Rites

Jan Garbarek | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B0000245JD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,981 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Listeners who discovered Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek through Officium, his million-selling 1994 collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble, aren't likely to be disappointed in this double disc. They might, however, be in for a surprise. Ambitiously traversing territory from ambient techno to large-scale choral works to Garbarek's more familiar brand of melodic jazz, Rites largely features Garbarek accompanied by electronic effects and synthesizers. But while there are plenty of appealing genre-hopping moments--like disc 2's opener, "It's High Time," where a traditional Scandinavian folk melody floats over a shuffling techno beat--the real successes on Rites come on the more acoustic-oriented tunes. The gorgeously ethereal "Her Wild Ways" features Garbarek backed by piano, bass, and drums, and Don Cherry's "Malinye" is a moving tribute to the late trumpeter that features the saxophonist accompanied only by percussion and accordion. There's also an intriguing two-song suite that's probably the set's highlight: "We Are the Stars," Garbarek's composition for himself and a Norwegian boys choir, and "The Moon Over Mtatsminda," composed and performed by Jansug Kakhidze, the Georgian conductor of the Tbisili Symphony Orchestra. The latter piece doesn't even feature Garbarek but blends seamlessly with the rest of the album because of its intense spirituality and beauty. --Ezra Gale

From Jazziz

Jan Garbarek's 1998 double-CD, Rites, features the Norwegian saxophonist's inimitable sound blended wonderfully with the subtle wash of Rainer Bruninghaus' synthesizer, the sonorous propulsion of Eberhard Weber's bass, and the subtle invention of Marilyn Mazur's drums. But the musical story is really Garbarek's, and it's meant to suggest initiations, rituals, and magic, as well as the pivotal passages of his own life. Long fascinated by the culture of his native land and of "India via the Balkans and Asia Minor," as he put it, Garbarek now finds these interests suddenly in vogue. But his recording speaks volumes about the enduring beauty of ECM's label aesthetic and about the timelessness of music that is as accessible as it is idiosyncratic.

--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nordic jazz at its best, May 31, 2000

By 

"scottish_lawyer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rites (Audio CD)

The young Jan Garbarek listened to the radio and heard John Coltrane. He decided to become a saxophonist, and what a saxophonist.

In his career he has progressed from his Coltrane inspired Esoteric Circle through his work with Keith Jarrett's Bleonging Quartet (fantastic performances particularly on the Belonging CD) to a more austere world jazz. He can swing with the best of artists (listen to The Wind up on Belonging), but as time has moved on and he has been influenced by Arabic musicians (listen to Madar), and the folk songs and musical tradition of Scandinavia, his work has matured.

He constantly innovates, works with acoustic groups and with electronics. On this album there is Marilyn Mazur, former Miles David percussionist, Bugge Wesseltoft, one of the most interesting young electronic performers in Europe (listen to his New Conceptions of Jazz), along with group regulars Bruninghaus and Weber. Weber is one of the finest bass players in the world, and all side players are given their turn in the spotlight.

This album seems a summation of Garbarek's career to date. There are tunes form previous albums, slow meditative pieces, and in Her Wild Ways, a tune that was reminiscent of his work with the Jarrett Quartet.

Garbarek is a great artist, great to listen to live, and with his colleagues in Norway (Wesseltoft and Nils Petter Molvaer among others) gives the lie to the notion that jazz is dead.

Buy this. Buy everything by Garbarek.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the remarkable..., December 13, 1998

By 

Peter White "Pete The Camera" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rites (Audio CD)

I have listened to this album countless times and recently was priviledged to attend a live concert in Edinburgh (Scotland) based on the album. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed music of any sort as much as I have enjoyed Rites either live or on CD. I had been introduced to JG by the gift of an earlier album 'Visible World'. That was an exotic and alluring intro into relatively contemporary jazz for this ageing hippy. Rites takes this onto a new level, beyond the capability of my words. I defy you to keep your mind on anything apart from floating or intimacy whilst experiencing this album.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Was a double studio CD advisable?, May 7, 2001

By 

Gavin Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rites (Audio CD)

After the massive commercial success (for a classical CD) of the 'Officium' album with the Hilliards, Garbarek stretched the wallets of his many fans by releasing two double studio CDs: 'Rites' and the unpronounceable 'Mnemosyne', in quick succession.

OK, we know the guy can be prolific, but there's an impression that he releases too much -- the mediocre as well as the excellent -- and lets the fan decide. It's fine if you've got a recordable CD or mini-disk player, so that you can make your own compilation of the truly outstanding tracks. But that's hardly the purpose of releasing an album.

'Rites' starts very promisingly, with the atmospheric title track, and then what is for many, the stand-out track, 'Where the Rivers Meet'. I know of at least one secondary school where the band had a go at this piece (within months of the album's release), and it went down a blast, even though few of the parents knew the tune.

Elsewhere there is not enough material that is exceptional. I would have much preferred to have seen this released as two single CDs. It's all very pleasant and marvellously cinematic, but it lacks a certain passion.