HORNS THAT BLOW ME AWAY
ELI DEGIBRI – “HENRI AND RACHEL”
Eli Degibri, tenor & soprano saxophones/composer; Tom Oren, piano; Alon Near, bass; Eviatar Slivnik, drums.
Opening with the title tune, dedicated and memorializing Eli Degibri’s mother and father (“Henri and Rachel”) the group voices sing the melody in unison. Eli’s horn floats over the vocals, like a delicate paint brush, adding color to the piece. You may soon find yourself happily humming along. It’s a very memorable melody. On Track #2, Eli Degibri picks up his tenor saxophone and wows me with his interpretation of his original composition “Gargamel.” Tom Oren takes a blues-fused solo, at times delicately tinkling the upper register of the piano. Eli has composed all the songs but one for this album.
“When I write songs, I don’t usually know what the reason is. Only after it’s done, I think about the melody and ask myself what it means to me or who I see and feel when I hear it,” Degibri says.
Track #3 is the familiar jazz standard, “Like Someone in Love.” The pianist starts off playing what sounds like a classical etude. When Eli Degibri enters on saxophone, we immediately recognize the standard jazz composition. It’s a unique arrangement that shows how closely America’s only original music of jazz is related to European classical music. Tel Aviv-based Israeli saxophonist-composer, Eli Degibri, again reveals his ability to convey profound emotions in the language of notes and tones.
“I was thinking … of how Johann Sebastian Bach would play this song in 5/4,” says Degibri.
This arrangement clearly shows how that would sound, followed by “Longing” which is more straight-ahead, leaning towards bebop and challenging the bass to walk with speed and purpose as the soprano saxophone flies ahead. There is a Middle Eastern ‘swag’ to the melody and Oren’s piano solo is brief, but outstanding. The “Noa” composition is a sweet, sexy ballad that oozes emotion. Eli Degibri pushes the ballad into improvised, straight-ahead territory with his tenor saxophone. Somehow, I am reminded of the legacy of John Coltrane. On a tune called “Ziv” his arrangement moves into more contemporary grounds; shades of Kenny G. The composition, “Preaching to the Choir” dabbles in African-American gospel music and blues. This quartet brings us a variety of original music that is innovative, personal and pleasing. Eli Degibri is masterful on his horns and is also a stunningly talented composer and arranger.
Author: Dee Dee McNeil/ Jazz Journalist
Publication: Musicalmemoirs’s Blog