Record Reviews

TIMNA BRAUER & ELI MEIRI ENSEMBLE ~ TEFILA - PRAYER NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 9005503310473) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1995 Released: 1996 This is an album by the ensemble led by Israeli couple: vocalist Timna BrauerFind albums by this artist (born in Austria) and keyboardist Eli MeiriFind albums by this artist, with an international team comprising of violinist Aliosha BizFind albums by this artist, guitarist / percussionist Shani Ben-CanarFind albums by this artist and drummer Courtney JonesFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are Jewish or Israeli songs originating from many corners of the world, mostly traditional and some more contemporary. Both Brauer and Meiri are basically Jazz musicians, but this album is strongly oriented towards the traditional roots of Jewish and Israeli music, with Jazzy arrangements, which result in extensive instrumental passages. Brauer is an excellent vocalist and her Yemenite roots are clearly recognizable. She is also a gifted vocal improviser, which this album features in full. The instrumental work is performed with elegance and suits the album’s goals perfectly Overall, this is a very interesting album for lovers of traditional Jewish music, dressed in Jazz arrangements and performed by talented musicians. It is somewhat less strictly Jazz oriented than their excellent debut album, recorded in Israel, called “Orient Live”, but still definitely worth the attention of music lovers the world over.

Updated: 27/01/2025Posted: 27/01/2025

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SHLOMI GOLDENBERG ~ FLOWER NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 005500465083) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 - 2004 Released: 2004 Israeli saxophonist / composer Shlomi GoldenbergFind albums by this artist is one of the most active musicians on the local scene. Shlomi released his debut recording on my JazzisFind albums on this label label almost 20 years ago, and he´s been recording and releasing albums ever since. This album presents his retrospective material as a composer / player during his stay in the US in the late 1980s, recorded with various ensembles Shlomi calls the Little Big BandFind albums by this artist. Here the players include mostly American Jazz musicians: pianists John MedeskiFind albums by this artist and Thomas McKinleyFind albums by this artist, bassists Weseley WorthFind albums by this artist and Gary PeacockFind albums by this artist, drummers Gordon GrothentallerFind albums by this artist and Alex DeutchFind albums by this artist. A few Israeli players are also present and include saxophonist Avram FeferFind albums by this artist, pianist Eli MeiriFind albums by this artist and others. The music, written entirely by Shlomi (except for one standard) is a set of modern Jazz compositions, which in retrospect emphasize Shlomi´s talent as a composer, which was evident already from the very start of his career. The performances are excellent, with Medeski delivering some incredible soloing, for which he is now famous. Shlomi proves again his versatility and talent as a player and a composer, firmly establishing his reputation as one of the leaders of the Israeli Jazz scene.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend