Customer Reviews

From the Belly of Abraham

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What I love about this recording is it combines decent jazz with offbeat textures and colors, a few subtle brain tickling musical moments, and some very hummable melodies to keep you hooked in, and some FUN! It may not be the most polished (not even close) or the most accessible, or technically articulate jazz out there, but I think it comes a lot closer to what the true spirit of jazz is all about. It ain't stodgy! For a different slant on world-meets-jazz I highly recommend Simon Shaheen's Blue Flame. Much more articulate and polished but nothing less than amazing.

I recently purchased this CD based upon hearing one of the cuts on a Jazziz compilation disk. I was particularly drawn to the combination of klezmer influences with Afro/Cuban jazz lines. I was blown away by the realization that this track wasn't close to being the best on the CD. This is some of the funkiest and freshest jazz I've heard in years and I hope to hear more in the near future. These folks can flat out play!

Found this used for [amount]...I liked the cover so I gave it a shot. Hot damn!
It feels like a mix between traditional Hebrew music (just barely) and modern jazz...quite spectacular!

If I knew it was this good, prior to buying it for [amount], I'd have gladly paid [amount] for it!

A nice, interesting adventure!

While many cross-cultural collaborations produce uneasy truces that fail to retain my interest, this recording ranks among the best of the lot (like Hank Jones' "Sarala" or Fred Ho's "Monkey Orchestra" recordings). This edgy klezmer ensemble blends effortlessly with the North African rhythms of the drummers, and their tight improvisations in cuts ranging from 5 to 11 minutes allow the musicians the opportunity to explore the common frontiers of their surprisingly compatible muscial traditions. There's nothing canned, contrived, or deadened about this recording: ranging from the languidly sensual (in arabesque fashion) to the muscular straight-ahead (right from the city), this is the Real.