Record Reviews

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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ESTHER KAISER ~ WATER GLM 331 (Barcode: 4014063433121) ~ GERMANY ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the ninth album by German Jazz vocalist Esther KaiserFind albums by this artist, recorded with a classic Jazz piano trio accompaniment with pianist Tino DeradoFind albums by this artist, bassist Marc MuellbauerFind albums by this artist and drummer Roland SchneiderFind albums by this artist. A couple of guest and a string quartet appear on selected tracks. The album presents sixteen tracks, six of which are short interludes and ten are original songs, all with lyrics by Kaiser (in English) and about half and half composed by Kaiser and Derado. The music is all mainstream Jazz / Smooth Jazz oriented, with some Latin / Brazilian hints, very melodic and completely unchallenging, but perfectly executed by all the participants and very well recorded. Kaiser has a nice, not offending voice, which is fine but not enough to make a dent on contemporary listener’s ear who has heard similar stuff thousands of time before. Singing in English doesn’t help as well. Overall, this is a well put together album with easy on the ear music, and listeners who like the very light side of Jazz might enjoy this kind of entertainment, probably somewhere in the background. It is highly possible that many listeners will love this album to bits, but not your truly…

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 09/04/2022

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