Tara Fuki

Country of origin:

Czech Republic

Type of music generally:

Evocative/eclectic beautiful & fierce, mostly undescribable music, with a strong Czech flavour

Status:

Most recent release, Motyle (2020)

See also:

Tara Fuki's site

Wikipedia's entry on Tara Fuki

Tara Fuki's Facebook page

See The Ectophiles' Guide entry for BOO, a band Andrea Konstankiewicz played with

Comparisons:

A little like compatriat Iva Bittová and an occasional echo of Ingrid Karklins

Covers/own material:

Own with some co-written lyrics

General comments:

Tara Tuki are a brilliant and idiosyncratic and crazy duo of women who sing and play cello. Their music is beautiful, energetic, driven, urgent. Their sounds is somewhat reminiscent of Iva Bittová but with cellos rather than violin. It's wonderful, original music with gorgeous vocals. It's hard to describe this music, except to say it's powerful, evocative, and lovely, and has a strong Eastern European flavour. It's somewhat minialist in that there are only the two voices and two cellos, but that's all they need to make wonderful music. They are accomplished cellists, vocalists, and songwriters. It's well worth tracking down their discs. (Neile)

Wonderful harmonies. (gordodo@optonline.net)

Recommended first album:

piosenki do snu or Auris (though Kapka is also good!)

Recordings:

• piosenki do snu (2001)
• Kapka (2003)
• Auris (2007)
• Sens (2010)
• Winna (2014)
• The Best of Tara Fuki (compilation, 2017)
• Motyle (2020)

piosenki do snu

2001—Indies Records (Czech Republic)—MAM153-2

Availability:

See the Tamizdat site

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Andrea Konstankiewicz—cello, vocals
Dorota Blahutová—cello, vocals

Produced by:

Tara Fuki & Josef Ostranský

Comments:

This is a truly lovely, urgent album. There isn't a track on it I don't find delightful and evocative, even though I don't understand a work of Czech. The song construction, the cello, the vocals, all are so haunting, and even when in quiet mode the songs are powerful. Highly recommended. (Neile)

Kapka (2003)

Release info:

2003—Indies Records (Czech Republic)—MAM214-2

Availability:

See the Tamizdat site

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Andrea Konstankiewicz—cello, vocals
Dorota Blahutová—cello, vocals

Guest artists:

Mario Buzzi—sampler

Produced by:

Tara Fuki

Comments:

One of my favorites of the year. (gordodo@optonline.net)

Like the first one, this is wonderful. The addition of samplers is mostly a good thing, though the end of the first track, "Cichy placz", is a bit much. Still this is a refreshingly alive album and highly recommended. (Neile)

Auris

Release info:

2007—Indies Scope Records (Czech Republic)—MAM460-2

Availability:

See Indies Scope Records' site

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Dorota Barová—cello, vocals
Andrea Konstankiewicz—cello, vocals, zither, hang

Guest artists:

Vertigo Quintet:
     Marcel Bárta—bass clarinet (11, 10)
     Oskar Török—trumpet (6, 11)
     Vojtech Procházka—Fender Rhodes (11)
     Rastislav Uhrík—acoustic bass (11)
     Daniel Soltis—drums (11)
Jahanguir Nazare—hangs, tabla, kanjira, vocals (2, 5, 6)
Martin Alajam—guitar (1)
Tomás Veselý—piano (3,9)
Ales Hyvnas—darbuka (1)

Produced by:

Tara Fuki and Ales Hyvnar

Comments:

The Website describes their sound as "absolutely racy and unique...delicately dynamic and rich in its expression"—this seems especially true of this new recording. I have loved their two previous recordings, but this one is especially amazing. Complex and yet simple in many ways, this is a joy to listen to. Highly, highly recommended. (Neile)

Winna

Release info:

2014—Indies Scope Records (Czech Republic)—MAM 551-2

Availability:

See Indies Scope Records' site

Ecto priority:

Recommended for fans of mellow cello & vocals, and of Tara Fuki

Group members:

Dorota Barová—cello, vocals
Andrea Konstankiewicz—cello, vocals

Comments:

Though I usually love Tara Fuki, this album just doesn't leap into my head the way their previous more quirky and passionate mode does. It's just a slightly different style that doesn't grab me. I'm sure people interested in a quieter mode would love it, though—the overall sound is pretty, and their cello and vocal work is lovely. (Neile)