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  | PETROS KLAMPANIS ~ CHROMA
MOTEMA 219 (Barcode: 181212002195) ~ GREECE ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 2015 Released: 2017
This is the third album by Greek (resident in NY) bassist / composer Petros KlampanisFind albums by this artist, recorded with Israeli guitarist Gilad HekselmanFind albums by this artist, Israeli pianist Shai MaestroFind albums by this artist, American drummer John HadfieldFind albums by this artist and Japanese percussionist Keita OgawaFind albums by this artist. The quintet is accompanied by a string octet. The album was recorded live and presents seven compositions, five of which are by Klampanis, one by Hekselman and one by the Greek Jazz pianist / composer Spyros ManesisFind albums by this artist.
The music is beautifully melodic and offers superb string arrangements, which together create an atmosphere of elegance and Classically influenced mood, spiced with the European Jazz stylistics, in spite of the fact that it was created by musicians resident in the US, which apparently did not manage to take away their sensitivities. Lyrical and melancholic, the music moves majestically from one composition to another, keeping the listener engulfed within the magical atmosphere of anticipation.
The personal performances are all top class. Klampanis not only plays the expected bass lines which hold the music together, but explicitly leads the compositions via his bass intros and solos. Hekselman is one of the top guitar players today and his lead parts are always right on the money, with his electric guitar sound adding another dimension to the music, but not dominating it stylistically, which saves this album from moving into the Fusion idiom. Maestro plays mostly in the background but his harmonic parts are exactly what this music needs. Hadfield and Ogawa delicately add the rhythmic layer, carefully staying away from overly disturbing the gentle flow of the music.
Overall this is a wonderful, delicate and intelligent album, which should make many open-minded Jazz and Jazz-Classical Fusion listeners ecstatically happy. Definitely recommended and worth investigating!
| | Updated: 20/02/2018Posted: 20/02/2018 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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