Record Reviews

ELI HASSON ~ BADLANDS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 755491364093) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2025 Released: 2026 This is the 2nd album by Israeli Jazz trumpeter / composer Eli HassonFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with pianist Milton MichaeliFind albums by this artist, bassist Asaf ShchoriFind albums by this artist and drummer Haggai FershtmanFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, eight of which are original compositions, one (repeated twice) is by Japanese keyboardist / composer Ryuichi SakamotoFind albums by this artist, another one is by Paul MotianFind albums by this artist and finally one is by Neil YoungFind albums by this artist. The music is all strictly composed modern Jazz, which offers a slightly more conventional format that Hasson’s debut album. The presence of the piano is an important shift in the music’s character and adds significantly more harmonic depth and soloing strength. Of course the music is still quite open and less restricted than mainstream Jazz, but is just somewhat more listener friendly. All four musicians perform splendidly and manage to create a coherent atmosphere throughout the entire duration, which is not an easy task considering the fact that the music is kept most of the time at an extremely slow tempo, almost sluggish and full of tension and expectation, which of course reflects the atmosphere in Israel at the time the music was recorded, and the feeling of loss and grief. The leader allows the much younger members of his quartet a lot of space to present their individual contributions, and overall stays most of the time somewhat in the background, pushing them ever so gently in the right direction, which of course is a great way to be a responsible “father-figure”. Overall, this is a most rewarding piece of modern Jazz, which eschews empty gestures and presents condensed emotional content, full of excellent musicianship and classy attitude. I am happy to see that Hasson continues to write new music and record albums, as he certainly has a lot to say to all lovers of ambitious Jazz.

Updated: 14/01/2026Posted: 14/01/2026

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ELI HASSON ~ SEVEN SEAS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 9506289436147) ~ ISRAEL ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Israeli Jazz trumpeter / composer Eli HassonFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with guitarist Yeonathan ShacharFind albums by this artist and drummer Yovel ShayFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Hasson and one is an arrangement of a traditional song. Hasson, aged 60, a “late bloomer” as he jokingly describes his musical background, is classically trained, but was involved in the “fringe” Israeli Jazz scene for some years, including stints with Harold RubinFind albums by this artist and Albert BegerFind albums by this artist, but only recently started to develop his compositional ambitions, encouraged by Israel pianist Anat FortFind albums by this artist. His partners on this album are young Israeli Jazz musicians / improvisers. The music, although definitely melody based, incorporates a lot of Freedom in the interpretation, with a beautiful balance between sound and silence. The intimate and highly unusual trio format also sets a decisive tone to the music, which is very contemplative, reflective and even hypnotic to some extent. Hasson’s trumpet playing, obviously classically influenced, is precise and offers a beautiful tone, which is expressive and relaxed. The guitarist offers layers of harmony and some electronic effects, staying mostly in the role of accompanist, creating the background for the trumpet soloing. The drummer almost never plays any steady rhythmic patterns, supplying instead another layer of accompaniment. Together the trio offers highly aesthetic and deeply emotional vistas, characteristic of European / Nordic stylistics. Overall, this is a highly unusual Jazz / Improvised Music album, rather atypical to the local Israeli Jazz scene, which is mostly mainstream or ethnically oriented, which of course is very refreshing. The melodic continuity should make this music much more accessible to wider audiences than the usual Improvised Music fringe, and allow this music to reach many Jazz lovers, which it truly deserves. Hopefully the next album will arrive sooner than this debut effort.

Updated: 24/06/2023Posted: 24/06/2023

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