Label: ECM Records, 2022
Personnel - Oded Tzur: tenor saxophone; Nitai Hershkovits: piano; Petros Klampanis: double bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.
The Israeli-born, New York-based saxophonist Oded Tzur touts a carefully constructed musical style that comes with both elegance and a personal touch. His focused horn sound shaped with timbral grace can be heard on the five tracks of Isabela, the follow up to his ECM debut Here Be Dragons. Tzur is in command of a qualified quartet whose lineup remains unchanged since his last album, featuring Israeli pianist Nitai Hershkovits, Greek bassist Petros Klampanis and American drummer Johnathan Blake. They blend jazz and raga with a unique perspective.
The brief “Invocations” kicks off the recording with a spiritual undercurrent that feels like a big, warm hug of welcome. This makes for a fantastic Chalan-like intro, where it’s impossible to ignore the effective mallet art and kick-drum work of Blake. Yet, “Noam” and “Love Song For the Rainy Season” are where the album really shines. Inspiringly, the former piece offers an enchanting melody over a soothing chordal sequence, immersing us in a liberating jazz-raga dance where the tenor reaches a certain hoarse splendor. At a later time, the trills and half-tone shifting roundabouts infused by Hershkovits create a bit more mystery before the group reinstates the main statement. The latter piece is the one that closes out the album, carrying a lightness and breeziness throughout a process that, besides changing meter during the motivic piano solo, also includes drum expansion and winding saxophone trajectories.
The gracious “The Lion Turtle” dissimulates an intricate tempo while boasting a strong folk feel. It counts on a trio of ad-lib sections under the melodic control of Klampanis, Hershkovits, and Tzur. The saxophonist also brings his beautiful sense of melody to the fore on the slow-evolving title track, which, starting as a quiet whisper, is marked by interesting piano details and sensitive brushwork.
This affable jazz recording is sculpted with a detached elegance that never gets the music too heated. Hence, you can expect introspection and poised tones to override energy-filled rhythms or grooves. That said, it all sounds organically pleasurable and the saxophonist’s playing is very special indeed.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Noam ► 03 - The Lion Turtle ► 05 - Love Song For the Rainy Season