Assif Tsahar - Jam (2003)

Assif Tsahar - Jam (2003)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 235MB

Hopscotch 21

allmusic:
There used to be an unwritten edict in the out jazz world: that music as much fun as this is to listen to had no business in the avant-garde catalog. Jam is the result of the combined talent of sax great Assif Tsahar, drum ace Jim Black, and violin maestro Mat Maneri. Over nine sections and 52 minutes, rhythmic invention meets knotty harmonic elocution and microtonal interplay in a kind of South Park-meets-Art Ensemble zeitgeist. Humor, as well as innovation in musical communication, all become part of some weave that touches upon the past, burrows out from the present, and flies into the future. Deep listening and well-articulated sonic speech are all hallmarks of the union of three very different yet complementary personages who explore together the spaces of dynamic and rhythm as they let loose the questions surrounding the textural possibilities of their instruments, together and separately. This is a jam in that it feels loose and free and unencumbered by anything other than speaking directly and warmly, and as the result of wonderfully innovative discourse whose meaning will no doubt be revealed to the listener in the decades to come. But that doesn't mean there is anything concrete or difficult to listen to in this music. Its' grace and elegance move it around so often, and with so much wit and savvy, it almost feels composed. Wondrous stuff from a great label.

Tracks
-1. "Jam, Pt. 1" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 6:39
-2. "Jam, Pt. 2" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 4:56
-3. "Jam, Pt. 3" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 7:02
-4. "Jam, Pt. 4" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 6:06
-5. "Jam, Pt. 5" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 4:24
-6. "Jam, Pt. 6" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 5:41
-7. "Jam, Pt. 7" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 3:33
-8. "Jam, Pt. 8" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 5:10
-9. "Jam, Pt. 9" - Black, Maneri, Tsahar - 8:10

Personnel
* Assif Tsahar - tenor sax, bass clarinet
* Mat Maneri - electtric 5 string violin
* Jim Black - percussion

 sample & buy: Jam

 

Assif Tsahar - 'ein sof' (1997)

Assif Tsahar - 'ein sof' (1997)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 465MB

Silkheart

Allmusic:
With William Parker and Susie Ibarra as his trio cohorts, Assif Tsahar is keeping major league company on this disc and Ein Sof shows he's up to the challenge. The tenor saxophonist is fond of jumping to Albert Ayler-like cries but he doesn't really develop solos out of those tonal wails like Ayler did. He's probably closer to Charles Gayle's stream of notes pouring forth overall but Tsahar is more measured and economical, allowing the pieces to trail off when the collective energy is exhausted and ideas drained. Ein Sof features half-a-dozen full pieces broken up by six short snippets of "Ephemeral Symbiosis." The latter segments range from hard-charging freedom pulse and ballads to ethereal pieces cued by Parker's bowed bass or Ibarra's percussive clatter, so it's hard to know if it's one continuous piece done cut-up style or short bits of distinct improvisations given the same title. Tsahar hits the ground running with "Is Here Tomorrow Will" while "Through Forgotton Ancestors" starts up more melodic and meditative, with a tart opening theme and freedom pulse feel with Ibarra focused on her percussive click repertoire. "Sun Drops" finds Tsahar blowing almost subliminal harmonics behind Parker's bowed strokes and Ibarra's bells and the more intense, Ayleresque title track returns to exploring the tonal similarity of broad tenor smears against Parker's bowed bottom. "Shadow Puppets" angularly probes a relatively spare rhythm pulse that ebbs and flows in intensity before bleeding into "Internal Dialogue" so smoothly you might mistake it for the same track until the latter's more robust, brawny character comes through. Tsahar goes for his Ayler shriek repertoire with Parker's potent bowed strum and the busy clatter of Ibarra's percussion and trademark light touch -- it always sounds like she's surrounding the center of the music more than establishing it. Ein Sof is a strong debut and one that should appeal to David S. Ware fans, although Tsahar's tone isn't as full and his lines tend to be shorter and more fragmented. But this music passes the fundamental test of collective improvisation -- it takes the listener on a voyage, unfolding organically though swirls and eddies, ebbing and flowing with the inspiration of the improvisers.

Tracks
-01. "Is Here Tomorrow Will" - Tsahar - 10:32
-02. "Ephemeral Symbiosis (Pt. 3)" - Tsahar - 1:59
-03. "Ephemeral Symbiosis (Pt. 2)" - Tsahar - 1:34
-04. "Through Forgotton Ancestors" - Tsahar - 12:31
-05. "Sun Drops" - Tsahar - 7:56
-06. "Ein Sof" - Tsahar - 7:12
-07. "Ephemeral Symbiosis (Pt. 5)" - Tsahar - 2:37
-08. "Ephemeral Symbiosis (Pt. 1)" - Tsahar - 1:34
-09. "Shadow Puppets" - Tsahar - 10:36
-10. "Internal Dialogue" - Tsahar - 11:38
-11. "Ephemeral Symbiosis (Pt. 4)" - Tsahar - 1:53
-12. "Ephemeral Symbiosis, Pt. 6" - Tsahar - 1:43

Personnel
* Assif Tsahar - tenor sax
* William Parker - bass
* Susie Ibarra - druns

sample & buy: Ein Sof