Drummer Daniel Freedman teams with two musical comrades, pianist Jason Lindner and bassist Omer Avital, and makes a strong debut as a leader. Aside from the traditional Moroccan piece "Alach Ya Ghazali" and their gospel-tinged reading of the classic Joe Cocker vehicle "You Are So Beautiful," all the tunes are originals, with Freedman penning five and Lindner and Avital each contributing two. Alto sax whiz Myron Walden sits in on the rubato "Night Poem," while flutist Josh Levitt and percussionist Tomer Tzur add color to the ...
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Drummer Daniel Freedman teams with two musical comrades, pianist Jason Lindner and bassist Omer Avital, and makes a strong debut as a leader. Aside from the traditional Moroccan piece "Alach Ya Ghazali" and their gospel-tinged reading of the classic Joe Cocker vehicle "You Are So Beautiful," all the tunes are originals, with Freedman penning five and Lindner and Avital each contributing two. Alto sax whiz Myron Walden sits in on the rubato "Night Poem," while flutist Josh Levitt and percussionist Tomer Tzur add color to the Moroccan track. Otherwise, it's stripped-down trio interplay all the way. Highlights include the truly weird harmonic structure of Lindner's "Montuno Picasso," the waltz/funk hybrid beast that is Freedman's "Rise Up," and the two melodic Avital gems that close the record, "Cypresses" and "Yes." The montuno piece, in particular, exemplifies the advanced take on Latin music shared by these players. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi
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