Record Reviews

ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ CHASMS, OMENS, SHARDS, SPELLS COMPOSERS CONCORDANCE ~ ISRAEL ~ Classical Recorded: 1999 - 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by Israeli (Resident in US) Jazz pianist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, which presents this time his contemporary Classical Music compositions. The 2CD album includes ten compositions, all part of a Concerto for Orchestra, or ten-piece suite, which were recorded over a period of two decades by seven different orchestras / ensembles in various parts of the world. Listeners familiar with Nechushtan’s Jazz output might be perhaps surprised by this venture into the Classical Music idiom, but the fact that he pursued this highly ambitious project for so long testifies how important this music is to him, and the result is definitely worthy of being heard and enjoyed. Nechushtan employs the entire modern (well 20th Century) Classical Orchestral Music arsenal of sonorities and structures, which has solid melodic continuity, but eschews all Romantic / Sentimental ventures in favor of rather somber atmospheric themes and multi-layered instrumental configurations, yet skillfully manages not to sound bombastic. As a result, the listener in engrossed by a dense, but low key flow of themes, which continue from one part of the suite into the next, creating an enchanting journey, which sounds at times like a soundtracks of an imaginary movie, or theatre performance. This is definitely a kind of music, which demands concentration and undivided attention, a pre-requisite not easily available these days. But for the right audience, this music should be definitely fascinating and highly rewarding, although might perhaps need several listening sessions in order to be fully appreciated. For Nechushtan this is certainly a confirmation of his maturity as a composer and a cross-genre aficionado. Overall, this is a major piece of contemporary Orchestral Classical Music, rich and complex, full of wonderful compositional skills and highly imaginative mind behind it. As such, I can only recommend it wholeheartedly, hoping that many music lovers will discover this music and learn to love it, as I did.

Updated: 22/09/2023Posted: 22/09/2023

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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ DARK FORCES CREATIVE SOURCES 195 (Barcode: 5609063401950) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2003 - 2010 Released: 2011 Israeli (resident in NY) keyboardist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist emerges as one of the most remarkable musicians of the new generation. His exceptional work with his TalatFind albums by this artist quintet in the field of radical Jewish music and his piano trio recording released recently were both refreshing and of exceptional quality, but nothing could prepare his audiences for this momentous work, which reveals him as a major Avant-Garde composer / performer. Recorded over a period of seven years, this album presents a series of compositions for electronic keyboards and a Jazz ensemble, merging ambient, electronic, Free Jazz and Improvised Music. The list of players reads like the who´s who of contemporary US Free Jazz / experimental scene and includes bassist Mark DresserFind albums by this artist, bass clarinetist Ned RothenbergFind albums by this artist, guitarists Henry KaiserFind albums by this artist and Elliott SharpFind albums by this artist and many other outstanding musicians. The music consists of electronic ambient layers, which serve as basis for the Jazz players to paint their improvisations on top. It is heavily atmospheric, magical and enthralling, pulling the listener deeper and deeper into the strangely beautiful world of sound created by the composer and the performers. Of course such music requires attentive listening, but as Avant-Garde as it is, it remains highly communicative, even to the lesser trained ears. This album proves that Nechushtan is a surprisingly versatile musician, with lots to offer, which means he should be closely followed as he keeps surprising us again and again. Great stuff!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ FOR THOSE WHO CROSS THE SEAS ESP 4084 (Barcode: 825481408424) ~ ISRAEL ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2006 Released: 2023 This is an archival album by Israeli Jazz pianist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with top American Improvising Music / Free Jazz musicians: flautist / trumpeter Roy CampbellFind albums by this artist, clarinetists / saxophonists Daniel CarterFind albums by this artist and Sabir MateenFind albums by this artist, bassist William ParkerFind albums by this artist and Italian (resident in US) drummer Federico UghiFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents a two-part suite, each part taking an entire length of a CD, not broken into individual tracks. All the music was composed by Nechushtan and was recorded live at the legendary Zebulon club in Brooklyn, seventeen years prior to its release. Following his move to the US, Nechushtan continued his musical studies and performed with many local musicians, establishing over time one of the grandest careers in Contemporary Music, writing an astonishing amount of works for orchestras, choirs and smaller ensembles, always including some basic Jazz / Improvised Music elements, and is today one of the most well-known and respected Israeli composers worldwide. The music on this album was recorded at the early days of his US career, but the list of participating musicians reflects the respect and recognition of the American Improvising Music scene he received already at that time. The album offers a typical Improvised Music / Free Jazz ambience, with constant development of individual and group improvisations, flowing slowly between reflective, almost ambient moments and intensive crescendos, supported steadily by the rhythm section. With never a dull moment, the over ninety minutes long performance is full of stunning soloing and collective mayhem, which is an exhilarating sonic experience for those who enjoy Improvised Music at its core. Overall, this is a nostalgic glance over the shoulder for Nechushtan, a brief moment in his early days, a snapshot of the Improvising Music NY scene, a memory of an iconic venue, which was closed and moved from NY to LA, and a solid evidence of the collective creativity, which ruled this music at the time. This is definitely worth investigating to all Improvised Music enthusiasts, as the music lost nothing of its charm over time!

Updated: 10/01/2024Posted: 10/01/2024

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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ RITUAL FIRE BETWEEN THE LINES 71234 (Barcode: 608917123425) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is a strikingly beautiful album by Israeli (living in NY) pianist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist with a quartet which also includes the bassist Ken FilianoFind albums by this artist, drummer Bob MeyerFind albums by this artist and the legendary Israeli clarinetist Harold RubinFind albums by this artist. The quartet performs ten pieces that are mostly freely improvised, based on compositional guidelines by Nechushtan, which together constitute an "action" suite, a term describing an artistic on-the-fly creation. This is Nechushtan´s fourth consecutive exceptional album in a span of just a few years, firmly establishing him as a major player of the contemporary Jazz / Improvised Music scene. Although released under Nechushtan´s name, the album is primarily a remarkable tribute to the exceptional abilities of Rubin, who was almost eighty years old when this music was recorded. Although still relatively little acknowledged on the international music scene, Rubin is a force of Nature, with absolutely no competition anywhere in the world. His playing, or rather creation of sounds, is completely unique and transcends the Jazz tradition by light-years. Wonderfully he is getting better with time and the advanced age seems to bless him with ageless vitality and musical astuteness. Nechushtan is to be congratulated for recognizing Rubin´s contribution and keeping the rhythm section relatively in the background, mostly supporting Rubin´s soloing. But of course the rhythm section plays all along and they play wonderfully. These are all experienced and very talented players, who all have recognized recorded legacies to their names, and therefore don´t need to prove anything by taking more of the personal space that the opportunity called for. Again they all deserve to be praised for their attitude. The music is typically spontaneous and limitless, creating an aesthetic aura of elegance, beauty and artistic "fire", which should win over every open-minded listener. This is true "high art", which should be celebrated and revered, as it is rare and fragile.

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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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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ WORLDS BEYOND BUCKYBALL 024 (Barcode: 697855002428) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 New album by Israeli (resident in NY) pianist Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, this time in a trio setting with bassist Francois MoutinFind albums by this artist and drummer Dan WeissFind albums by this artist, which presents nine brilliant compositions by the leader and an exceptional performance by the trio. Nechushtan is of course fondly remembered for his fantastic work with the TalatFind albums by this artist quintet ("The GrowlFind albums with this title" on TzadikFind albums on this label Records), which to this day is one of my favorite albums of the last decade. This album is completely different from his work with Talat, which combined Jazz and Klezmer / Hasidic music, and presents superb modern Jazz unrelated to any particular ethnic references. Nechushtan again shines both as a composer, with his tunes sounding like instant classics, which could have been composed by the likes of Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist or Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist, and as player, displaying dazzling technique and sensitivity. His supporting team is also brilliant all the way, with Moutin doing some incredible stuff with his bass (don´t try this at home) and Weiss beating the hell out of the drum kit, but always right on the beat. Overall this is a great album, immensely enjoyable and deeply moving emotionally. I can´t imagine any true Jazz fan not falling in love with this album instantly, and therefore I recommend it wholeheartedly. A true must!

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TALAT ~ THE GROWL TZADIK 8113 (Barcode: 702397811329) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2006 Released: 2006 Klezmer / Hasidic music and Jazz have a lot in common, at times being almost undistinguishable. Although based on quite different musical foundations (Eastern European folk motifs vs. the blues), both these musical genres are mainly about improvisation, the most significant characteristic that sets them apart from most other types of music. The attempts to merge these two genres have been undertaken by many musicians active in both genres with various degrees of success. John ZornFind albums by this artist’s label TzadikFind albums on this label (which released this album) is the home label to some of these musicians, as is another Jewish owned NY label called Knitting FactoryFind albums on this label. Although I’m pretty familiar with most of this stuff, hearing this album really knocked me out completely. Never before have I heard such a harmonious and clever interchange of these two genres, almost painfully brilliant. TalatFind albums by this artist is a NY based quintet led by Israeli composer / pianist Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, who composed and arranged all the music on this album. His cahoots are four young players (Marc MommaasFind albums by this artist – saxophones, Matt ShulmanFind albums by this artist – trumpet, Matt PavolkaFind albums by this artist – bass and Jordan PersonFind albums by this artist – drums) with exceptional abilities and technique. The music cleverly moves between the Klezmer-like melodies and the jazz-like improvisations with such ease and elegance that the transition seems to be perfectly natural and smooth. The arrangements are devilishly clever and intricate, but easy on the ear, so this wonderful music should please even the less experienced listeners who had little experience with contemporary improvised music. Alon’s incredible gift to make complex music sound easy is one that many fellow musicians should envy, as it is rare and precious. This is a rare gem and an essential example of music transcending the limitations of what is considered humanly possible. A must!

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