Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alon Yavnai Trio: Picture This

Alon Yavnai Trio: Picture This

By Stephen Latessa
April 3, 2005
View read count

Picture This, by the Alon Yavnai Trio, features an intriguing mix of music from different geographical areas as well as historical eras. Backed by Massimo Biolcati on acoustic bass and Take Toriyama on drums (with guest spots by Cuban reed player Paquito D'Rivera), pianist Yavnai tackles Middle Eastern-tinged material, a Bach fugue, as well as some Cuban jazz offerings. Impressively, the band is able to offer dynamic, forward-looking performances, even when they are looking to the past.

Drummer Toriyama, in particular, fires these pieces. His off-kilter interjections and unique percussion voices seem to keep his band mates on edge and alert to the possibilities of each number. His inventiveness on "The Beginning, composed by bassist Biolcati, certainly inspires admiration.

Picture This is a deeply ambitious work, an attempt to connect the dots between music of disparate types and different eras with the common element of jazz swing. However, the all-inclusive embrace of the material yields an album that never sounds pedantic or overburdened by the history and genre minutiae of the music. The trio succeeds in making even the mathematical rigors of a Bach fugue seem entirely appropriate for the tender sway of a slow dance.

Track Listing

Blues For Alon; Paquito's Merengue; The Beginning; Fugue No. 7 Eb Major From 2nd Book; Funk Tango; Mouche Blues; Zamba Azul; Up Hill; Picture This; Long Time Ago Moses

Personnel

Alon Yavnai

piano

Alon Yavnai-piano; Massimo Biolcati-acoustic bass; Take Toriyama-drums; with Paquito D'Rivera-reeds

Album information

Title: Picture This | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Bon Rapport Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Gypsy in My Soul
< Previous

Creed Taylor Productions, Part 1
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.