OUTIM
"Outim," her fifth album, is the result of two years of work, in which she wrote the stories of the songs, and gathered thoughts and inspiration and recorded in a studio in Bristol. One can say "Outim" is really a precious gift given to Mingrelian language and culture, because the Mingrelian language, an unwritten language, and the Mingrelians, one of the most populous ethnic groups in the eastern Black Sea region, find their voice in its songs. All the songs are composed by Mircan and Limbo, the Bristol-based jazz band that accompanied Mircan on her last two albums. The musical harmony that Mircan and Limbo create is clearly audible on "Outim," as on the previous album, "Numinosum." But, in "Outim," Limbo seems to have truly understood the traditional features of eastern Black Sea music. The rhythmic and harmonic blends Limbo makes, as well as the use of bagpipes in the place of the tulum (bagpipe-like instrument used in the Black Sea region), match well with Mircan's idea of "playing with" the traditional and somehow going beyond it.
Furthermore, it must be recalled that Limbo is an experimental jazz band. Hence, when combined with Mircan's inclination toward experimenting with music, words, melodic phrases and cadences, one can only remark, "No wonder they understand each other and fit in so well together."
Fulya Özlem,
Todays Zaman


