Record Reviews

EHRAN ELISHA / ROY CAMPBELL ~ WATCHING CARTOONS WITH EDDIE OUTNOW 004 (Barcode: 7290011216979) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2011 This wonderful album by drummer Ehran ElishaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Roy CampbellFind albums by this artist is a sort of tribute to the early Free Jazz Giants like Don CherryFind albums by this artist, Ed BlackwellFind albums by this artist, Bill DixonFind albums by this artist and others. Elisha and Campbell collaborated and recorded together in the past and their musical dialogue if full of mutual friendship, respect and admiration. All the music on the album is composed or co-composed by them. The title track refers to the fact that Elisha, while being a student and later a friend of the legendary drummer Ed Blackwell, often watched cartoons with the master in order to relax before the lessons. Of course the concept of the drums-trumpet duet in Free Jazz is not completely unusual, with the legendary Ed Blackwell / Don Cherry album "MuFind albums with this title" being an early example. Originally released in 1969 that double LP was a revolutionary step forward, redefining and expanding the genre´s borders. In the course of history several other noticeable drums-trumpet duet albums were also recorded. The idea behind this album is an imaginary double LP project, which embodies a series of imaginary duets between Blackwell and other Free Jazz Giants. Both Elisha and Campbell are already established names on the scene and Free Jazz connoisseurs most probably already came across their work – if not it´s about time to remedy that mistake. Elisha´s ability to play the drums as a melodic instrument (as opposed to a purely rhythmic one) is truly remarkable. His extended solo passages never cease to amaze as far as inventiveness and sensitivity are concerned. Campbell´s minimalism, combined with his complete command of his instrument is highly effective and artistically sublime. Their duets are wonderful example of two musicians listening to each other at all times, giving up their egos in order to achieve a fusion of their powers and a higher level of unity. I can´t imagine any Free Jazz enthusiast not finding this album worthy of their attention. Great stuff!

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ALON NECHUSHTAN ~ FOR THOSE WHO CROSS THE SEAS ESP 4084 (Barcode: 825481408424) ~ ISRAEL ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2006 Released: 2023 This is an archival album by Israeli Jazz pianist / composer Alon NechushtanFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with top American Improvising Music / Free Jazz musicians: flautist / trumpeter Roy CampbellFind albums by this artist, clarinetists / saxophonists Daniel CarterFind albums by this artist and Sabir MateenFind albums by this artist, bassist William ParkerFind albums by this artist and Italian (resident in US) drummer Federico UghiFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents a two-part suite, each part taking an entire length of a CD, not broken into individual tracks. All the music was composed by Nechushtan and was recorded live at the legendary Zebulon club in Brooklyn, seventeen years prior to its release. Following his move to the US, Nechushtan continued his musical studies and performed with many local musicians, establishing over time one of the grandest careers in Contemporary Music, writing an astonishing amount of works for orchestras, choirs and smaller ensembles, always including some basic Jazz / Improvised Music elements, and is today one of the most well-known and respected Israeli composers worldwide. The music on this album was recorded at the early days of his US career, but the list of participating musicians reflects the respect and recognition of the American Improvising Music scene he received already at that time. The album offers a typical Improvised Music / Free Jazz ambience, with constant development of individual and group improvisations, flowing slowly between reflective, almost ambient moments and intensive crescendos, supported steadily by the rhythm section. With never a dull moment, the over ninety minutes long performance is full of stunning soloing and collective mayhem, which is an exhilarating sonic experience for those who enjoy Improvised Music at its core. Overall, this is a nostalgic glance over the shoulder for Nechushtan, a brief moment in his early days, a snapshot of the Improvising Music NY scene, a memory of an iconic venue, which was closed and moved from NY to LA, and a solid evidence of the collective creativity, which ruled this music at the time. This is definitely worth investigating to all Improvised Music enthusiasts, as the music lost nothing of its charm over time!

Updated: 10/01/2024Posted: 10/01/2024

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