A musical stew, well mixed…
Tal Mashiach – Who’s Around – Anzic Records #ANZ-0095-02 – CD – 38:40 – ****1/2
(Tal Mashiach – guitars, bass, percussion; Ofri Nehemya – drums; Gadi Lehavi – piano, organ, keyboards; Panagiotis Andreou – bass, vocals (#5); Anat Cohen – clarinet (#2, #5); Maya Belsitzman – cello; Itamar Borochov – trumpet (#3); Konstantinos Revelas – bouzouki (#4, #5); Vagelis Karipis – percussion; Victor Pablo – percussion; Yonathan Peled – trombone (#6, #9); Itai Kriss – flute (#6. #9); Khondzi – saxophone, vocals (#7); Elibo Imerlishvili – doli (#7); Benjamin Furman – piano (#8); Gabriel Chakarji – piano, keyboards (#9); Dana Herz – vocals (#9.#10) )
Who’s Around? is an apt title for Israeli guitarist/bassist, Tal Mashiach’s second release for Anzic Records. The sixteen musicians on his CD are a true United Nations melting pot. They hail from all over the world, including Europe, South America, Puerto Rico, and the republic of Georgia. In step with this diverse aggregation, Tal has come up with ten tracks that cover multiple musical genres, including Brazilian samba, Spanish flamenco influences, classical motifs, and swinging jazz. It’s all here, and those with “open ears” will find lots to like.
There is Tal’s deft guitar, and the bonus of virtuoso clarinetist, Anat Cohen, (Tal is a member of her touring band, Quartetinho), on the opener, “Titu.”
Anat returns on “Creta,” which is a whirlwind, with Greek vocals from Panagiotis Andreou, and bouzouki by Konstantinos Revelas.
“Pinto” is a fully fleshed out arrangement with trombone, flute, piano, and percussion, that swings hard and is heavily jazz influenced. “Ajaruli” features Khondzi on sax, and Georgian vocals, driven hard by the doli (Georgian drum) of Elibo Imerlishvili.
My favorite track might be “Lama Ken, Lama Lo,” (Hebrew for “Why Yes, Why No”). Its combo of trombone, flute, a bit of acid electric guitar, and keyboards and organ, is intriguing with many mood changes, from Brazilian samba to a funky ending. The CD ends with cello, guitar, and wordless vocals from Tal’s wife, Dana Herz, on “Duo.”.
Tal Mashiach has lots of talented friends from all corners of the world, now taking a bite out of The Big Apple. You get to meet them here, as they bring to life Tal’s creative vision, on Who’s Around? It’s a journey well worth taking…
—Review by Jeff Krow
Tal Mashiach – Who’s Around
Tracklist:
Intro Titu
Titu
Paco
Intro Creta
Creta
Pinto
Ajaruli
Baiao Mediterraneo
Lam Ken Lama Lo
Duo
