****RINGERS OF THE WEEK****
***OF THE YEAR?***
These latest two releases by Anzic records are going to really impress you. If this is the future of jazz, please sign me up. Imagine! New material by younger artists that isn’t cacophony! What a concept!
I have no idea who bassist/composer Omer Avital is, whether he’s a nice guy, good to his mother, eats all his vegetables, prays regularly, or pays his taxes. All I know is that this disc with Avishai Cohen/tp, Joel Frahm.sax, Omer Klein/p and Daniel Freedman/dr is a complete knockout. The 60+ minute suite consists of seven songs, most of them comprised of the quintet combining the passion and vision of Coltrane’s Quartet, the infectious and accessible groove and melody of Horace Silver’s Quintet, and just a dash of reckless abandon of a Mingus ensemble. A piece such as “Free Forever” has an irresistible drive that is pushed forward by the passionate front line statements of the horns, with 800 Horsepower of energy supplied by the inspired rhythm team. Most of the ensemble pieces stretch out for 10-15 minutes, but it’s not a simple “blow a quick chorus and scream.” These guys have well crafted melodies that veer in and out of the piece, such as “Song For Peace” that keeps coming back for more, or “The Abutbuls” that sounds like something an Iberian tavern.
Everyone gets a chance to be spotlighted, with Klein shining on a luminescent “Sinai Memories,” Frahm sounding like a cantor on “Suite Of The East” and Cohen shouting from the heights on “The Mountain Top.” Avital himself closes the session with a solo meditation. With all of the pieces being of a long duration, you’ll want to absorb this in small doses. One of the most exciting discs to come out in decades. You’ll thank me for this one!
Drummer/composer Daniel Freedman’s Bamako By Bus isn’t too far behind either, thank you. He cuts and pastes his band with Jason Linder/key, Meshell Ndegeocello/b, Avishai Cohen/tp, Mark Turner/ts, Lionel Loueke/g, Pedrito Martinez/perc and a few others for a collections of tunes that range from straightahead post modern bop (“Deep Brooklin”) to sounds of the Sahel Desert in West Africa (“Elegba Wa”). The mix of sounds and genres is quite stimulating, with Loueke’s work on “All Brothers” and Turners take on “Alona” some of the highlights here. This one won’t disappoint, and will make you come back for more. Get this band on the Best Coast!
Anzic Records
www.anzicrecords.com