Record Reviews

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

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

	GENTLE GIANT ~ PLAYING THE CLEVELAND GLASS HOUSE 106 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock The Glass House label releases all available live GG material, that was previously issued on various bootleg labels. The material is cleaned up and sounds quite decent. Of course every shread of GG material is worth its weight in gold. This material was recorded in USA in 1975.
	CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

GENTLE GIANT ~ PLAYING THE FOOL (35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) DRT 00354 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock 9th album (recorded 1976) and the only live recording officially released while the band was active. Released as a double LP, this well recorded (with natural and remarkably clean sound) album sums up all the early GG albums with the zest and passion GG so wonderfully expressed when playing live. The bonus is a 1974 video previously unseen!

CD 2 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

RAFAL GORZYCKI ~ PLAYING FOR TUNE 0088 (Barcode: 5902768701951) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is an album by Polish Jazz drummer / composer / bandleader Rafal GorzyckiFind albums by this artist, one of the most prolific, diverse and always unpredictable figures on the local scene. This time he presents a trio, which also includes guitarist Marek MalinowskiFind albums by this artist and electric bassist Wojciech WozniakFind albums by this artist, and which performs ten tracks entitled simply "Playing" part 1 to part 10, two of which were composed by Gorzycki, four were co-composed by all three trio members and four more were co-composed by the previous lineup of the trio which included bassist Patryk WeclawekFind albums by this artist. The sound on an electric guitar trio immediately invokes associations with Jazz-Rock Fusion, and indeed this music has very close ties with Fusion, but encompasses a much wider stylistic variety than simply Fusion, including Improvised Music, Ambient and contemporary Chamber Music. With Gorzycki at the helm, this is hardly surprising, as his extensive recording legacy is characterized by its diversity and cross-genre explorations. Although pre-composed and melody based to some extent, this music includes a lot of space and freedom, which allows for very creative playing by the trio members, which they use liberally; but in spite of all that freedom, the music remains quite "well behaved" most of the time, which makes it accessible to a wide range of listeners. Creating music of such intrinsic beauty and highly aesthetic value and yet making it sound "simple" is a real artistry, and Gorzycki deserves praise for managing to achieving such result. Malinowski, who released his debut album as a leader ("AloneFind albums with this title") a year earlier, emerges as one of the most interesting new hopes of the Polish Jazz guitar players. His open and clean sound, which uses (almost) no electronic trickery, is very impressive and quite unique today in its straightforwardness. In many respects it brings back fond memories of the early Fusion days, when players like John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist were using a very similar sonic approach. Wozniak, who has some past Fusion ties as well, plays very skillfully and precisely, which is exactly what is expected of him in this setting. He plays a cool "walking" pulsations when the music swings and atmospheric prolonged phrases when it moves into a more ambient environment. This modesty and respect towards ones partners is a most formidable quality in a musician. Gorzycki is of course a Master drummer, a fact which requires no reinforcements, and indeed he plays very sparingly, cooperatively and relatively straightforwardly on this album, which is a very wise decision. When the music requires his input, he is always there and always at his best, but overall his playing on this album is primarily a part of the collective effort rather than claiming the role of a leader. The album was excellently recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist, and offers a superb sonic quality, which will make high-end Hi-Fi enthusiasts extremely happy. But overall it is definitely one of the best Polish Jazz albums released so far in 2016, and hopefully will reach a wide circle of music lovers, as it is definitely capable of capturing the hearts of very many connoisseurs anywhere in the world. Respect!

Updated: 07/05/2016Posted: 07/05/2016

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend