LENNY SENDERSKY & MOON STRINGS - Blue Mizrahi
Losen LOS238-2
Lenny Sendersky: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, tambourine, vocal; Oshy Daban: vocal; Ehud Ettun: bass; Arkady Shikloper: French horn; Artur Adamyan: violin; Andrei Rukhadze: violin; Shamil Saidov: viola; Nikolai Solonovich: cello; Dmitri Semenishev: bass
Recorded April 23rd and 24th 2019 by Andrey Levin at Mosfilm Music Studio, Moscow
In one sense, the word ‘Mizrahi’ is Hebrew for ‘Eastern’ (and this might reflect some of the musical structures that you hear on this record). In another sense, the word ‘Mizarahi’ refers to Jewish peoples living in the Middle East and North Africa. When you listen to the group’s version of ‘Take Five’ (track 2), you get a sense of musicians who happily switch between, say, klezmer, Israeli folk music, jazz and classical music because this is how the piece shifts its tonal and melodic centre. On some of the pieces, the focus feels more classical, with a sense of mid-twentieth century Russian chamber music, like ‘Walking in St. Petersburg’, track 3, or their version of ‘In a sentimental mood’, track 6, which is some way removed from the original but, nevertheless a delightful listen which makes full use of the string accompaniment. I guess that the decision to record in Moscow might have had a bearing on the ways in which the strings were used (often coming in like Hollywood noir film-scores, many of which were, of course, composed by émigrés). Sendersky was born in Russia (St. Petersberg) so the mixing of Russian with Israeli music is no surprise. On some tracks, the focus is very much on Eastern music; on the opening track ‘Sea of Galilee’, Sendersky’s sax bends notes into microtones and on ‘Blues Mizrahi’, track 5, his sax plays a tune that feels like a mutated version of ‘night in tunisia’ played on a magudi , that ‘snake charmers’ might use in India. The sense of place that the music creates is often difficult to pin down, as if the playing and the compositions are channelling the peripatetic lives of the musicians. In the most mainstream ‘jazz’ track in the set, Sendersky (and Ettun on bass) deliver a muscular rendition of ‘I got rhythm’, sticking close to the original score but conveying something like a challenge in their playing (with the strings acting as cheerleaders).
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen LOS238-2
Lenny Sendersky: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, tambourine, vocal; Oshy Daban: vocal; Ehud Ettun: bass; Arkady Shikloper: French horn; Artur Adamyan: violin; Andrei Rukhadze: violin; Shamil Saidov: viola; Nikolai Solonovich: cello; Dmitri Semenishev: bass
Recorded April 23rd and 24th 2019 by Andrey Levin at Mosfilm Music Studio, Moscow
In one sense, the word ‘Mizrahi’ is Hebrew for ‘Eastern’ (and this might reflect some of the musical structures that you hear on this record). In another sense, the word ‘Mizarahi’ refers to Jewish peoples living in the Middle East and North Africa. When you listen to the group’s version of ‘Take Five’ (track 2), you get a sense of musicians who happily switch between, say, klezmer, Israeli folk music, jazz and classical music because this is how the piece shifts its tonal and melodic centre. On some of the pieces, the focus feels more classical, with a sense of mid-twentieth century Russian chamber music, like ‘Walking in St. Petersburg’, track 3, or their version of ‘In a sentimental mood’, track 6, which is some way removed from the original but, nevertheless a delightful listen which makes full use of the string accompaniment. I guess that the decision to record in Moscow might have had a bearing on the ways in which the strings were used (often coming in like Hollywood noir film-scores, many of which were, of course, composed by émigrés). Sendersky was born in Russia (St. Petersberg) so the mixing of Russian with Israeli music is no surprise. On some tracks, the focus is very much on Eastern music; on the opening track ‘Sea of Galilee’, Sendersky’s sax bends notes into microtones and on ‘Blues Mizrahi’, track 5, his sax plays a tune that feels like a mutated version of ‘night in tunisia’ played on a magudi , that ‘snake charmers’ might use in India. The sense of place that the music creates is often difficult to pin down, as if the playing and the compositions are channelling the peripatetic lives of the musicians. In the most mainstream ‘jazz’ track in the set, Sendersky (and Ettun on bass) deliver a muscular rendition of ‘I got rhythm’, sticking close to the original score but conveying something like a challenge in their playing (with the strings acting as cheerleaders).
Reviewed by Chris Baber
