Record Reviews

EVIATAR BANAI ~ EVIATAR BANAI (15TH ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION) HED ARZI 64999 (Barcode: 7293372499999) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1996 - 1997 Released: 2012 This beautiful new edition of Eviatar BanaiFind albums by this artist´s eponymous debut album pays tribute to this excellent singer / songwriter, who took the local music scene by complete surprise when the album was initially released. Introvert and densely convoluted, with strong sexual imagery and paranoid horror metaphors his texts were shocking and provoking, but expressed well the fall of conventions which ruled over older generation and were viewed by his generation as hypocritical, ridiculous or simply stupid. In complete contrast his music, delicate as butterfly wings, works in perfect, but somewhat deviant harmony with the text, creating a completely unique style, which Eviatar perfected. It´s truly surprising to realize that this album was released 15 years ago – to me it seems just like yesterday. This new edition adds a whole CD of early demo versions of the songs included on the album, including two songs, which eventually were not included on the album, as well as a DVD, which presents the chapter in a documentary about the milestone Israel albums, dedicated to this particular album. This is a beautiful package which is a must to all lovers of Israeli music.

2CD+DVD 3 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

DANIEL ZAMIR ~ MISSING HERE TAV 8 (Barcode: 7290013087850) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010 This is the 7th album by brilliant Israeli saxophonist / composer Daniel ZamirFind albums by this artist, one of most renowned Israeli Jazz musicians born in the country, who also managed to establish an international career. Zamir was born to a secular family, but during his stay in the US re-discovered Jewish religion and became an orthodox Jew. Zamir lived in the US since 2000 and returned to Israel in 2006, where he now lives, writes music, performs and records. During his stay in US he was "discovered" by John ZornFind albums by this artist and eventually recorded four (so far) albums for Zorn´s TzadikFind albums on this label label. This is his third album recorded and released in Israel. His music is a wonderful mixture of Klezmer, Jewish music, Eastern European and of course Jazz, which is completely unique. His technical fluency and unlimited expressionist powers place his among the world´s saxophone virtuosi. He now plays the soprano saxophone exclusively and his sound is often reminiscent of John ColtraneFind albums by this artist´s. This album includes music composed entirely written by him and he´s accompanied by some of the best Israeli Jazz players: Omer KleinFind albums by this artist – piano, Omer AvitalFind albums by this artist – bass and Aviv CohenFind albums by this artist – drums. Guest players include trumpeter Itamar BorochovFind albums by this artist and trombonist Avi LeibovitchFind albums by this artist. Israeli singer / pianist Eviatar BanaiFind albums by this artist guests on the title track. The album is a beautiful listening experience to every sensitive music lover, with everybody being able to discover the many different facets of this great music. Wholeheartedly recommended!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend