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, available today, April 28, 2015, on Anzic
Records . 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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