Record Reviews

EHRAN ELISHA / ROY CAMPBELL ~ WATCHING CARTOONS WITH EDDIE OUTNOW 004 (Barcode: 7290011216979) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2011 This wonderful album by drummer Ehran ElishaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Roy CampbellFind albums by this artist is a sort of tribute to the early Free Jazz Giants like Don CherryFind albums by this artist, Ed BlackwellFind albums by this artist, Bill DixonFind albums by this artist and others. Elisha and Campbell collaborated and recorded together in the past and their musical dialogue if full of mutual friendship, respect and admiration. All the music on the album is composed or co-composed by them. The title track refers to the fact that Elisha, while being a student and later a friend of the legendary drummer Ed Blackwell, often watched cartoons with the master in order to relax before the lessons. Of course the concept of the drums-trumpet duet in Free Jazz is not completely unusual, with the legendary Ed Blackwell / Don Cherry album "MuFind albums with this title" being an early example. Originally released in 1969 that double LP was a revolutionary step forward, redefining and expanding the genre´s borders. In the course of history several other noticeable drums-trumpet duet albums were also recorded. The idea behind this album is an imaginary double LP project, which embodies a series of imaginary duets between Blackwell and other Free Jazz Giants. Both Elisha and Campbell are already established names on the scene and Free Jazz connoisseurs most probably already came across their work – if not it´s about time to remedy that mistake. Elisha´s ability to play the drums as a melodic instrument (as opposed to a purely rhythmic one) is truly remarkable. His extended solo passages never cease to amaze as far as inventiveness and sensitivity are concerned. Campbell´s minimalism, combined with his complete command of his instrument is highly effective and artistically sublime. Their duets are wonderful example of two musicians listening to each other at all times, giving up their egos in order to achieve a fusion of their powers and a higher level of unity. I can´t imagine any Free Jazz enthusiast not finding this album worthy of their attention. Great stuff!

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EHRAN ELISHA / HAROLD RUBIN / HAIM ELISHA ~ EAST OF JAFFA OUTNOW 006 (Barcode: 7290011216009) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2011 This brilliant album is a document of a completely improvised recording session involving three great musicians: drummer / composer Ehran ElishaFind albums by this artist, legendary clarinetist / composer Harold RubinFind albums by this artist and Ehran´s father pianist Haim ElishaFind albums by this artist. The music consists of a series of trio and duo spontaneous improvisations, with Rubin and his clarinet strongly in the limelight as the most dazzling musical personality in the room. After all Rubin is almost singlehandedly responsible for the existence of the Israeli Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene and his genius is unparalleled on the worldwide scale. This is a superb example of such music at its best, which is characterized by the overall feeling that the music was carefully arranged and rehearsed before the recording, where in fact if wasn´t at all. Rubin leads the way by suggesting his charming melody lines, which are then masterly supported by Ehran´s sensitive drumming and Haim´s delicate piano phrases. His ability to weave these incredible melodies out of thin air, which are full of the sadness and joy of Jewish spiritual music, Middle Eastern twists and turns and Rubin´s own inventions is always absolutely stunning, even for someone like myself, who has experienced it firsthand for almost thirty years now. The fact that Rubin is not widely known as one of the greatest Jazz musicians that ever walked on this planet is an absolute crime of ignorance. This album might as well serve as a textbook example of what Free Jazz / Improvised Music is all about: individual genius, the ability to combine individuality into group unity, telepathic exchange of ideas on the fly, mutual respect and empathy and a bit of divine intervention, which makes it all happen at a certain place at a certain time. We mere mortals should be only grateful that the music was captured for posterity, for us to enjoy. An absolute must!

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