Record Reviews

CHICK COREA / ORIGIN ~ LIVE AT THE BLUE NOTE STRETCH 9018 (Barcode: 013431901822) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998 Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s acoustic sextet OriginFind albums by this artist was formed in late 1997 by expanding his acoustic trio (Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist – bass and Adam CruzFind albums by this artist – drums) with the addition of trombonist Steve DavisFind albums by this artist and two reeds players Bob SheppardFind albums by this artist and Steve WilsonFind albums by this artist. After a brief period of rehearsals and one club performance the band was booked to play for six nights (two sets each night) at the NY Blue Note club, which was to be the band’s official premiere. All the music played at Blue Note was recorded, initially mainly for the sake of documentation, but upon listening to the results Corea decided to release this album, which presents just a taste of what happened there. A much more comprehensive recording project, capturing three entire nights (6 sets) was released as a 6 CDs set under the title “The Complete 1998 Live At The Blue Note RecordingsFind albums with this title”. Origin proved to be indeed an “origin”, a new beginning for Chick, who hasn’t led an acoustic sextet for over 20 years. It served as a perfect vehicle to develop and present a set of new compositions, which show an older and seasoned Jazz Master at work. The music is complex, somewhat dark, serious and multi-layered, requiring attentive listening. In many respects it often resembles some contemporary Classical Music influences. The players have plenty of space to develop both individual and collective extended improvisations, which of course are quite brilliant. Corea is not featured as the main soloist and steps back to become just one of the band’s members. All the music presented on this album, except for one standard, was composed by Corea, who re-examines his life’s achievements here, moving skillfully between his various musical activities, as diverse as Latin music and Free Jazz. All together this is a splendid example of modern Jazz at it’s best, with great music and excellent playing all the way. Corea’s fans don’t need any encouragement here and others should definitely investigate.

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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ VENTURE BOUND ENJA 9603 (Barcode: 063757960324) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is another wonderful album by Israeli (resident in US) pianist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, one of the leading contemporary Jewish Jazz musicians. It was recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonists Donny McCaslinFind albums by this artist and John EllisFind albums by this artist alternating between the tracks, bassist Chris LighcapFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam CruzFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians participate on a few tracks. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Nechushtan. Each new album by Alon Nechushtan offers a fresh glimpse at his diverse and complex musical personality, which seems to be able to encompass a vast, cross-genre richness, which eventually becomes his very own. The most amazing quality of his is that he always sounds as if he already played this or that specific sub-genre for years, whereas in fact a comprehensive knowledge of his output so far reveals that he is probably one of the most chameleonic Jazz musicians around. But regardless of the specific musical environment Nechushtan selects as his weapon of choice at a specific moment, he is always honest, both with himself and the listener. The quality of players he selects as his partners, the wonderful technical qualities, the incredible melodic wealth and above all the ability to communicate with his fellow musicians and his public alike are a direct result of this honesty. Nechushtan´s music is always an amalgam of influences: first and foremost Jewish music in all forms and shapes, but also the endless varieties of the Jazz Art Form, which together create the new "Jewish Jazz" phenomenon, which is taking shape on the contemporary music scene all over the world, but mainly in the three focal places: America, Israel and Poland. These three scenes, although slightly different, are going in the same direction in many respects, and Nechushtan is definitely one of the Jewish Jazz most prominent pioneers. This album, although less obviously connected with the Jewish context and emphasizing the Jazz tradition and its contemporary state of affairs, is nevertheless an integral part of his continuous musical journey, which is always fascinating and heartwarming. Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 19/09/2018Posted:

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