This is the initial recording of pianist Alon Yavnai's sextet (plus guests), a group with an international flavor. Yavnai and Avishai Cohen are from Tel Aviv, Massimo Biolcati was raised in Sweden and Italy, Take Toriyama is a rocker from Japan and George Garzone and Dino Govoni are Americans. All have splendid credentials including several jazz awards and competitions. With these pedigrees, the anticipation for this album is high. Yet the results are mixed as they attack a challenging play list, all but one of which are Yavnai compositions. "One Step at a Time", a ten minute track, lays out a single theme which is explored, expostulated and improvised upon by each member of the troupe playing over Yavnai's piano and Take Toriyama's drums with superlative solos by George Garzone, Dino Govoni and Avishai Cohen. Contrast this with "Spring Fever" where individual efforts are balanced by ensemble work as well as trading off between the sax, trumpet and piano. Despite the good playing technically, the musical purpose of this composition is hard to discern as each member of the group wails (whales?) indiscriminately. One can hear music very similar to this on any number of modern, progressive, avant-garde, whatever, releases by other young lions. "The Long Way Home", an attractive piece of music, incorporates some blues licks. Scott LaFaro's "Gloria's Step" is played so gently and outright pretty that it seems almost out of place with the rest of the tunes. This tune is in sole possession of the rhythm section where both Yavnai and the rhapsodic bass of Massimo Biolcati dominate. The downside is that for some reason Toriyama's drums come in sounding more appropriate for a Sousa march.
Irrespective of what is being played, Yavnai's piano stands out. His is the glue which holds together some semblance of structure throughout the session, the bulwark against which the musical storm rages. There is not enough here to set it apart from other releases these days. It would be nice to hear what this fine sextet could do with classic and jazz standards. Maybe next time.
Track Listing
Bitter Roots; Dig?; Late Afternoon; Gloria's Step; Spring Fever; One Step at a Time; Tfeelah; The Long Way Home; Coda
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.