Take it or Leave it
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THE TIMES FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 1999
Jazz Albums
New life in the reed
Gilad Atzmon Trio
Take It Or Leave It...
(face Jazz FJCD1)
Since settling in London in the mid -1990s, the Israeli born reedsman Gilad
Atzmon has established himself as a passionately ebullient improviser, as at
home with the quicksilver intricacies of bebop as the compressed energy of rock
and funk. Here, on his debut CD as leader, he spearheads a muscular but supple
trio completed by the alternately whirring and singing bass of Val Manix and
the tumbling drums of Sam Anstice Brown - in an intelligently varied program
of standards (My Funny Valentine, These Foolish Things, Our Love is Here to
Stay) and powerful, scurrying originals.
Atzmon's alto playing all the scalding intensity of, say, Jackie Mclean or Kenny
Garret, but his clarinet playing is utterly distinctive, its adaptability enables
Atzmon not so much to reinterpret as entirely to reconstruct the standards upon
which is it employed.
Chris Parker
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Time Out
30 June-7 July
GROOVES
'Recent Jazz Releases' John Lewis
Gilad Atzmon Trio
'Take it Or Leave It' Face Jazz
This Israeli multi-reedist has been ripping up the standard around London for a while with a marvelous quicksilver tone and garrulous improvisator style reminiscent of Roland Kirk.
This pianoless trio gives him plenty of room and Gilad exploits it to the full - wrenching every last Ounce of melody from the most hackneyed standards.
A real gem.
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AVANT MAGAZINE, June 99
GILAD ATZMON TRIO: Take it or leave it! (Face Jazz)
On hearing the opening track, 'Winnie The Pooh', an Atzmon original composition, with its a funky, bass heavy riff, I feared that this was going to be a run-of-the-mill fusion workout,worthy but dull. I need not have worried. As soon as Gilad Atzmon comes in on alto sax, it is obvious that this is nothing of the sort. He lifts it above the ordinary. His phrasing is individual, he has a distinctive tone, and he constructs solos that are flowing and full of variety. There is never a dull moment when he is playing. His trio is completed by Val Manix on Acoustic Bass and Sam Anstice Brown on Drums, and they supply ample support.
Material is mainly standards such as 'My Funny Valentine', 'These Foolish Things' and 'In A Sentimental Mood'. Atzmon brings a refreshingly novel approach to such pieces. He never goes for the obvious approach, and often the melody is implicit rather than being stated as the 'head'. He plays clarinet as well as alto sax, to equal effect. If Atzmon has a weakness, it is his original compositions. Besides the opener, he contributes two of the eleven tracks. None of them is memorable. On one, the title track, his playing is excellent, but again the bass is too far too busy and acts as a distraction.
Overall, this is an album where the strengths heavily outweigh the weakness. Take it or leave it? No question. Take it.
(John Eyles)
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Jazz Express
Jazz CD Reviews by Tony Hall
GILAD ATZMON TRIO
'Take It Or Leave It'
For almost forty years now, Peter King has been virtually unchallenged in his world class. British Parker-influenced alto department. But now comes Israeli-born Gilad Atzmon, who really blows up a storm on his impressive debut release. It's a spontaneous, emotion charged, contemporary outing with totally empathetic support from bassist Val Manix and drummer Sam Brown. On clarinet, Atzmon's approach is totally different: laid-back,lyrical and quirky. Catch them if you can.
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JAZZWISE
News
Gilad Atzmon Trio
Take it or leave it (Face Jazz)
The Israeli-born Saxist has been based in this country some three years, building a reputation for post-bop that's particularly energetic and exciting (what used to be called "hot"). It's a nice surprise to find someone specialising in the alto without hankering for either tenor or soprano - his change of pace is a pleasantly acidic clarinet on a few numbers - and capable of holding the attention with only the bass and drums of Val Manix and Sam Brown. A good mix of standards and jazz standards (such as "Doxy"), leavened with three originals of more Ornette-ish hue, adds up to a very promising debut.
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The Guardian Friday April 19 1999
THIS WEEK'S JAZZ CD RELEASES
Gilad Atzmon
Take It Or Leave It
This is exhilarating proof that there's still plenty of inspiration to be found in the playing of orthodox bebop with the right imagination at work on it. Atzmon is the Israeli saxophone and clarinet virtuoso who has made such a powerful impression on the British scene in recent months and who, with a single-mindness that appears to be constitutional, has set up his own label - Face Records - as well. Atzmon hooks an exuberant drive and intensity to his work that both ignites his own personal mannerism and enriches those devises he has adapted from the American sax heroes of the tradition - and he adds a spine-tingling free wailing at times that's all the more effective for appearing in an idiom it rarely visits. He plays alto and clarinet throughout this delightful session (with a trio mostly featuring standards) and his account of My Funny Valentine on clarinet is a measure both of his rich and affecting lyricism and his masterful control of tone.
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JAZZ JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
JUNE 1999 VOL 52 NO 6
GILAD ATZMON TRIO TAKE IT OR LEAVE
Winnie The Pooh; Ascendant; My Funny Valentine; These Foolish Things; Take It
Or Leave It; My Romance; Doxy; Our Love Is Here to Stay; Skylark; 97/98; In
a Sentimental Mood (59.00)
Gilad Atzmon (alto sax, clarinet) Val Manix (bass); Sam Anstice Brown (drums) (Face Jazz CDFJ 001)
The Atzmon trio plays in a melodic, bouncy fashion and the three musicians interact very well together. Winnie The Pooh and Ascendant have the free flowing lyric sweep of the early Ornette Coleman quartets although these pieces are rather more convential in overall design. There is more of an abstract feel to the leader's clarinet lines in My Funny Valentine where reference to the theme occurs infrequently and free wheeling improvisation is the main feature. Two selections were written by Atzmon but the bulk of the programme consists of well known standards where the trio can fashion their own unique interpretations. Atzmon's alto sound is bright and robust with a style that hovers somewhere between hard bop and free. The title track shows that the leader has adapted Ornette's method of creating attractive melodies within the course of improvising on a sparse theme. My Romance is given a slightly more convential treatment with Atzmon's burnished clarinet sounding thick and woody. Although steeped in the tradition of bop and early free jazz methods, this music has a certain freshness of approach with Atzmon and his skilled rhythm players working towards a style of their own. This version of Doxy is certainly a far cry from Rollins's basic blues and shows just how well the trio is integrated and the way they stimulate each other constantly. The group is currently attracting rave reviews on the London jazz club circuit. An interesting and often surprising jazz programme, well worth a listen.
Derek Ansell
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THE JAZZ RAG Issue 56 May/June 1999 GILAD ATZMON TRIO
Take It Or Leave It Face Jazz (59:14)
Atzmon is an Israeli alto and clarinet man who has been making waves on the
London scene for a while. I've yet to hear him live and can't tell you much
about his angle on the album for it has no notes as such. From the accompanying
press release, it's clear that Atzmon also has a background in Klezmer music
and acid jazz. Happily, those facets of his talent go unrepresented here. Instead,
it's his straight-ahead bebop side that's on view and all the better for that.
Usually heard with a quartet apparently, Atzmon has narrowed things down to
just bass and drums for support on this self-produced CD. His opening original,
Winnie the Pooh, is fast-moving line, a springboard for some very fleet alto
indeed, over Val Mannixís pumping bass and the clattery drums of Sam
Anstce Brown. The alto approach is post-Bird but comfortably so, not as effusive
say, as Peter King, but with plenty of improvisatory resource. I'm also impressed
by the bassist on Ascendant, where he provides a fine cushion for some impassioned
alto. Thereís validity here, and a sense of exuberance that's very fetching
indeed. Atzmonís clarinet is also pretty special, ethereal and beautifully
controlled on a stunning version of My Funny Valentine, the variations taken
mostly sotto voce with a near-classical sense of form. It's back to alto for
These Foolish Things at a sensible ballad tempo, the tone a touch more fervent
a la Jackie McClean, brushes pattering along. While standards predominate, Atzmon's
originals stand examination, too, and I can report some unexpected pleasures
here for those who like their bebop with a contemporary edge. And, no, I don't
mean funk or fusion. Recommended.
Peter Vache
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CLARINET AND SAXOPHONE
Autumn 1998 Volume 23 no.3
TAKE It Or Leave It (Face Jazz)
There is something to be admired in performing with this line-up of musicians.
The challenge for single-voice jazz players, unsupported by piano or a chord-playing
instrument, can be a daunting one. Unless, that is, each member of the ensemble
is a first class player with full control of the instrument, and a sensitivity
to the context. This group scored on all counts. Gilad's alto saxophone style
is eclectic, but with noticeable homage to Michael Brecker. He has a good sound
and a solid technique, and makes full use of the entire range of the instrument.
His clarinet style, also eclectic, is reminiscent of Eddie Daniels, and with
more than a hint of Klezmer, betraying his Israeli origins. Gilad came to the
UK in 1996, as reported on page 44 of the last issue of the magazine, and has
been making steady progress on the British jazz scene since then. Throughout
the album, effective use is made of contrast and variety, and each member of
the group is fully utilised and given plenty of solo opportunities to demonstrate
their skill. For my taste, the balance of new material to standards is just
about right. Of the eleven tracks, six consist of improvisations on well known
standard songs, three are original compositions by Gilad, and the remaining
two are classics from the established jazz repertory. Interestingly, the longest
pieces are those using standards, particularly the ballads, which Gilad plays
convincingly and with great beauty. I found the treatment of standards interesting
in the different approach and paraphrasing of the statement of the themes. By
far the best track on the album, in my opinion, is Hoagie Carmichael's Skylark,
which is played sensitively. Other standard selections receiving Gilad's special
treatment are My Funny Valentine, These Foolish Things, My Romance, Our Love
is Here to Stay and In a Sentimental Mood. The three original compositions,
Winnie The Pooh, Take It Or Leave It and 97/98, and his treatment of the two
jazz standards, Ascendant and Doxy, show that Gilad has a clear understanding
of his genre. He writes very well for this combination, introducing variety,
dynamic and contrast into the pieces. His original themes, while angular in
construction, are strong, and original. His personal treatment of the Sony Rollins
jazz standard, Doxy, is certainly different and features a Coltrane/Elvin Jones-type
duet passage. It works very well. Whenit comes to taking the solos, he is free-booting
and straight ahead, at least by todayís somewhat quirky, patterned standards.
A nicely balanced selection, with interesting new material and sensitive interpretations
of well-know standards. The CD is well recorded, represents good value, with
an hour of swinging music, and the only criticism I have is the lack of liner
notes. All in all, a performance of great conviction and well worth a listen.
Tony Denton
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MUSICIAN
The Journal of the Musicians Union June 1999
Take It Or Leave It, Gilad Atzmon Trio (Face Jazz)
During the course of the 1998 Birmingham Jazz Festival I had the pleasure of
playing with a man who proved to be a revelation. I've raved about him ever
since; the musician in question being Gilad Atzmon, a multi-reed man of enormous
talent. We played two gigs on the same day, one of which brought the accolade
of most outstanding performance of the festival. Having worked with him since,
my first impression remains undiminished. Indeed, I find it incredible that
he is not yet recognised as the important international talent that he undoubtedly
is. Perhaps this situation may be rectified by the release of Gilad's first
CD, which features his passionate virtuoso alto and beautifully pure classically
toned clarinet playing. The choice of tunes is interesting a mixture of Gilad's
own high energy compositions like Winnie the Pooh and Take It Or Leave It and
his highly individual interpretations of standards like Ridgers and Harts My
Romance and Gershwin's Our Love Is Here to Stay. Overall, a very successful
first CD, hopefully the first of many.
Tony Richards