Omer Avital has also been a pretty nice business card. Since he lives in New York (mid 90s), with whom he has not played? Saxophonists Greg Tardy, and Joel Frahm Mark Turner, pianist Aaron Goldberg with which he is currently a trio (read my review of the album Yes!) Do not full of praise for him. It must be said that over the years, bassist has steadily plow on, his own. Small's often playing in New York (alongside Joel Frahm found it here), it has even become one of the pillars. His music, far from being muscular, sings and spins (the title of the album is at this significant point). It's kind of sweet reconciliation with the Mediterranean, Yiddish culture, sun and sand too ... As if new emerging oasis of the desert ... As if, too, Art Blakey and Duke Ellington had inspired our bass player (1). Very cinematic music, it might even be envied by the great Italian directors (how not to think of La Dolce Vita or Fanfaron listening to a few themes here today?). The result of several months of work, "New Song" is a very attractive hybrid jazz, very catchy, with a beautiful melodic quality. With this music, we want to love all. Love and dance. This all-acoustic quintet that will not mark the record is still worthwhile, for its lightness, and its Arabists climates. With one foot in tradition anyway (and necessarily here is sometimes thinks of the influences of the team hardbop Blue Note in small fragments ...) and another turned to the folklore of the Middle East, the result is quite enticing. Cocktail! Get out your sunglasses and toast! Summer is coming!
If the Israeli Mingus reputation can sometimes make us smile (Avital does not scale the immense Charles, but hey, let's go ... the time is not the same anyway ...) it is true, as shown by this recording, its ability to brew influences and colors has a festive and radiant substantial side. Who would not want to eg clap on the latter topic, "Small Time S ***", a kind of blues to folk sauce? (2). The strength of the collective and how they mutually sexhorter (as at Omer Avital point of ego and in this regard, his bass is never central here, as she could be with Mingus for example), this way of bassist to encourage his associates, push them to the end, so that they give the best of themselves (listen to this superb solo saxophonist on "Sabah El Kheir"), for the inspiration of his compositions forms developed and evocative atmospheres all this has nothing to be enthusiastic. A final word about the musicians: the quintet LOEUVRE in "New Song" is composed of trumpeter Avishai Cohen, who peppers his accents game at Lee Morgan (on some topics, such as "Morocco"), saxophonist Joel Frahm (with very sweet sounds, and very hardbop, recalling the passion for Sonny Rollins or Hank Mobley for her soulful side). The rhythmic addition Avital on bass, pianist Yonathan Avishai, which reminds us of the fascination for the Orient McCoy Tyner, or that they laient assimilated over time, as the saxophonist Joel Frahm, or drummer Daniel Freedman, whose rods are real Dunion lines between the rhythmic universe of Art Blakey and world music as understood today ...
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(1) Remember, jazz has always been attracted to the East and the North African and Arab countries, "Caravan" (Duke Ellington) and "A Night In Tunisia" Art Blakey.
(2) Sometimes we may regret the intervention of the vote (the first and last theme.