Record Reviews

BE4EIGHT ~ 11X13 NOT ON LABEL ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by Czech multi-instrumentalist / composer Jacob Carl RuzickaFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Be4EightFind albums by this artist) recorded mostly by himself with the help of several Czech and international musicians, including American (born in Pakistan) guitarist Rez AbbasiFind albums by this artist, Norwegian trumpeter Arve HenriksenFind albums by this artist and Czech vocalist Iva BittovaFind albums by this artist among others. The album presents thirteen tracks, all composed by Ruzicka. The music presents a wide spectrum of influences, and although basically can be classified as Jazz oriented, it also includes Pop, Ambient and World Music influences, which in today’s world is completely natural. There is a solid melodic background to all of the tunes, which is very skillfully expanded into improvisations and Ambient soundscapes, creating a sort of cinematic soundtrack, which lets the listener to write his own scenario. The tracks were put together very carefully in the studio, creating an ensemble ambience, although basically being a one-man show, which can be credited to the production talents by Ruzicka. The musical and instrumental diversity of the tunes creates a pleasant and interesting musical trip, which flows naturally and is definitely worth being investigated. It has a contemporary aural atmosphere, which is a bit too synthesized for my old-fashioned ears, which would prefer more acoustic instruments to be involved, but that is quite a minor point in the general picture. Overall, this is a very interesting piece of music, which shows great skill and good taste of its creator, producing a pleasant, well performed stream of mostly instrumental music and a few songs in between, which flows gently, but keeps the listener interested for the duration. Definitely well done and worth investigation!

Updated: 10/04/2023Posted: 10/04/2023

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