Rites

Jan Garbarek

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2000)
• Original Release Date: January 12, 1999
• 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 (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,771 in Music (See Bestsellers 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

9 of 9 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Peter White "Kitchen Slave Pete" (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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interestingly situated in the vast Garbarek canon, December 20, 2004

By	Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rites (Audio CD)

I think we're talking pagan, not Christian, rites here. A number entitled "Pan" tips us off. That's OK, even for Christians. Jan Garbarek has earned the right to write about any rite he wants. But, as he had previously just recorded (mostly) sacred music with the Hilliard ensemble, I think it's a safe bet to think of this recording along the lines of what C. S. Lewis said when reflecting on when he first encountered the Delphic Oracle: It was almost by believing in the gods that I came to believe in God.

Whatever.

What makes this disc so interesting is that it neatly bridges two phases in Garbarek's musical pilgrimage: his pretty constant interest in ritualized musics (he has always played Jim Pepper's great theme, "Witchi Tai To," in his concerts) and his movement toward stylized world jazz that reaches its apex, perhaps, on his latest disc (as of this writing), In Praise of Dreams.

If this disc is a little messy, in that the artist seems to be probing and grasping for his next musical phase, incorporating lots of different rhythmic and cultural sensibilities, it is never less than interesting, and often compelling. If everything doesn't work optimally, that's as much because of its experimental nature as of it's imperfectly realized and, it must be admitted, somewhat inchoate aesthetic. Definitely worth acquiring, especially if you can get it at a discount.