Record Reviews

AVISHAI COHEN ~ ADAMA STRETCH 9015 (Barcode: 013431901525) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998 1st album by Israeli bassist / composer Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist, recorded while he was a member of Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s acoustic trio and the OriginFind albums by this artist sextet and released on Corea’s label StretchFind albums on this label Records. The core lineup, which participates in the album’s recording is a sextet with Cohen, Steve WilsonFind albums by this artist on soprano sax, Steve DavisFind albums by this artist on trombone (both Origin members), Jason LindnerFind albums by this artist on piano, another Israeli – Amos HoffmanFind albums by this artist on guitar and Jeff BallardFind albums by this artist on drums. In addition, some guest artists are also appearing, including Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau and Danilo Perez on piano. Cohen’s ability as a bass player is of course legendary and needs no further discussion here, but his true greatness is his extraordinary ability to compose superb Jazz pieces, which skillfully combine the American Jazz tradition with other musical elements, mainly folklore and World Music. Cohen’s Middle Eastern background is clearly evident in his music, although he is also wide open to other sources of inspiration. Of the twelve pieces on the album Cohen composed eleven using just one standard. The overall effect is truly refreshing and the combined skills of the musicians involved create an album of rare beauty, which contains an immense amount of new and exciting music. A truly remarkable debut, which announces many great things to come out of this extraordinary talent. A must!

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AVISHAI COHEN ~ AS IS… LIVE AT THE BLUE NOTE HALF NOTE 4531 (Barcode: 616892453123) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2007 Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist, Israeli Jazz Ambassador in NY, presents his beautiful music in full glory on this CD & DVD set, recorded live at the legendary NY Blue Note Club. Since the 1990s Cohen established his career by playing with some of the finest musicians in the US: Paquito D`RiveraFind albums by this artist, Roy HargroveFind albums by this artist, Danilo PerezFind albums by this artist and of course Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist (in Corea’s group OriginFind albums by this artist and his trio). Universally accepted as one of the top contemporary bass players, Cohen is also a prolific composer and his music, deeply influenced by Middle-Eastern motifs, is always fresh and uplifting. This recording with his regular trio (Sam BarshFind albums by this artist – keyboards and Mark GuillianaFind albums by this artist – drums) augmented by Diego UrcolaFind albums by this artist – trumpet and Jimmy GreeneFind albums by this artist – saxophones, features a set of Cohen’s compositions (with the exception of one standard) and emphasizes his great talents as a player and a composer. The music is, as always in his case, complex and yet melodic with all the qualities required of good modern Jazz. Definitely something any Jazz listener will enjoy immensely.

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AVISHAI COHEN ~ DEVOTION STRETCH 9021 (Barcode: 013431902126) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 2nd album by Israeli bassist / composer Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist recorded while he was a member of Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s acoustic trio and the OriginFind albums by this artist sextet and released on Corea’s label StretchFind albums on this label Records. The core lineup, which participates in the album’s recording is a sextet with Cohen, Jimmy GreeneFind albums by this artist on sax and flute, Steve DavisFind albums by this artist on trombone, Jason LindnerFind albums by this artist on piano, another Israeli – Amos HoffmanFind albums by this artist on guitar and oud and Jeff BallardFind albums by this artist on drums. Cohen expands his usage of instruments here, adding electric bass, piano, synthesizer and percussion. Cohen’s ability as a bass player is of course legendary and needs no further discussion here, but his true greatness is his extraordinary ability to compose superb Jazz pieces, which skillfully combine the American Jazz tradition with other musical elements, mainly folklore and World Music. Cohen’s Middle Eastern background is clearly evident in his music, although he is also wide open to other sources of inspiration. Of the fourteen pieces on the album, Cohen composed twelve, adding to the repertoire just one folk tune and one composition by the pianist. The overall effect is truly refreshing and the combined skills of the musicians involved create an album of rare beauty, which contains an immense amount of new and exciting music. This is a truly remarkable follow up to the great debut, which announces many great things to come out of this extraordinary talent. A must!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

CHICK COREA ~ COREA.CONCERTO SONY 61799 (Barcode: 5099706179924) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 What a fantastic and sadly overlooked album! Recorded in 1999 with his group OriginFind albums by this artist and the London Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, this is Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s first “serious” flirt with classical music. Combining jazz and classical music is not new per se, but the results over the years varied between banal and brilliant. Fortunately this one belongs to the latter category. Corea proved over the years his amazing versatility in the jazz genre, composing and performing in every sub-genre between free jazz and fusion. This time he steps beyond the strict jazz field and shows that he can do it splendidly. The album includes two major works (each in three parts): his already “classic” composition Spain arranged for sextet and orchestra and the Concerto No. 1 for piano and Orchestra. The music is of course typical Corea, but the orchestral parts bring reminiscences of Gershwin’s classical works and works of the French Modernists. Of course the entire work is original and intricate enough to provide the listener with immense pleasures. The recording quality is superb, with each instrument heard distinctly and in full range. Special merit goes to Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist’s bass contributions. Most warmly recommended and essential for Corea’s fans!

CD 1 Oversampling Essential Recommend To A Friend

CHICK COREA / ORIGIN ~ LIVE AT THE BLUE NOTE STRETCH 9018 (Barcode: 013431901822) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998 Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist’s acoustic sextet OriginFind albums by this artist was formed in late 1997 by expanding his acoustic trio (Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist – bass and Adam CruzFind albums by this artist – drums) with the addition of trombonist Steve DavisFind albums by this artist and two reeds players Bob SheppardFind albums by this artist and Steve WilsonFind albums by this artist. After a brief period of rehearsals and one club performance the band was booked to play for six nights (two sets each night) at the NY Blue Note club, which was to be the band’s official premiere. All the music played at Blue Note was recorded, initially mainly for the sake of documentation, but upon listening to the results Corea decided to release this album, which presents just a taste of what happened there. A much more comprehensive recording project, capturing three entire nights (6 sets) was released as a 6 CDs set under the title “The Complete 1998 Live At The Blue Note RecordingsFind albums with this title”. Origin proved to be indeed an “origin”, a new beginning for Chick, who hasn’t led an acoustic sextet for over 20 years. It served as a perfect vehicle to develop and present a set of new compositions, which show an older and seasoned Jazz Master at work. The music is complex, somewhat dark, serious and multi-layered, requiring attentive listening. In many respects it often resembles some contemporary Classical Music influences. The players have plenty of space to develop both individual and collective extended improvisations, which of course are quite brilliant. Corea is not featured as the main soloist and steps back to become just one of the band’s members. All the music presented on this album, except for one standard, was composed by Corea, who re-examines his life’s achievements here, moving skillfully between his various musical activities, as diverse as Latin music and Free Jazz. All together this is a splendid example of modern Jazz at it’s best, with great music and excellent playing all the way. Corea’s fans don’t need any encouragement here and others should definitely investigate.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

TREVOR WATTS` ORIGINAL DRUM ORCHESTRA ~ THE ART IS IN THE RHYTHM VOLUME 2 JAZZ IN BRITAIN 46 (Barcode: 5060774190531) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1989 Released: 2023 This is an archival live recording by the veteran British saxophonist / composer / bandleader Trevor WattsFind albums by this artist and his Original Drum OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which included violinist Peter KnightFind albums by this artist, bassist Ernest MothleFind albums by this artist, African percussionists Nana TsiboeFind albums by this artist and Kofi AduFind albums by this artist and drummer Liam GenockeyFind albums by this artist. The six lengthy improvised tracks were captured at two gigs, which were part of a tour the group played in 1989. The CD is dedicated to the memory of the two percussionist, who are now departed. The music is all improvised, but differs significantly from what is usually conceived as European Free Jazz / Improvised Music due to the presence of the African Music elements, which have a prevailing rhythmic presence. With the saxophone and violin being the only melodic contributors to the music, the percussive elements dominate the proceedings, offering a wide range of pulsations, which keep changing as the pieces develop. It is possibly one of the most vivid examples of African Music within the British Improvised Music idiom, and of course it does continue Watts’ fascination with such musical elements, as present in his ensembles Moire MusicFind albums by this artist and Drum OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which were active during the 1980s and 1990s. Watts’ improvisations are of course as fascinating as always, obviously highly inspired by the powerful rhythmic elements present herein, and he often exposes his lyrical / melodic persona, which is able to weave beautiful gentle tunes as well. The music is very well recorded and offers a truly hypnotic ride, which thanks to the extensive duration of the tunes, often close and even over the half an hour mark, absorbs the listener completely for the duration. The more inquisitive listeners might delight in the interplay between the two percussionists and the drummer, who build a trans-continental Euro-African rhythmic understanding and co-existence. As usual, thanks to the Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label for releasing this archival material, for the excellent booklet and photographs and as usual for keeping this Cultural Heritage alive. Overall, this is again a great addition to the British Jazz legacy, which keeps growing steadily and closing the gaps that time created, for those of us who are always thirsty to hear music, which should not be forgotten. Keep up this splendid job my Friends! And Trevor – may you keep playing for many years to come!

Updated: 23/07/2023Posted: 23/07/2023

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