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Rob Luft: Dahab Days
ByLuft's third outing is the work of a consummate player, arranger and composer. The bouncy pieces evoke one sunny vista after another, dropping in some organic percussion or hints of minor Eastern scales without turning into pastiche. The title track evokes a leisurely river cruise with the leader's clean-toned guitar floating on the breeze; with the thoughtful likes of "African Flower" and "Endless Summer," he alternates his quicksilver lines with some hazy echoes to let his cohorts take turns at center stage. Joe Wright provides some particularly peaceful saxophone lines in those spots, topped only by Alice Zawadzki's dreamy vocalese drifting over an unobtrusive string quartet.
"Flim" makes the brightest spot of sunshine music with Wright's sax and Joe Webb's jaunty rolling piano alongside Luft's soaring fretworks, although the capering "Sunshine Music" itself is very close behind thanks to some chirpy penny whistle. The only overly Egyptian-sounding moment comes with a sinuous and lightly funky snake-charmer jam at the album's close, feeling like a patient wind-down at duskand a well-deserved one after such a fun and frisky romp. Dahab Days is a finely-crafted piece of work, thoroughly satisfying and uplifting.
Track Listing
Be Water My Friend; Dahab Days; Daylight Saving Time; Dreamworld; Bliss Out; Flim; African Flower; Sunshine Music; Endless Summer; Lamma Bada Yatathanna.
Personnel
Rob Luft
guitarJoe Wright
saxophone, tenorJoe Webb
pianoTom McCredie
bass, acousticCorrie Dick
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
Alice Zawadzki: vocals, violin (1, 5, 9); Byron Wallen: trumpet (5, 10); Steve Buckley: alto saxophone, penny whistle (5, 8); Amika String Quartet (2, 4, 6, 9).
Album information
Title: Dahab Days | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Edition Records
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