Record Reviews

JOËLLE LÉANDRE ~ LIVE IN ISRAEL KADIMA COLLECTIVE 17 (Barcode: 634479851179) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 French bassist Joëlle LéandreFind albums by this artist is one of a relatively few women pioneers on the Free Jazz and Improvised Music scene to earn a legendary status. Her activities on the scene have brought her in contact with the most distinguished performers, both European and American (such as Anthony BraxtonFind albums by this artist). She also worked in the field of contemporary Classical music with composers like Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist and John CageFind albums by this artist. In 2007 Joëlle visited Israel and her live performances there have been recorded and are now issued on this double CD. The first CD includes 7 solo bass (and voice) performances and the second CD offers her playing in duo, trio and sextet settings with the top Israeli Improvised Music artists: Jean Claude JonesFind albums by this artist – bass, Steve HorensteinFind albums by this artist – baritone and soprano sax, flute, Sameer MakhoulFind albums by this artist – oud and voice, Assif TsaharFind albums by this artist – bass clarinet, Daniel SaridFind albums by this artist – piano, Hagai FershtmanFind albums by this artist – drums, Albert BegerFind albums by this artist – tenor sax and Ariel ShiboletFind albums by this artist – soprano sax. These wonderful musical moments are some of the highlights of the Improvised Music created in Israel, a small but quite lively scene led by Jones and consistently documented on his Kadima CollectiveFind albums on this label label. Connoisseurs of the genre will be quite delighted to hear this stuff.

CD 2 Recommend To A Friend

TSAHAR / KAPLAN / SARID ~ CRIES OF DISILLUSION EARSAY 019 (Barcode: 7293627001922) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 2001 Assif TsaharFind albums by this artist (tenor sax and bass clarinet), Ori KaplanFind albums by this artist (alto sax) and Daniel SaridFind albums by this artist (piano) are typical representatives of the contemporary Israeli Jazz scene. They all left Israeli for the US in the late 1980’s to study and then perform and gain experience on the vibrant New York scene. Upon their return to Israel a decade later, they were already seasoned musicians. They integrated into the local scene, formed ensembles and started to record albums. This album, recorded 1999, puts them together in one ensemble for the first time. Each of them contributes compositions (all the music is original) and of course plays on the album, which was recorded in a quintet setting with Israeli bass player Oded GoldshmidtFind albums by this artist and US drummer Bob MayerFind albums by this artist. The music is great modern jazz, with some free elements, but mostly “conventional” enough to be accessible to most modern jazz listeners. Both the compositions and the performances are top notch and this is a valuable document of the local Israeli Jazz scene.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend