If you don’t think that modern sax players use lyricism anymore, you’re going to be encouraged by Israeli saxist Eli Degribi. He earned his chops working with Herbie Hancock’s sextet for a number of years as well as being a sideman for Al Foster and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Here, the Sabra plays tenor and soprano with a team of Gadi Lehavi/p, Barak Mori/b, Ofri Nehemya/dr and Shlomo Ydov/g-voc for a collection of post bop beauties.
He’s got a Hank Mobley mid tone warmth and uses it well on the lyrical Israeli dance “The Trill” while his vibrato cries on the charging title track. The rhythm team creates a whirling dervish as Degribi swirls on “SheshBesh” and with Nehemya’s driving cymbals sears through with a pulsating post bop on “Suki The Cat.” His soprano teams up with Hehavi on a Beethoven sonata-like “The Unknown Neighbor” and does some gentle work with Mori on “Ocean View.” There’s a one off Spanish folk tune with Ydov on “Moment Fugaz” that breaks the mood a bit, but it fits into the mosaic of sounds in the long run. Lot’s to appreciate here; the mix of the Mediterranean grooves and warm tone is an embracing sauce to dip into.