Thursday, March 31, 2011

CD Review: Nadav Remez from Israel




So Far





Israeli-born, Boston-based Nadav Remez is a talented guitarist that finds perfection in the jazzy classics of a Depression-era lounge club. The opener, "So Far," is a two-and-a-half minute instrumental piece with all the smooth jazz fixings. The instrumental repertoire consists of alto sax, clarinet, tenor sax, trumpet, piano, rhodes, organ, bass, and drums. "Pinchas" is an eight-and-a-half minute song with smooth jazz leanings and breezy percussion leading the set. Nine tracks run about an hour in length. Only one song, "Lecha Dodi," was not written or arranged by Nadav Remez. "From Above" is a swayback to the past with nostalgic percussion and horns. Think of the big band era meeting smooth jazz somewhere in a hip New York jazz club today. So Far does not contain any vocal songs or noticeable Klezmer influences. The quieter "Susu" is an ideal end to the album with subtle guitar nuances and little in the way of additional instrumentation. All in all, So Far so good...very good! ~ Matthew Forss

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