Later this month, famed jazz guitarist Albare (a.k.a. Albert Dadon) will release his latest studio recording, Eclecticity through his own independent label, Albare Productions. Set for release May 30, the 10-song record (Albare’s 16th album) is a welcome addition to this year’s field of new jazz albums even despite one negative. That negative – the lack of any liner notes explaining the songs’ backgrounds – is not enough to doom the album but certainly would have helped enhance the listening experience. This will be discussed a little later. Getting to the record’s positives, the arrangements are themselves the foundation for the presentation. They will be addressed shortly. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole. When it and the record’s musical presentation are considered together, they make the album in whole a mostly successful new offering from one of the jazz community’s most respected names.
Eclecticity, the forthcoming 16th album from Albare, is a mostly positive new offering from the veteran jazz guitarist that audiences. Forming the record’s foundation is its overall musical body. Spanning 67 minutes (one hour, seven minutes), the musical body featured here offers so much for audiences to appreciate. Throughout the course of the hour=plus musical body, Albare and his fellow musicians – Phil Turcio (piano), Phil Noy (saxophone), Salva Persico (percussion), Phil Rex (bass), Mat Jodrell (trumpet and flugelhorn), and Felix Bloxom (drums) – offer audiences such a diverse range of sounds and styles. Despite its title, the album’s opener, ‘All Night Blues’ is anything but blues. Rather it is a light, almost cool jazz composition. Yes, listeners can hear some blues lean throughout the nearly seven-minute composition, but for the most part it is more jazz. To that end, the very juxtaposition of the blues and jazz leanings here is a prime example of the record’s musical diversity in and of itself.
As the album progresses into its second entry, ‘Song For Bird,’ the tone and style changes distinctly, offering listeners more of a light bop approach, fittingly. That is because one has to suppose (especially being that there are no liner notes to accompany the album) that the song is a tribute to legendary saxophonist Charly “Bird” Parker. It would especially make sense considering that Noy takes the lead on saxophone here, displaying such control. Meanwhile, Bloxom and Rex pair to just as expertly compliment Noy’s work. At the same time, as Jodrell enters, one can only imagine Miles Davis, in his earlier years, working with Bird, hearing the two legendary musicians. The whole is a great example – again – of the diversity in the album’s musical diversity.
The diversity hardly ends in ‘Song For Bird.’ Rather it continues just as clearly as ever as the album progresses. The group’s cover of the Spyro Gyra hit ‘Morning Dance’ changes things up yet again. The group’s take of the song here takes the original and gives it a unique new twist while staying as true as possible to the source material. Albare leads the way on guitar while his fellow musicians (thanks to the production) actually give the song a sound that is almost big band in nature. It is so interesting to take in and in turn yet another example of the diversity of music presented here.
Leaning even more in an Afro-Latin direction as the record continues its progression is the late entry, ‘Midnight Mirage.’ Once again, Albare leads the way with his light touch on the guitar while Turcio, Rex, and Persico provide support. The whole lends itself so easily (and positively) to some of the best works of another guitar great, none other than Carlos Santana. The control that the group brings to the light, subdued 4/4 composition makes the whole so engaging and entertaining.
As if everything noted is not enough, the group actually does go full blues in the very next track, ‘Just A Blues.’ Noy once again leads the way, at least in the song’s lead verse while Albare takes over in the second verse. Rex, Bloxom, and Turcio meanwhile provide wonderful support with just the right touch throughout. What is really interesting to note is the pairing of Noy and Albare in the lead verse. The duo’s work actually sounds like one part layered at first listen, but a closer listen reveals it is actually the two musicians duetting. Their work and that of the rest of the group collectively does so much to make this song so fun.
As the record reaches its finale, ‘Round Trip,’ the 1970s’ fusion-laden approach changes things one more time and in just as enjoyable fashion. In this case, it sounds like there was a certain amount of layering one with the instrumentation through the production. The pairing of the Hammond B-3 organ and trumpet here with the solid, funky backbeat from Bloxom makes for its own share of engagement and entertainment. When the whole herein is considered, it becomes one last clear, fun example of the joy that the record’s musical diversity brings audiences. When this and the other songs examined here are considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, the entirety makes Eclecticity’s musical body a solid foundation for the record.
As much as the overall musical content does to make Eclecticity worth hearing, the album is not perfect. It suffers from one major downside, that being the lack of any liner notes in the companion booklet. In place of the liner notes that would have added so much depth to the record and in turn enhanced the listening experience, audiences instead get a brief history on each of the musicians that make up the collective on this record. Whether on ‘Song For Bird,’ the group’s cover of ‘Morning Dance,’ ‘Simplicity’ or any of the album’s other entries, it would have been nice to have had at least some background on the songs’ construction, inspiration, etc. It is just disappointing to have none of that extra information. Lacking it is not enough to doom the album but it certainly would have made the experience much better.
Knowing that the lack of any background on the songs in the companion booklet is not enough to doom the record, there is one more positive to note, that being the production. The production has been pointed out already at points here. Whether it be the layering of instruments at points or the sound balance of instruments complimenting each other in other performances or simply the general balance of the instruments, the whole makes for a positive aesthetic aspect for the record. When that positive aesthetic generated through the production is considered alongside the album’s musical body, that whole strengthens the album’s presentation even more, with the whole making Eclecticity a record that while imperfect still worth hearing and a welcome addition to this year’s field of new jazz albums.
Eclecticity, the forthcoming new album from Albare, is a mostly positive new offering from the veteran jazz guitarist. It is a presentation that Albare’s established fans and more casual jazz audiences alike will appreciate. That is due in large part to its musical body. The musical body featured herein presents so much musical diversity throughout the course of its hour-plus body. The production thereof adds even more engagement and entertainment to the record. When those elements are considered collectively they at least somewhat make up for the shortcoming of there being no background on the songs in the album’s companion booklet. Keeping all of this in mind, Eclecticity proves to be a mostly positive, welcome addition to this year’s field of new jazz albums.
Eclecticity is scheduled for release May 30 through Albare’s own label, Albare Productions. More information on the album is available along with all of Albare’s latest news at:
Website: https://albare.info
Facebook: https://facebook.com/albaremusic
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