Composer-arranger-producer
Oded Lev-Ari has crafted acclaimed albums by the likes of hit band 3 Cohens,
clarinet icon Anat Cohen and woodwind sage Marty Ehrlich, as well as
rising-star singers Amy Cervini, Melissa Stylianou and vocal trio Duchess. Now
the Tel Aviv-born, New York-based Lev-Ari steps out with the first recording
under his own name: Threading, to be released by Anzic Records on April 28,
2015.
The album presents six inspired Lev-Ari compositions - instrumental and
vocal - performed by an all-star 11-piece New York band that includes Anat
Cohen and the ace Matt Wilson on drums, as well as guest vocalists Alan Hampton
and Jo Lawry. Along with Lev-Ari's own pieces, the disc includes his artful
instrumental and vocal arrangements of songwriter Gordon Jenkins' classic
"Goodbye." The chamber-jazz sound of Threading - which features not
only winds, trumpet and a textured rhythm section but also three cellos - hints
at varied sonic worlds, from jazz sound painters Gil Evans and Maria Schneider
to tango nuevo king Astor Piazzolla and contemporary classical composers.
Ultimately, though, Lev-Ari has his own, individual soundprint, one of
cinematic richness and open-hearted lyricism.
Lev-Ari,
a student of the great composer-arranger Bob Brookmeyer, says what he
appreciated most about his teacher was his intrepid musical sensibility.
"I love Bob's music, even if mine doesn't really sound anything like
his," Lev-Ari says. "He was such an inspiring figure, particularly
how courageous he was in the kind of music he let himself make. He was a keen
admirer of contemporary classical, and he let that into his work, unafraid to
incorporate new sounds into the big-band palette. That sort of open mind and
ear is something to aspire to."
With
Threading, "space and personality" were bywords in the studio for
Lev-Ari and his engineering partner, James Farber. "James and I had worked
before on several albums together, and he really knows the studio we used, Sear
Sound in Manhattan," Lev-Ari explains. "We're on the same page in
terms of quality of sound, with space around the instruments being key. We also
share a production credo, in that it's not about perfection - it's about
expression, telling a story in music. The goal is capturing the essence of the
music, especially in those moments where it builds organically to an emotional
impact. We had a band of amazing musicians, who naturally invest personality
into everything they play - and that's what makes music come alive, off the page
and into the air."
The
title track of Threading opens the album with irresistible shades of Piazzolla
in the writing for strings and piano; then there's Anat Cohen's dynamic
clarinet, her solo building to a peak as it traces lines with Nadje Noorduis's
trumpet. There are indigo echoes of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments"
in "Lost and Found," with cool-toned solos from Will Vinson's alto
sax and Brian Landrus's baritone. "Voices," incorporating a titular
and textural homage to contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks, resonates
with a dark lyricism, the collective soloing in its middle section a priceless
instance of session spontaneity; the bridge of the piece, with the composer
voicing a minimalist melody on piano as winds trace arabesques above, is one of
the album's most ravishing passages. There's more Vasks-esque writing for the
three cellos in "Black Crow," as well as an evocation of Oded's
Israeli roots. Lev-Ari's kindred-spirit connection with Anat Cohen - they have
been friends and collaborators since high school in Tel Aviv - is mirrored in
her Eastern European-tinged lines. "Black Crow" also features a
characteristically musical drum solo by Matt Wilson.
"E
and A," the title referencing the first initials of Lev-Ari's two children
(with singer Amy Cervini), brims with pastoral loveliness, as well as a mix of
Old World and New World influences. A melody-rich highlight of Threading comes
with "The Dance," a vocal piece for which Lev-Ari wrote both music
and lyrics; the gorgeous vocal combination of Alan Hampton (a collaborator with
Gretchen Parlato, among others) and Jo Lawry (Sting's go-to backing singer)
sees their voices twining around each other to tell an emotional story. Then
there are the two versions of "Goodbye," the Gordon Jenkins song made
famous by Frank Sinatra on his LP Only the Lonely. Cohen's clarinet takes a
vocal role in the instrumental, after a limpid introduction by guitarist Gilad
Hekselman. And if Lev-Ari's subtle arrangement is both earthier and airier than
the vintage treatment Nelson Riddle made for Sinatra, Hampton's singing is less
theatrical, more conversational. Lev-Ari says: "It's an intimate piece of
music that I love, and Alan has this quality to his voice that makes it seem as
if he were singing just to you, revealing something very personal."
Even
with such moments of magic, Lev-Ari called the album Threading to evoke the
sense of craftsmanship that goes into making music. "A work of art really
is a magical thing, and people don't always want to know how the trick is
done," he explains. "But writing, arranging and recording can be
exacting, almost physical work, like sewing or weaving. That's something that
always comes to mind when I'm writing, particularly for a larger ensemble. I
wanted to hint at the tradesman-like craft of the work, those aspects of
loving, hard-won detail that you hope add up to something beautiful."
Oded
Lev-Ari: Threading
1.
"Threading"
2. "Lost and Found"
3. "Goodbye"
(vocal version)
4. "Voices"
5. "Black Crow"
6. "E and
A"
7. "The Dance" 8. "Goodbye" (instrumental version)
All
compositions by Oded Lev-Ari, except for "Goodbye" (by Gordon
Jenkins)
Anat
Cohen: clarinet; Will Vinson: alto & soprano saxophone; Brian Landrus:
baritone saxophone & bass clarinet; Nadje Noordhuis: trumpet & flugelhorn;
Alex Waterman, Yoed Nir & Noah Hoffeld: cello; Oded Lev-Ari: piano; Gilad
Hekselman: guitar; Joe Martin: double-bass; Matt Wilson: drums; Alan Hampton:
voice (3, 7); Jo Lawry: voice (7)
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