Record Reviews

ANAT FORT ~ A LONG STORY ECM 1994 (Barcode: 602517014169) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 Released: 2007 This is the first album on the prestigious ECM label by Israeli pianist / composer Anat FortFind albums by this artist and her second release to date. Fort is the first Israeli musician to release an album on ECM. The album was recorded in NY with a formidable quartet, which includes American Jazz players: clarinetist Perry RobinsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Ed SchullerFind albums by this artist and drummer Paul MotianFind albums by this artist, presenting a set of original compositions / improvisations by Anat, who manages to create her own musical universe, unique and distinct from any other music made on this planet, quite an accomplishment for any musician today. Somewhere between modern Jazz, contemporary Classical music, late 19th Century Romanticism and Eric Satie´s Minimalism, the music of Anat Fort is like an impressionist painting, full of melancholy and lyricism and yet sparkling with color and emotion. Her music is always receptive to the listener´s mood, enabling him to discover a different facet every time he listens attentively. It sounds great in early mornings and late at night, being invigorating and soothing at the same time. Of course there is also Anat, the player, gently caressing the keyboard and masterfully applying pressure, when necessary. And yet the album is not an easy listening experience, especially at the first attempt. As all good Art, it requires attentive and repetitive listening, slowly breaking the barrier of assimilating with the listener´s perception. It sneaks on you slowly, doing deeper and deeper ever time, until you are completely hooked, left helpless and fully exposed to its beauty. What bliss! In retrospect I prefer her next album "And IfFind albums with this title", which was recorded with her regular trio. Uninhibited by the presence of strong personalities she is able to express herself more fully on that album, which is all for the best. But personal preferences aside, this is still a formidable album and I can´t imagine any serious music lover not falling in love with this album eventually, even if it takes some effort. Therefore I urge everybody to give it a try, as you surely won´t regret it in the long run. Music of this quality is too rare to be left unnoticed! Visitors' Comments Christopher  Brice Thanks for the Introduction, Adam! I loved this at first play, and it has been playing on and off for the last 24 hours, getting better and better (apart from the one short ocarina section). Quite different from my other favourite piano quartets and trios on ECM, but it still has that special ECM clarity and delicacy of sound. Paul Motian is very restrained, almost as if in awe (which is not an emotion I normally associate with him), and of course he gets it just right. I have been waiting for an opportunity to hear Ed Schuller and he was worth the wait. When Adam recommended Anat I chose the this album because of Paul and Ed but now I´m hooked - Adam says "And If" is even better so I´m off to join the waiting list.

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ANAT FORT ~ AND IF ECM 2109 (Barcode: 602527332161) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is the second album on the prestigious ECMFind albums on this label label by Israeli pianist / composer Anat FortFind albums by this artist and her third release to date. Fort is the first Israeli musician to release an album on ECM. Recorded with her regular trio with bassist Gary WangFind albums by this artist and drummer Roland SchneiderFind albums by this artist, the album presents a set of new original compositions / improvisations by Anat, who manages to create her own musical universe, unique and distinct from any other music made on this planet, quite an accomplishment for any musician today. Somewhere between modern Jazz, contemporary Classical music, late 19th Century Romanticism and Eric SatieFind albums by this artist´s Minimalism, the music of Anat Fort is like an impressionist painting, full of melancholy and lyricism and yet sparkling with color and emotion. Her music is always receptive to the listener´s mood, enabling him to discover a different facet every time he listens attentively. It sounds great in early mornings and late at night, being invigorating and soothing at the same time. Of course there is also Anat, the player, gently caressing the keyboard and masterfully applying pressure, when necessary. The rhythm section accompanies her with a kind of humility, which is inspired by respect and understanding, always there at her side, but never pushing her around. Together they are a harmonic unit, an ideal piano trio, which epitomizes Jazz more that any other combination of players known to men. And yet the album is not an easy listening experience, especially at the first attempt. As all good Art, it requires attentive and repetitive listening, slowly breaking the barrier of assimilating with the listener´s perception. It sneaks on you slowly, going deeper and deeper every time, until you are completely hooked, left helpless and fully exposed to its beauty. What bliss! In retrospect I prefer this album to its predecessor "A Long StoryFind albums with this title", which was recorded with a cast of most reputable musicians, but lacks the true personal touch of Anat´s musical true-self. Uninhibited by the presence of strong personalities she is able to express herself more fully on this album, which is all for the best. I can´t imagine any serious music lover not falling in love with this album eventually, even if it takes some effort. Therefore I urge everybody to give it a try, as you surely won´t regret it in the long run. Music of this quality is too rare to be left unnoticed!

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ELI HASSON ~ SEVEN SEAS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 9506289436147) ~ ISRAEL ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by Israeli Jazz trumpeter / composer Eli HassonFind albums by this artist, recorded in a trio setting with guitarist Yeonathan ShacharFind albums by this artist and drummer Yovel ShayFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Hasson and one is an arrangement of a traditional song. Hasson, aged 60, a “late bloomer” as he jokingly describes his musical background, is classically trained, but was involved in the “fringe” Israeli Jazz scene for some years, including stints with Harold RubinFind albums by this artist and Albert BegerFind albums by this artist, but only recently started to develop his compositional ambitions, encouraged by Israel pianist Anat FortFind albums by this artist. His partners on this album are young Israeli Jazz musicians / improvisers. The music, although definitely melody based, incorporates a lot of Freedom in the interpretation, with a beautiful balance between sound and silence. The intimate and highly unusual trio format also sets a decisive tone to the music, which is very contemplative, reflective and even hypnotic to some extent. Hasson’s trumpet playing, obviously classically influenced, is precise and offers a beautiful tone, which is expressive and relaxed. The guitarist offers layers of harmony and some electronic effects, staying mostly in the role of accompanist, creating the background for the trumpet soloing. The drummer almost never plays any steady rhythmic patterns, supplying instead another layer of accompaniment. Together the trio offers highly aesthetic and deeply emotional vistas, characteristic of European / Nordic stylistics. Overall, this is a highly unusual Jazz / Improvised Music album, rather atypical to the local Israeli Jazz scene, which is mostly mainstream or ethnically oriented, which of course is very refreshing. The melodic continuity should make this music much more accessible to wider audiences than the usual Improvised Music fringe, and allow this music to reach many Jazz lovers, which it truly deserves. Hopefully the next album will arrive sooner than this debut effort.

Updated: 24/06/2023Posted: 24/06/2023

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