Red Army Choir concealed backstage.

He also ranged, tongue in cheek, through the back catalogue of popular music, from All of Me to a burst of James Brown and even a snappy tribute to the recently departed with Billie Jean.

And all of it with a mischievous twinkle, but underpinned by consummate musicianship.

Until 13 August. Today 8:50pm.