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Absolute Ensemble Featuring Joe Zawinul: Absolute Zawinul
ByAlthough "Bimoya" and its familiar swing is almost typical of the unique and earthy beat that Zawinul discovered when he co-founded Weather Report, its music only fleetingly recalls late Syndicate work. The album will resonate more for the wonderful sweep of "Sultan," a work filled with magical quarter notes that sway and tumble down its melody, washing the soundscape with glorious Middle Eastern sounds. The spry elegance of "Great Empire" is enhanced by tremulous violins and splashing cymbals that color the tones of Zawinul's own voice as the song unravels to lonely, ululating horns. Its visual sweep is stunning, like an epic drama that showcases the mighty intricacies of Japan, the country it seeks to immortalize in song. Zawinul's trills and dazzling runs on his great bank of keyboards take the quiet processing of "Peace" into an infectious realm, conjuring images of a celestial celebration that it appears Zawinul must now be a part of.
There is a tremendous openness to Zawinul on the disc. This turns his music into a true collaboration here. Members of The Syndicatethe extraordinary Beligian-born Congolese vocalist Sabine Kabongo, and the Mauritius-born bassist Linley Marthebring a certain swell and riptide to the harmonic undercurrents of the music as it is explored by the Absolute Ensemble. "Good Day" and "The Peasant" are superbly crafted, as is the only music from Zawinul's late-Report days, "Ice Pick Willy." But it is the elemental beauty of "Ballad For Two Musicians" that seals this extraordinary partnership between Zawinul, less known for his mastery of the emotional content of music, and a group of musicians determined to keep his music pulsating and swaying in a realm that is altogether human, despite the electronic garb.
Ultimately Absolute Zawinul does something for the music of Josef Zawinul that it so richly deserves, immortalizing Zawinul's artistry on a large sound canvas.
Track Listing
Bimoya; Sultan; Great Empire; Peace; Good Day; The Peasant; Ballad For Two Musicians; Ice Pick Willy.
Personnel
Joe Zawinul: composer, keyboards and vocoder; Kristjan Järvi: music director, conductor; Gene Pritsker: arranger; Vesselin Gellev: violin; Neela de Fonseka: violin; Eddie Venegas: violin; Gregor Huebner: violin; Edmundo Ramirez: viola; Michael Block: cello; Mat Fieldes: acoustic, electric bass; Jay Elfenbein: acoustic, electric bass; Hayley Melitta Reid: flute, piccolo; Keve Wilson: oboe, English Horn; Michiyo Suzuki: clarinet, saxophone; Marianne Gythfeldt: clarinet; Martin Kuuskmann: bassoon; Damian Primis: contrabassoon; Charles Porter: trumpet; Ann Ellsworth: horn; Michael Seltzer: trombone; Damien Bassman: drums, percussion; Pablo Rieppi: percussion; John Ostrowski: percussion; Matt Herskowitz: piano, keyboard; Gene Pritsker: electric guitar; Sabine Kabongo: vocals; Allegre Correa: guitar, vocals; Aziz Sahmaoui: percussion, vocals, gumbri; Jorge Bezerra: percussion; Paco Sery: drums, percussion, kalimba; Linley Marthe: electric bass.
Album information
Title: Absolute Zawinul | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records