The only thing more surprising than hearing authentic blues from a Swede would be hearing one say something nice about Norway. However, Jorgen Asling has done that and more by giving us a rollicking collection of original Blues, Bluegrass and Soul—all done with improvisation, the very heart of Jazz. The album is “The Stockholm Sessions” on Do Music Records (DMRCD 028).

At times sounding like Rusted Root, Dr. John or Credence Clearwater Revival, Asling composes each and every song and performs them with lively creativity. Having gathered the right band, the improvisational qualites fresh with each track recorded in no more than three takes. The result is one of the most riotously enjoyable albums of the year.

The album beings with “Jesus in the Cockpit.” It’s a bit of Bluegrass with Asling handling guitar and vocals, joined by Magnus Edring on banjo and Michael Elofsson on bass.

It is a slow moving piece with gritty, soulful lyrics and vocals. Quite an introduction.

“Will There Be Peace Tomorrow” has P.A. Tollson contributing cool work on drums. Agnes Berg backs up Asling on vocals with folksy intonations. This was great fun with some nice guitar leads from Asling.

“Blues for Tarantino” really swings. An instrumental track, Asling’s guitar is in pointed dialogue with Sven-Eric Lundekvist on the Hammond organ who sounds like they’re “jacked-up on Mountain Dew.”

“Paps is a Good Friend” starts off sounding like CCR’s “Born on the Bayou” with vocals by Dr. John. This is bayou blues at its best. Sven Zetterberg’s harmonica is a bright spot.

After only four songs, it is clear that Jorgen Asling has completely mastered the composition and performance of music believed to be the sole property of Americans. Sweden, it is clear, knows how to swing. That fact becomes self-evident in “Swedish Stomp,” a boogie-woogie bang up.

Not only does Asling have complete control of the vocal styling, he displays a spot-on guitar performance that proves his far-reaching understanding of the Blues. Lundekvist is brilliant jump-jiving on the piano.

“Mama Used to Say (A Love Song)” has Lundekvist back on the Hammond for what comes across as a tender Gospel-Blues piece. Asling’s guitar is splendid and the vocal gravelly and endearing.

“Down at the Wicked Pick” is a great groove piece. Elofsson’s bass and Tollson’s drums are tight together while Asling’s guitar cuts overtop them.

“Done Lost All My Good Things” sounds like it was inspired by John Lee Hooker. The changes are rich and satisfying. While I may not be the toe-tapping listener, my pen was rapping on my notebook throughout the number.

Delightful in every aspect: vocals, lyrics, rhythms, organ—you name it.

“Please Tell Me” features Agnes Berg on violin and on backing vocals. Edring’s banjo is perfect with Lundekvist’s Hammond. There is no getting enough of this track. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

“Love for Just One Day” sounds more like New Orleans than Stockholm. That is how completely Asling has assimilated the music here. The groove is brilliant and the melody is charming.

“She Whispered Sweetly” is like Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” on steroids. Berg is on backing vocals again. Every one of the artists is just on fire. Great fun!

“After Bedtime” is a Blues-Waltz that, at 1:12, is over way too soon.

The album concludes with the Radio Mix of “Will There Be Peace Tomorrow.” Asling’s heart-felt vocals, once again with Agnes Berg, are wonderful. This is a perfect end-piece for the album. The sweet groove and jazzy guitar are exactly the way we like it.

J. Asling Roots and Friends have echoed back to America what America first sang and these Swedes have done it as well as any American ever did. Light-hearted, raucous and fun—but still moving and meaningful—this is an album of great joy and delight.

 

 

~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

 

 

Visit J. Asling’s website at: http://www.jasling.com/
“Like” his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/sirjasling
For more great artists to follow, check out Kari-On Productions, LLC at: https://www.facebook.com/karionproductions
To purchase “The Stockholm Sessions” on MP3, click on the Amazon link below:

To title an album “It’s a Man’s World” by a female vocalist causes a first impression tilt of the head. With even a cursory glance at the track-listing, however, it becomes very clear what Carter Calvert’s intent is. She has chosen great pieces originally recorded by male artists.

Carter took those songs and, teaming up with drummer and producer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and pianists/arrangers Laurence Hobgood and Joshua Bowlus, created an album of Jazz reinvention of pop-rock-soul-country classics. It was Owens who assembled the grand array of talent and prove the irony of the album’s title.

“It’s a Man’s World” was recorded in two separate settings by two distinct ensembles (both anchored by Ulysses Owens, Jr.) on two different nights. The results are staggering in their artistry and scope.

The album opens with the James Brown classic “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” Laurence Hobgood—on piano—transforms the Soul standard into a Jazz near-anthem for Carter. Owens’ drumming is worth hearing on its own and Joel Frahm enhances the Jazz effect on saxophone. But, on this album, it is indeed Carter’s world.

Jon Lee Hooker’s “I’m in the Mood” is performed by the second night’s band. David Rosenthal on guitar and Daniel Dickinson on alto sax offer cool-as-can-be solos. Ben Williams’ bass with Owens on drums is one righteous rhythm section. Carter’s languid vocals strip away Hooker’s rawness, leaving a lush and captivating ballad.

The third track is truly a pleasant surprise. It is the first night’s ensemble featuring Hobgood on piano and arranging the piece into something truly extraordinary. It is the Police’s original, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.”

Gone is Stewart Copeland’s “white reggae” drumming, beautifully replaced by Owens’ straight-ahead Jazz. The temp has dropped from vivace to andante and Carter’s vocals are warm and sultry. Sweet.

Carter’s take on the Bruce Springsteen “I’m on Fire” is more lusty than lascivious. Hobgood’s arrangement is fascinating. His piano artistry is as warm as Carter’s vocals while Owens’ drumming is soft and steady, all creating a track of real emotion and desire.

As the song fades, Hobgood takes off on a little two-part invention that sits so sweetly in the song’s conclusion.

One of the most beautiful arrangements is Hobgood’s take on Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing.” What swing. What gorgeous changes. Carter gives exquisite deliver while Hobgood makes bold play with the Master’s original. It is a stunning rendition.

“Take Me to the Pilot”—first done by Elton John—is a soulful arrangement by Bowlus, again. This keeps mostly to the original time but Ben Williams gives a funky bass along with Rosenthal’s lead guitar.

“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and covered by Johnny Cash. In Carter’s version, the brokenness is replaced by a delicate fragility, creating a moving work of sadness instead of bitterness. Williams’ bowed bass adds even more depth to the anguish.

Amazing that, though the lyrics remain mostly the same, the changes and intonations make this song more transformation than despair. This is triumph over pain instead of self-surrender to it.

James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” becomes very nearly a bossa nova piece under Bowlus’ arrangement and Carter knows how to deliver on it.

Ulysses Owens, Jr. is—and should be—one of the stars of this album. His production value and his remarkable talents as a drummer show why he is in such high demand. He is one of the greats.

“Can I Stay” was a Ray LaMontagne original. In the Carter rendition, David Rosenthal accompanies her on solo acoustic guitar. Carter’s vocalizations are wonderfully sweet. Very gentle in her delivery.

This is what makes Carter Calvert such a great artist; she has the talent and skill to move effortlessly from the delicate to the determined, from poetry to power, while keeping the listener in her spell.

In “Hallelujah, I Love (Him) So,” was the 1956 debut single from Ray Charles. It is a bluesy Gospel swinger. With Alphonso Horne on trumpet, Eric Miller on trombone and Daniel Dickinson on alto sax, the horn section gives a punchy interaction with the piano and guitar. Carter is as rich and dynamic as anywhere on the album. One can almost imagine Ray smiling broadly at her cover of the song.

“Can You Be True?” is the Elvis Costello album “North.” Laurence Hobgood is the solo piano accompaniment for Carter on this brilliant arrangement. And what an arrangement! Being a fan of Costello, I was incredibly pleased with this lovely version. Each step, each track proves Carter’s authority within the “Man’s World.”

But then came the frontal assault on the bad boys. “Love, Reign O’er Me” was The Who’s powerful song from the epic album, “Quadrophenia.” This was the track I had awaited from the moment I read the track-listing.

The chord changes remain close to the original but the tempo and, most certainly, the delivery are all Carter’s. The rock quality is totally replaced by a jazzy Caribbean feel. This was better than I had hoped! The artists are on fire—each and every one of them. The walk-off is magnificent.

More than a frontal assault, this was victory through allurement.

The album concludes with “Let It Be”—yes, THAT “Let It Be.” Of all the tracks, this one remains closest to the original.

In the second verse, Damon Mack takes on the Billy Preston organ part with the Hammond B-3. Fortunately, Hobgood is a much finer pianist than Paul McCartney and he, with Joel Frahm on alto sax, put this firmly on a Jazz footing. Carter is truly willing to assimilate everything if she is willing to reinvent The Beatles. And she does it beautifully.

Carter Calvert’s brilliant Jazz delivery and complete ownership of the songs she sings on “It’s a Man’s World” delightfully belies the album’s title. Not only does she own the music, she transform it in something completely different. Without violence to the originals, Carter retells the stories and speaks anew the meaningfulness of the music.

 

 

~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

 


 

Visit Carter Calvert’s website at: www.cartercalvert.com/
“Like” her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Carter-Calvert-102474693200019
For more great artists to follow, check out Kari-On Productions, LLC at: https://www.facebook.com/karionproductions
To purchase “It’s a Man’s World” on MP3, click on the Amazon link below:

A talented and fascinating new trio has arrived on the music scene and they deserve a good deal of fanfare to accompany them. The trio Stream is Yago Vázquez on piano with Scott Lee on bass and Jeff Hirshfield on drums. The album was released on Fresh Sound Records (Fresh Sounds New Talent FSNT-472) earlier this year after being recorded at Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York, on September 12, 2014. The recording was engineered by Max Ross with editing, mixing, mastering by the brilliant Katsu Naito who never ceases to amaze.

“Stream” (composed by Vázquez) leads off the album with a solo piano introduction to be quickly joined by Lee and Hirshfield in a sweet and swinging number. It is touched with sometimes eddying, now flowing, now rushing fluidity that gives evidence of the song’s title. This is a great lead-off piece.

“On Your Own” (Lee) is a lyrical and lovely piece. Hirshfield’s brushwork is a smooth backdrop to the moving bass of Lee. The piano is lush and thoughtful.

“F World” is another Scott Lee composition. The change-up rhythms and chords are bright and attractive. Vázquez is a gifted, percussive pianist as shown when Lee takes off on his bass solos. Naito’s mastering is especially lively on this track and he separates the sounds so distinctly but still maintaining the oneness of the artists.

“Nocturno” is a beautifully done composition by Vázquez. The coolness of the night and the warmth of the company are painted so well by the trio. It is reflective of companionship and poise. It sings of reflection and memory and draws the listener along as if being led in a dance.

“456” (Lee) has a strident pace set by the trio. Vázquez walks off on a determined side-street until reset by Lee’s bass. Hirshfield keeps the movement steady as Vázquez and Lee venture afield.

“Blue Country” (Lee) gets a bowed bass introduction that gives Lee the full spotlight at centerstage. Vázquez and Hirshfield slowly meld into the bass movement. The bluesy bass and the jazzy are in fine dialogue here. The long-lasting cymbal crashes are like waves coming ashore into this blue country.

“Same but Different” (Lee) gets off to a full-trio swinging start from the opening. Vázquez and Lee are delightful in their jauntiness. This is an optimistic piece that brings (and keeps) the smile on your face.

“Miniatura” (Vázquez) has a haunting quality to the opening which is embodied by all three of the artists. The mood shifts to a wistfulness and longing. Lee offers up a touching double bass solo with bow as Vázquez and Hirshfield carry on softly beneath.

There are moments of exquisite delicacy here that are warm and sweet. The haunting motif returns to carry out the piece. This was beautiful.

“New Old” (Lee) is a cool bit of swing. Scott Lee has repeatedly shown his compositional skills on this album and Vázquez and Hirshfield beautifully execute what Lee has crafted.

“Times Square” is the brainchild of the trio. Lee starts off with a fantastic bowed bass in double-time. The piano seamlessly blends in and, for a moment, it is difficult to separate bass from piano. Vázquez moves into a bit of odd-tempo improv with Hirshfield in free form. This was like an Escher print.

“Missing One” (Lee) returns to a more structured setting. Again the trio take on a cool interplay that is worthy of attention. By this point in the album, it becomes clear that Stream is a trio who deserve each other—and I mean that in a good way. There is a grand understanding between them and it contributes to a remarkable union.

“Brake Tune” is also by Scott Lee. The upbeat time and the cheerful chords with the melodic lines of Vázquez are sunny and wide-eyed. Lee’s bass solo is just as much fun as Hirshfield’s ride cymbal keeps the energy up.

“NoWhere” (Lee) carries a feeling of lostness and the title might imply. It is not the “No Place” as suggested by the word Utopia but the emptiness of a place unknown and perhaps unbeloved. There is a discernable melancholy and a longing to be somewhere else. Vázquez plays beautifully, sweet and sad.

“The Cloisters” is another collective piece of the trio. It is a splendid end to a wonderful album. The crossing lines of melody between piano and bass are lush and colorful. The album ends softly, as a whisper.

Stream is a trio worth hearing. The interaction of the artists is as if they are connected at the heart. “Stream”—the debut album—is a work of great grace and beauty. If this is the shape of things to come, there are good days ahead.




 

Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl





To purchase "Stream" on MP3 or CD at Amazon, click on the appropriate link below.

Galen Weston has been playing guitar for many years but don’t look in back catalogues for his name in the credits. Weston has spent an extended amount of time running the Internet business that he himself established. Now, and at long last, Weston has come to the end of a “two year journey” of preparation and has released his debut album “Plugged In” on the Blujazz label (BJ3430).

Weston claims inspiration from notable guitarists Eric Johnson, George Benson, Pat Metheny and more but the listener would do well to let comparisons fall by the wayside. Weston has a voice that is truly his own and he speaks through his much-loved guitars with single-minded originality.

Weston is joined on “Plugged In” by brilliant Toronto session players like David Woodhead on bass and Al Cross on drums with Matt Horner and Simeon Abbott on piano and keyboards, respectively. Richard Underhill adds his sax and Rick Shadrach Lazar his percussion. The lovely voice of Lenka Lichtenberg also makes a beautiful appearance.

The album opens with “Funk Opus #2.” It carries a rough-edged, albeit lyrical, theme with David Woodhead’s bass punctuating the melodic line. Al Cross adds a solid drum groove with swells from the keyboards of Simeon Abbott.

“Song for Daphne” is a beautiful ballad for Weston’s youngest daughter. The guitar is warm and narrative while the sax adds a sweet side voice and the organ and piano creating a backdrop for the exquisite guitar.

At 11:58, it is the longest piece on the album but that length allows wide expression for guitar and sax. The piano takes on a Gospel feel and the bass and drums keep a steady Jazz rhythm in play. This is beautifully written and warmly performed.

“Bensonite” has, of course, got George Benson in mind. There are the descriptive Benson Jazz-funk guitar riffs that are “morphed during the process to a bit of Larry Carlton style,” Weston says.

Weston is too modest in his attributions. What he calls influences and styles are really his own colors on his sonic palette. He chooses his colorful tones and approaches extremely well and keeps the hues and tones completely original.

“Bensonite” concludes with exciting batucada contributions and Brazilian rhythm. It doesn’t get much better than a fun samba to walk out the track.

“The Yellow Guitar (A Guitarra Amarela)” is a nod to his favorite guitar, his yellow Fender Stratocaster. This is the track that truly highlights how cleanly Weston plays.

Again he cites influences in the liner notes but again that should in no way detract from the marvelous musicianship of Weston himself. To concentrate on his inspirations is to miss the inspiration that Weston himself creates.

Although Weston may himself feel as if he has missed years of playing experience because of business endeavors, he has taken his life experiences and used them to create moving musical works. He writes of family and home and conveys to us what he has learned for himself.

When baseball great Buck O’Neill was asked if he regretted not being able to have a career in the Major Leagues but, instead, spending his career in the Negro Leagues, O’Neill replied, “I was right on time.” Appropriate.

“Rose Garden” is for Weston’s oldest daughter. There are stunning chord changes here and the gorgeous vocal intonations of Lenka Lichtenberg enhance the piece in extraordinary measures.

Underhill’s sax and Horner’s piano are coolly interactive together. Woodhead and Cross are equally cool and steady. It is almost a study in duets on this track, often switching between players.

Such a well-crafted and meaningful song. Rose must be an angel.

“Country” is an acoustic piece that is Weston’s treatment of the magnificent Keith Jarrett original on his splendid 1978 album “My Song.”

Woodhead has a wonderful bass solo here which works so well against Cross’ great play. Furthermore, for a guitarist to cover a Jarrett tune is rare but, in this case, absolutely lovely.

“Galen’s Vice—A Tribute to the 80s” is a ripping guitar tip of the hat to Jan Hammer’s Jazz-rock “Miami Vice” theme. The corps progression is set off against the wail of Underhill’s sax while Rick Shadrach Lazar works cool progression to enhance the Hammer effect.

What I thought was going to be a bit of a send-up piece turned out to be very interesting and a great showcase for Weston’s tightest moments.

“Austin” is one of the sharpest Jazz tracks on the album. Matt Horner does double-duty on piano and organ as Underhill interacts smartly with Weston.

Guitar, sax, keys and bass all get to smoke their solos. Gorgeous stuff. It is like a grand recognition of the great music scene in Austin, Texas.

“Tasteless” is a straight-ahead rocker. Woodhead and Cross get to have fun with rock rhythms and yet play beyond simple rock. This is deeper and more imaginative than the limitations often imposed by rock.

The tone changes drastically for “Like Someone in Love.” The song is a Jimmy Van Heusen cover but is reinterpreted nicely with a solo guitar intro.

It is warm and sweet and the guitar-bass-drums trio is completely effective. The cool chords are entirely memorable and Woodhead’s bass is creative and captivating. The trio is pianissimo during the bass solo creating a powerful resonance.

“Late and Never” is another rock-ish piece that Weston works over smartly. The crossing of rock guitar and rockabilly piano are too fun to resist.

The album concludes with “Rock Jam” which opens brilliant interplay between guitar and bass. The trio launches in full force for this one. There is a broad lyricism at work here and the trio is in the pocket at all the right places.

Galen Weston states that he is “on a mission to catch up with the years I lost in music.” Music has waited patiently for Weston. He is right on time.



~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl



Visit Weston's website at: http://www.galenweston.org/ 
"Like" him on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/GalenWestonBand
To purchase "Plugged In" on MP3 at Amazon, click the link below.

It has been three years since Ligro’s “Dictionary 2” debuted the band on MoonJune Records. Now in 2015, Ligro fulfills the hopes of the past with “Dictionary 3” (MoonJune Records MJR072).

Ligro is Adam Hamzah on guitar, Adi Darmawan on bass and Gusti Hendy on drums. Joining the trio on the first track—“Bliker 4”—is Ade Irawan on keyboards. Irawan was only 18 years old at the time of the recording. The Jazz of Irawan with the Progressive-Jazz-Fusion of Ligro makes “Bliker 4” sound like a union of Bill Evans and King Crimson. The rhythms are thunderous and the melodic lines are fascinating.

“Pentagonal Krisis” begins with a pianissimo introduction that puts one in mind of Jefferson Airplane’s “Comin’ Back to Me.” The percussion begins to take over with finger cymbals and triangles and more to assume a King Crimson “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” feel and all of that is good by me.

The song develops into an exposition of polyrhythmic creativity. Darmawan and Hendy bounce rhythms off each other as Hamzah explores the vast reaches of wanton guitar.

The guitar and drums lock in together and the interaction is fierce. At one point, Darmawan is anchoring the tempo as Hamzah and Hendy venture into elastic time.

In the end, the piece concludes as it began—“Comin’ Back to Me.”

“Tragic Hero” opens with the bass on a four-note scale with the immediate effect of a sad, repetitive pattern. The guitar washes across the bass line in mysterious tones.

The development is slow and deliberate until Hamzah’s guitar explodes in Frippish intonations. The drums are aggressive as the bass continues its inexorable march. The guitar then circles the perimeter of the melody as Hendy’s drums become the caretaker of the melody all their own.

All three artists are exemplary here.

“The 20th Century Collaseu” is based on Oliver Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” and Anton Webern’s “Opus 28.”

Messiaen wrote most of “Quartet for the End of Time” after being captured as a French soldier during the German invasion of France in 1940. The premier of the piece took place in the cold and unheated confines of Barracks 27 of Stalag VIII. The German officers of the camp sat with the prisoners-of-war and—freezing together—heard the first performance of the incredible composition.

Ligro has coupled that wondrous piece with Webern’s String Quartet, Opus 28. This is a lyrical piece of Webern’s that doesn’t always get the attention (or performance) that the piece demands (and deserves). Ligro, however, have rendered an effective and compelling arrangement of the coupled-quartet piece.

Listen to the originals—both found on YouTube—and then listen to what Ligro hath wrought. Stunning. This track alone was worth the price of admission. Did I mention stunning?

It is the most captivating track of the album. Hendy gets a bright spotlight with his machine-gun rhythms. Darmawan also carries off some exciting bass work while Hamzah is brilliantly aggressive on guitar.

“Lonely Planet” concludes the album. It is a bit of blues tucked into the song’s beginning, developing along even bluesier guitar lines until a massive progressive coda.

Ligro has taken another leap forward with “Dictionary 3” and being under the wing of Leonardo Pavkovic and MoonJune Records has provided them the arena and audience they deserve. Their writing skills are first-rate and their artistry is superb. Ligro grabs your attention and never surrenders it.




~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl



Visit Ligro’s website at: http://ligrotrio.com/
“Like” them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ligrotrio
For more great music to follow, “Like” MoonJune Records on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/moonjunerecords?fref=ts

To purchase "Dictionary 3" on Mp3 or CD at Amazon, click on the appropriate link below.

Gilad Atzmon and The Orient House Ensemble
“The Whistle Blower” (Fanfare Jazz 1501)

“The Whistle Blower” is the eighth album in the 15-year career of Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble. While pianist Frank Harrison has been aboard since the beginning in 2000 and bassist Yaron Stavi has been a member since 2003, drummer Chris Higginbottom is the fresh face, joining in 2014.

Atzmon is the composer of all the tracks on “The Whistle Blower” and the album shows his compositional range from Middle Eastern folk roots to the French chansons to bebop swing. Atzmon can execute what he envisions due to his proficiency in alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, guitar and the accordion. He paints with all the colors of his musical palette.

The album opens with “Gaza Mon Amour.” Higginbottom gets to kick it off with the snappy snare rhythms. The stringed Middle Eastern motif is accompanied by the male chorus which all lays the groundwork for the brilliant alto sax work and the piano’s punctuating of the rhythm. The Gazan pulse and melody is captivating. Stavi and Higginbottom are a fine team and merit close attention from the beginning. This is electrifying stuff.

Harrison constructs a brilliant moment with the bass and drums, setting up a great shout chorus to the conclusion.

“Forever” is a lovely piece. In the liner notes, Atzmon states, “These compositions are about love, nostalgia, devotion and simplicity. And such is the case with “Forever.” There is indeed a wistful nostalgia here that speaks of simple devotion.

The tender soprano sax is beautifully longing. Harrison, Stavi and Higginbottom are all delightfully subtle.

“The Romantic Church”—of which Atzmon declares himself a knight—has little or nothing to do with religion (Thank God!) but has everything to do with enchantment. It is about finding the true self through harmony and transparency. Transparency and authenticity are important to Atzmon as he freely declares in his liner notes.

In this piece, he finds his authenticity in the lovers’ house of prayer. How fitting that the following track is…

“Let Us Pray.” It is by far the longest track of the album but does not suffer for its length. From the opening, the name Coltrane comes immediately to mind. It is reminiscent of the opening of “A Love Supreme” and others of Coltrane’s spiritual albums like “Ascension” and “Meditations.”

There are epic solos and extended group excursions that are wondrous to hear. Harrison has a splendid solo which spirals upward as if in prayer. The length of the piece is completely representative of the knowledge that life is a prayer. It is not momentary, it is life-long because it is the quest for self-discovery.

“The Song” is a French chanson with Atzmon on accordion and playing it beautifully. Stavi has a touching bass solo which leads into Harrison’s piano highlights. A hauntingly lovely piece.

“To Be Free” has Atzmon on soprano sax again. It is a slow and deliberate song, free in its structure and approach. The dialog of sax and piano is like a debate between old friends with equally passionate but opposing views. In the end, harmony and closeness remain intact.

“For Moana” is a tribute to Italian actress Moana Pozzi. Atzmon calls her a “vintage romantic heroine.” The piece is as mesmerizing as Moana’s beaming glance. It is sultry and it is beyond reach. But the longing remains…

“The Whistle Blower” is riotous fun. Tali Atzmon supplies the voice of the female lounge singer. The four men of the ensemble are the male chorus. There are wolf calls and howls and bad boy behavior and lots of fun. All to prove Gilad Atzmon’s final line in his liner notes, “I am happy.”

“The Whistle Blower” is a brilliant album. Accomplished artistry and virtuosity along with self-effacing humor but—and this is supremely important—it is mostly about being authentic. As Gilad Atzmon is true to himself, he is not false to his listeners. He has let us look into his mirror.


~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl





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