Record Reviews

OMER AVITAL ~ NEW SONG PLUS LOIN 4568 (Barcode: 3760002142340) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the ninth album as a leader by Israeli Jazz bassist / composer / bandleader Omer AvitalFind albums by this artist, a member of the constantly expanding group of Israeli Jazz musicians, who managed to establish an international following both in the USA and in Europe. On this album, which was recorded in France and released on a French label, he plays in a quintet setting with Israeli trumpeter Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist (resident in the USA), American saxophonist Joel FrahmFind albums by this artist, Israeli pianist Yonathan AvishaiFind albums by this artist (resident in France) and American drummer Daniel FreedmanFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Avital. Musically the album reflects Avital´s interest in Jazz-World Fusion, with his music incorporating a wide range of folkloristic elements, both those he was exposed to as a child in Israel like Middle Eastern Arab, Yemenite, Moroccan and Sephardic Jewish religious music, as well as more remote influences like Cuban, Salsa and other sources. All the compositions on this album integrate one or more of such folkloristic motifs, either in the melody line or in the rhythmic background or both. The problem is that all of that has been already done by Avital and of course by countless other Jazz musicians in the last couple of decades, and as a result these songs might be new per se, but they in fact do not propose any innovation, neither in Avital´s work nor on an overall scale. In addition the music sounds "nice" and rounded, almost danceable, and after a few songs simply seems to follow a pattern of unremarkable mainstream, sparkled with ethnic elements, which lacks any musical ambition and is unfortunately pretty ordinary. That is pretty sad, as Avital is surely capable of producing much more ambitious music than this one. Hopefully all will be better next time.

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AVISHAI COHEN ~ FLOOD ANZIC 5102 (Barcode: 896434001153) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2008 3rd album by Israeli (resident in US) trumpeter / composer Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist (not to be confused with the bass player of the same name), and the second release of a Jazz trilogy called "Big Rain". This time Cohen presents an intimate format of a trio, with pianist Yonathan AvishaiFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel FreedmanFind albums by this artist. The format and the music are quite different on this release, minimalistic and insightful, yet clearly continuing the lyricism and ethnic influences of its predecessor. The music, all composed by Cohen, is all acoustic and the naked sound of the instruments presents an enormous challenge with no escape or margin for errors, a test all the musicians pass with flying colors. Cohen´s complete control of the trumpet´s tonality and vibrato are impressive. Avishai´s piano lines are always elegant and complement Cohen´s phrases tastefully and intelligently. Freedman is faced with the tough challenge of keeping the music together and provide the rhythmic glue, which again he performs gracefully and respectfully, keeping his contributions mostly in the background. In spite of the limitations imposed by the trio format, the album presents a full-scale musical experience, which is exactly right and completely fulfilling. Again this album is an excellent example of creative contemporary Jazz, combining Jazz tradition with ethnic influences, beautifully played and recorded. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 15/09/2024Posted:

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AVISHAI COHEN / YONATHAN AVISHAI ~ PLAYING THE ROOM ECM 2641 (Barcode: 602577522772) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by the duo of Israeli Jazz musicians: trumpeter Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist and pianist Yonathan AvishaiFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, two original compositions (one each by the duo members), one by Israeli composer Alexander ArgovFind albums by this artist, five Jazz standards and one Pop standard. The music was recorded by Stefano AmerioFind albums by this artist and offers the expected sublime sound quality. It is the 3rd album by Cohen released on the ECMFind albums on this label label. The music is set in a highly melodic, almost romantic mood, relaxed and minimalist, emphasizing the beauty of the compositions and the intimacy of the duo setting, all in the “Art of the Duo” tradition. Both musicians toy with the melodies and rhythmic patterns playfully and charmingly, displaying their complete mastery of their respective instruments, eschewing any flashy displays or unnecessary ornamentation. One might wonder how these interpretations might have been received by the original composers (John ColtraneFind albums by this artist or Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist for example), but they would probably just smile, despite the liberties the duo applied to the music. There is no doubt that the ECM mood and aesthetics were closely observed. Overall, this is a very elegant and highly polished Jazz album, which offers a pleasant listening experience for a wide spectrum of Jazz listeners, but displays the tendency of ECM producer Manfred EicherFind albums by this artist to clutch all the music produced by the label into a uniform aesthetic and aural mould, which at some cases stifles the spirit of the music. Personally I prefer the earlier recordings by Cohen, which display more adventurous approach, but his trumpet work is here, as always, beyond reproach.

Updated: 15/09/2024Posted: 15/09/2024

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ALON OLEARTCHIK ~ OLEARTCHIK JAZZ NMC (ISRAEL) 20431 (Barcode: 7290005217425) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 This is a beautiful album by Israeli (born in Poland) singer / multi-instrumentalist / songwriter Alon OleartchikFind albums by this artist, best known as the bassist of the legendary KaveretFind albums by this artist, Israel´s most dominant Rock group in the 1970s. After Kaveret folded, Oleartchik studied music in the US and returned to Israel in the mid 1980 and has maintained a solo career since. Over the years he recorded a series of truly excellent albums, which deserve to be considered as some of the finest pieces of music created in Israel. This one, in particular, deserves a lot of praise as it is bold and unusual and shows his one true musical love: Jazz. This album includes mostly Jazz standards, with lyrics translated into Hebrew by Oleartchik, and finds him for the first time in his recording career in the role of purely a vocalist, heading an ensemble comprising of some of the best Israeli Jazz players at the time of the recording: trumpeter Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Eli DegibriFind albums by this artist, pianist Yonathan AvishaiFind albums by this artist, bassist Ofer ShneiderFind albums by this artist and drummer Shai ZelmanFind albums by this artist. One of the original songs by Oleartchik is also included as is one song by Degibri, which he also sings. The opening track is all scat / vocalese and has no lyrics. The music was recorded live at the Tel-Aviv Camelot club during a series of concerts that lasted for three nights. The best takes were selected for the album, and several alternate takes are included on the second (bonus) CD. The familiar standards have been transformed, no only due to the Hebrew lyrics, but also thanks to Oleartchik´s brilliant arrangements, phrasing and adaptation. This album is not just a singer and a Jazz band performing vocal standards; there are countless albums like that of varying quality. This one is truly different, as much as Oleartchik´s musical identity, which has no parallels. This is a wonderful amalgam of classic Jazz, which mostly originates in the US, with his Polish roots (probably subconscious) and his Israeli musical upbringing, which is also pretty unique, as most other aspects of Israeli culture. This is obviously a labor of love from start to finish and should be first and foremost accepted as such, revealing its true nature. There is so much beautiful music on this album, that I can´t imagine any music connoisseur to remain untouched by it. In some respects this album is conceptually similar to Gidi GovFind albums by this artist´s (ex-Kaveret lead singer) album "Moon DanceFind albums with this title", recorded three years later, which also presents Jazz (or Jazzy) standards with Hebrew lyrics and beautiful Jazz arrangements. Both these albums are among my favorite Israeli recordings and deserve to be discovered by audiences outside of Israel. The fact that both Oleartchik and Gov rejected the attempt to sing the standards in English is extremely important, as most non-English speaking vocalist repeatedly attempt to do so and more often than not fail miserably. Most warmly recommended!

Updated: 15/09/2024Posted:

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