YONATHAN AVISHAI - Joys & Solitudes
ECM 675 1624
Yonathan Avishai: piano; Yoni Zelnik: double bass; Donald Kontomanou: drums
Recorded in February 2018 by Manfred Eicher at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano
The set opens with a languid version of ‘Mood Indigo’. In the press notes, Avishai states that, “Ellington is a thoroughly modern pianist and composer”, and it very interesting to hear such a well-known piece presented in such a contemporary manner. What Avishai does is to approach the tune through an exploration of the gaps between notes as much as the tune itself. I was reminded of those playground singing games where you would sing each repetition leaving out a word. For Avishai the challenge lies in understanding the “…contexts in which your own voice is more expressive. I saw at some point that I become more expressive with less notes.”
This is not only something that you get from the his handling of tunes but also the way that the trio (also known as the ‘Modern Times Trio’) are able to hint at particular rhythmic styles: such as the lilting waltz in ‘Song for Amy’ (track 2), a South American dancehall in ‘Tango’ (track 3), South African township jazz in ‘Lya’ (track 6) and high-life music in ‘Les pianos de Brazzaville’ (track 8) . But each of these tunes shifts their musical identity, as if they are accompanying the action in a silent movie. So, ‘Tango’, after stating a march-like rhythm, veers off into syncopation that recalls early jazz before closing with a dreamy coda; or ‘Lya’ opens with a line or two that wouldn’t be out of place in a Bach chorale before shifting into its own very catchy rhythms. You could think of this music as minimalist jazz, where each tune creates a perfectly formed suite. But ‘minimalism’ is a tag that Avishai would refute. He draws an analogy between his approach and the kabuki theatre that he watched during his formative years living in Japan. This makes a lot of sense – because there is no obvious debt to the traditions surrounding minimalism (at least not in Western classical music) here; but there is a feeling of clean, simple and deliberately graceful movement in the way each player contributes to each piece. Elements of this approach are apparent in his work with trumpeter Avishai Cohen, and there is an acknowledgement of this relationship in the piece ‘When things fall apart’ (which is a response to Cohen’s tune ‘Into the silence’).
But there are more differences than similarities between Cohen’s recordings and this set. One way of thinking about this is to note that, while kabuki theatre honours centuries of tradition in its performances, Avishai and his trio are working their own tradition (with a strong sensibility of the history of jazz and an ear for musical styles from around the world). This is an album that grows with each listen.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
ECM 675 1624
Yonathan Avishai: piano; Yoni Zelnik: double bass; Donald Kontomanou: drums
Recorded in February 2018 by Manfred Eicher at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano
The set opens with a languid version of ‘Mood Indigo’. In the press notes, Avishai states that, “Ellington is a thoroughly modern pianist and composer”, and it very interesting to hear such a well-known piece presented in such a contemporary manner. What Avishai does is to approach the tune through an exploration of the gaps between notes as much as the tune itself. I was reminded of those playground singing games where you would sing each repetition leaving out a word. For Avishai the challenge lies in understanding the “…contexts in which your own voice is more expressive. I saw at some point that I become more expressive with less notes.”
This is not only something that you get from the his handling of tunes but also the way that the trio (also known as the ‘Modern Times Trio’) are able to hint at particular rhythmic styles: such as the lilting waltz in ‘Song for Amy’ (track 2), a South American dancehall in ‘Tango’ (track 3), South African township jazz in ‘Lya’ (track 6) and high-life music in ‘Les pianos de Brazzaville’ (track 8) . But each of these tunes shifts their musical identity, as if they are accompanying the action in a silent movie. So, ‘Tango’, after stating a march-like rhythm, veers off into syncopation that recalls early jazz before closing with a dreamy coda; or ‘Lya’ opens with a line or two that wouldn’t be out of place in a Bach chorale before shifting into its own very catchy rhythms. You could think of this music as minimalist jazz, where each tune creates a perfectly formed suite. But ‘minimalism’ is a tag that Avishai would refute. He draws an analogy between his approach and the kabuki theatre that he watched during his formative years living in Japan. This makes a lot of sense – because there is no obvious debt to the traditions surrounding minimalism (at least not in Western classical music) here; but there is a feeling of clean, simple and deliberately graceful movement in the way each player contributes to each piece. Elements of this approach are apparent in his work with trumpeter Avishai Cohen, and there is an acknowledgement of this relationship in the piece ‘When things fall apart’ (which is a response to Cohen’s tune ‘Into the silence’).
But there are more differences than similarities between Cohen’s recordings and this set. One way of thinking about this is to note that, while kabuki theatre honours centuries of tradition in its performances, Avishai and his trio are working their own tradition (with a strong sensibility of the history of jazz and an ear for musical styles from around the world). This is an album that grows with each listen.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
