Maya Belsitzman and Uriel Herman: Pauses in Shades

Harnessing an amalgam of idioms and techniques on his instrument, Israeli pianist Uriel Herman has been carving a capacious niche in the jazz world since his debut release, Awake, in 2014 (self-produced). But it was his 2023 album, Different Eyes (Ubuntu Music), that started generating some serious buzz. With a wide-ranging aesthetic encompassing everything from Chopin to Antonio Carlos Jobim to Kurt Cobain, Herman's generous spirit and capable touch garnered well-deserved accolades. And now he has teamed with cellist Maya Belsitzman, a long-standing friend whose exploratory temperament fortunately matches Herman's own, as the ten inviting tracks on Pauses in Shades make clear.

Belsitzman's classical training serves her well on pieces like the duo's "Homage to Chopin," a revisiting of the composer's "Prelude No. 4," which Herman first explored on Different Eyes. Belsitzman's gentle lyrical flights are the perfect complement to Herman's patient and delicate delivery, allowing the listener to revel in the piece's subtle beauty. There is a pensive quality to much of the album, with some gorgeous moments on the opener, "Dew (Tal)," again enabling Belsitzman to float atop Herman's tender ruminations. Here, however, the pair work some electronics and overdubbing into the track, enhancing its potency with additional texture. The same is done elsewhere, to especially striking effect on "On a Boat," where a haunting vocal track is embedded in the mix; as Belsitzman has been active as a vocalist, it could be her own voice, although she is not formally credited as a vocalist on the recording.

Aside from the invigorating "Dance of the Blinds," which has moments of pulse-quickening excitement, and "Sandbox," which traces a bluesy groove, the bulk of the music on Pauses of Shades conveys an air of mystery, of expressions not fully delineated. The relative brevity of the pieces contributes to that effect, as though the duo are beginning conversations that are still to be completed. And the album's runtime is rather short as well, at just over a half hour. Perhaps an upcoming encounter will allow for further explorations—an opportunity that would be most welcome indeed.