Modest Midget | en

“…As rough as Paul Simon, as commercial as Ingmar Bergman and as sophisticated as Britney Spears!”

Lonny (Lionel) Ziblat is an Israeli / Argentinean composer who was brought up in a mixture of clutures and musical tastes. Modest Midget was initialy a vague fantasy that surfaced in his mind, which eventualy found its home in the middle of the crossing point between different styles that would normally collide with each other. He gathered some songs that didn't fit in any other frame he'd known and started recording them, giving each the special attention it craved for. Strange as it may seem, the music seemed to be elaborated with sophistication and yet intuitively simple. "The Great Prophecy of a Small Man", Modest Midget's first album, was recorded with the helping hand of numerous wonderful artists, coming from different musical backgrounds, each great in his own field, whether it be Jazz or contemporary classical music. Among the participants were people like violinists Bas Wiegers (The Asko ensemble) and Vera van der Bie (the Metropole orchestra), clarinetist Ilse Eijsink and Jazz violist Oene van Geel (The Zapp string quartet).

Lonny’s music has been said to have found a “missing link between the Beatles and Frank Zappa”, though these may not be the words he would choose to describe his music. However, whoever takes a close look will definately find a great veriety of sounds and influences, revealing that many styles and genres have played a role. To a certain extent, the music eludes any clear cateogry, which means you'll just have to judge it by yourself.

After starting off completely on his own, receiving casual help from different musicians, Lonny's project seemed to take a life of his own. In order to go live though, the band had to have a steady line-up with people who had the affinity with the music and who would have the flexibility necessary to perform it. The solution consisted of four guys with similar mixed musical backgrounds and somewhat colourful geographical backgrounds aswell, which undeliberately gives the band an international flavour. The energy and positive attitude of these musicians have perfected the initial idea that Lonny developed in his mind into a yet sharper entity. .