Record Reviews

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:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JOHN ZORN ~ COBRA HATOLOGY 580 (Barcode: 752156058021) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 - 1986 Released: 2002 This is a long overdue reissue of the legendary album by American musician / composer / bandleader John ZornFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures of the late 20th Century Avant-Garde and music experimentation scenes. "CobraFind albums with this title" is one of the earlier monumental works by Zorn, which established him as a member of the "major" league of contemporary composers, such as Morton FeldmanFind albums by this artist, Frederic RzewskiFind albums by this artist, Karlheinz StockhausenFind albums by this artist and other icons of the "new" serious contemporary music. Many of the compositional devices used by his contemporaries are present here, as the music is basically a freely improvised collage of sounds made by electronic, electric and acoustic instruments and human voices. In places it is similar to musique concrète, in others to an ambient soundtrack, and so on, changing constantly. However, what sets it apart from most Avant-Garde music is an intrinsic connection to Jazz and Rock, evident clearly at places, especially in phrases played by the electric guitars (played by Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist, Arto LindseyFind albums by this artist and Elliott SharpFind albums by this artist. This album includes two quite different versions of the music, the earlier one recorded live and the slightly later one recorded in the studio. It´s fascinating to compare the two, as they are truly revealing as to the process of music creation in an improvised environment. This is not an easy listening experience and it was never intended to be one – total open-mindedness is absolutely required, but the intellectual reward is exhilarating and elating. Come on you brave-hearted…

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Recommend To A Friend