One of
the most exciting young jazz performers on the New York scene, Rotem Sivan is
developing at a fascinating rate. Hot on the heels of Sivan's 2013 debut,
Enchanted Sun (SteepleChase), comes the guitarist's new album For Emotional Use
Only, featuring Haggai Cohen Milo on bass and Mark McLean on drums. This album
- to be released September 2, 2014 on Fresh Sound New Talent Records - sees
Sivan lead the trio in a set of beautifully textured and dynamic originals,
plus fresh, individual takes on two standards.
Sivan
recorded For Emotional Use Only in Brooklyn's Atlantic Sound Studios. Conducted
without headphones, with no separation between the players and with a gathering
of friends and followers as an audience, the session had a live, in-the-moment
atmosphere. The result, with no edits and an emphasis on rich interplay and
sheer allure of sound, is one of the more organic, engaging and involving
guitar trio albums you're likely to hear. A glimpse of the session can be seen
on Sivan's YouTube channel.
Born in
Jerusalem, Israel, Sivan moved to New York City in 2008 to study jazz at the
New School and pursue his dream of becoming part of the city's vibrant scene.
He has developed a glowing tone and quicksilver phrasing, as well as a
sophisticated sense of rhythm and an openhearted approach to melody. The
guitarist came up with the title For Emotional Use Only after a visit to
WDNA-FM in Miami. "I was flipping through the racks of CDs," the
guitarist recalls, "and I saw a sticker on one of them that said, 'For
Promotional Use Only,' misreading 'Promotional' as 'Emotional.' It struck me
immediately, and as I thought it over, I realized that I wanted use the seemingly
mistaken phrase for my album title as a way to convey my own relationship to
music. Ultimately, what leaves the most enduring impression is the music's
emotional effect."
For
Emotional Use Only begins with a hypnotic bass solo, "Intro to
Spirals," an unusual way to open an album led by a guitarist, yet an
utterly compelling one. "It felt right for the music - which is always the
choice I'll make," Sivan says. "There are many crossroads you come to
when performing music. The choices you make determine where the music is going
to go. Mark and Haggai make musical choices that I really appreciate - we
usually know where each other is heading, and if it is a surprise, it's a good
one."
Cohen
Milo's bass intro is followed by "Spirals," a dusky, catchy number with
a tricky rhythm of 31/16. The album's other originals include the dynamic
"Sefi's Blues," the Monk-like "Pass It On" and the
pensively beautiful "For Emotional Use Only," marked by a tolling
bass line and golden-hued lead playing by Sivan.
There
are also two tracks labeled "Blossom Interlude" interspersed on the
album before the record closes with the full-on "Blossom," the
ebullient material laced with subtle West
African accents, rhythmically, melodically and texturally - Sivan's
electric six-string sounds like a kora harp at some points and sounds like
Malian-style guitar at others. The album's two standards are Jobim's
lilting-yet-offbeat "Useless Landscape" and the rarely covered
"A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Disney's Cinderella.
Sivan
grew up digging into the legacies of guitarists from Wes Montgomery and Kenny
Burrell to John Scofield and Pat Metheny. But in more recent years, he has been
keenly influenced by pianists, from Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson
to Ahmad Jamal, Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau. "When I listen, study and
transcribe these days, it's most often from the piano," Sivan explains.
"I love the sound of the instrument and the counterpoint you can achieve
on the keyboard. I adapt piano exercises for the guitar, and piano trios have
been the most inspirational for me in terms of the way they interact."
The All
About Jazz review of Sivan's Enchanted Sun praised the debut album for its
"energy, intensity and creativity," all qualities that the guitarist
has amplified with his trio on For Emotional Use Only. He says: "In music,
being in the moment is the point - being fully conscious of the situation,
where the music is and where it's going. Even solos can be like dialogues with
the other players. The best jazz groups commune with each other."
Rotem
Sivan
Sivan is
a guitarist for the 21st century, with an international background and
border-defying interests. From an early age, he was influenced by a wide range
of genres, including Baroque music and classic rock, Indian classical and
Middle Eastern music. In New York City, Sivan quickly became an active player
and started collaborating with acclaimed musicians such as Peter Bernstein (see
this video of Sivan and Bernstein playing duet on "The Way You Look Tonight"),
Ari Hoenig, Colin Stranahan, Paul Bollenback and Ziv Ravitz. Sivan was a
prize-winner at the Montreux Jazz Festival and has performed at the Sonora Jazz
Festival in Mexico, the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland and numerous others.
The Rotem Sivan Trio performs regularly at well-known jazz venues such as
Birdland, Smalls, Le Poisson Rouge, the Bar Next Door, Fat Cat and more.
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