Sovlanut

From Jazziz
Saft's solo debut is a documentary of a Brooklyn where the young, hip, and electronic - whose inspiration is as much African as European - sidle up to deep, lively, and costumed Jewry.

The latest in Tzadik's Radical Jewish Culture series, Sovlanut ("tolerance") brings the range of Jewish musics to bear on forms du jour. Hassidic mysticism, Sephardic Arabian/Middle Eastern vibe, and klezmer's dancey clarinet (supplied by Chris Speed) preside over dub reggae, infused with processed Yiddish samples and Hammond-spiked drum'n'bass.

The opening tracks are strong and accessible, populated by vintage cantations, large-scale synth movements, guitar noodling, heavy bass (by Groove Collective's Jonathan Maron), and melodic improvs driven both by machine beats and the intricate, cymbal-drenched drumming of Jim Black and Chris Kelly. But when Saft indulges his penchant for the difficult, the sound collage degenerates into loud, abrasive bursts, and the album takes time to recover. Drawn-out fusion gets more dense and manic by the multi-metered minute as it veers toward Bitches Brew-ish funk, before ebbing down-tempo again for a jaunt into dubby Indian territory.

Saft's Downtown work and the essentially free-jazz Saft/Vu co-release Ragged Jack suggest the conservatory-studied keyboardist-cum-multi-instrumentalist is a jazz-rooted musician. But Saft is also a founding member of Prohibited Beatz, Nerve, and other beat-centric outfits. With such credentials in hand, Saft brings the future to his heritage.

Tracks:

Kasha Dub
Sovlanut
Mach/Hey
Midwood Cowboy
Tefachim
Fresser Dub

Customer Reviews:

Yes, yes, yes.......2001-02-26

Just wanted to lend my voice to the chorus of enthusiasm -- this is one of the finest of recent Tzadik releases and a helluvan album. Buy it (and check out my other reviews for more in-depth comments on varied Tzadik releases).

Not what I was expecting........2000-12-22

I was familiar with Saft's work in the jazz field so I was expecting a Blue Note-style organ-based workout even though I had seen the word 'dub' mentioned more than a few times in connection with this recording. It turns out that what I got was a lot better than what I was expecting. Chris Speed (clarinet), Jim Black (drums), Jason Maron (bass), and Saft himself turn in great performances; even more impressive given the the complicated nature of this multi-ethnic jazz-dub music. If you're a fan of Bill Laswell's multi-ethnic dub experiments you'll really like this CD.

One of the best albums I've heard in years!.......2000-07-29

I picked up Sovlanut on the advice of a friend of mine, not really knowing what to expect from the big picture of matzah on the cover. Man, was I impressed! This is an incredible disc, a combination of traditional music with the latest experimental styles. If you like contemporary improvised music, you will LOVE this. Saft manages to combine traditional Jewish, Arab, Indian music with drum 'n' bass and groove. I have some other albums on the Tzadik label, but this is by far the most avant-garde and exciting of them all. I definitely recommend it!

Simply amazing........2000-07-28

Jamie Saft and pals have somehow managed to meld rump-shakin' drum-and-bass, tripped-out dub reggae, and vintage samples of Haftarah chanters into a thundering, bass-heavy trip through contemporary Brooklyn. This is easily the most "radical" release in Tzadik's Radical Jewish Culture series--by deigning to mix Jewish music with of-the-moment urban grooves, Saft is really onto something here.

I hope there's some way of taking this ensemble on the road--I imagine it would be breathtaking live.

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