Avi Belleli: Strawberry Cream And Gunpowder (2007)

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: March 21, 2007

Avi Belleli: Strawberry Cream And Gunpowder

Israeli composer, bassist and vocalist Avi Belleli is a well-known entity in his native land, namely with the commercially viable rock band Tractors Revenge. Here, the artist's compositions are performed live in Jerusalem with the assistance of dance choreographer Yasmeen Godder and her "Bloody Bench Players.

There are no listings that denote the instruments used for this rather haunting yet sometimes frolicsome set, influenced by recent events in the Middle East. With reverberating guitar lines and electronics-based ambience, Belleli generates a rather unsettling panorama. The sounds of detuned stringed instruments and panic stricken screams contrast jittery effects and bizarre voices that seemingly melt into a cosmic void. On the piece titled "S.C.G.P A and G, you'll hear ostinato and heavily fuzzed-out guitar lines morphed into an unpredictable and largely psychotic sequence of events. In other spots, Belleli pursues harrowing sci-fi soundscapes with howling treatments and short-circuited electronic sounds. And while the mind's eye might try to reconcile the dance aspect, the artist captures and parlays the often grief-ridden sociopolitical aura of the Middle East with a sense of enragement.

Ultimately, Belleli's mind-numbing musical foresight juxtaposes the art of music-making with the unforgiving implications brought upon by regional strife. Therefore, the strangeness of it all makes near-perfect sense.

Track Listing: S.C.G.P shmama; S.C.G.P. 2nd feature; S.C.G.P dogs; S.C.G.P comics; S.C.G.P. A and G; S.C.G.P Shahid; S.C.G.P. hands up; B.A.R.E.S.I.

Personnel: Composed and performed live by: Avi Belleli; Yasmeen Godder: choreographer.

Record Label: Ad Hoc Records
Style: Beyond Jazz