Pianist/composer Oded Lev-Ari creates a pastoral mood here as he blends the chamber sounds of classical with the gentle improvisation of jazz. The team of Anat Cohen/cl, Will Vinson/as-ss, Brian Landrus/bs-bcl and Nadje Noordhuis/tp-fh fronts a rhythm team of Lev-Ari with Gilad Hekselman/g, Joe Martin/b and Matt Wilson/dr as well as a romantic trio of cellos in Alex Waterman, Yoed Nir and Noah Hoffeld.
Combined, what you get are rich Bruckner-like strings that brood and weave on “Voices” as soft reeds veer around the cirrus clouds of sound. Gil Evan-styled horns create a bluesy and abstract truthy feel on “Lost and Found” while a surreal pair of Godon Jenkins’“Goodbye” feature Alan Hampton’s regretful voice and Cohen’s mournful clarinet. The most jazz-pulsed piece, “The Dance” has a gentle gait and canter along with Jo Lawry’s vocals. Sounds from an autumnal sunset.
Anzic Records