Night Manager
Dekatria, 2018
9/10
The esteemed guitarist and composer Strat Andriotis aligns himself with the jazz-fusion violinist Jerry Goodman and the pianists Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Adrean Farrugia for this very calculated version of gypsy jazz ideas.
“Song 21” opens the listen with agile guitar playing as adventurous keys from Rubalcaba add much to the warm, jazz filled climate, and “Secrets” continues the creativity with Farrugia’s key prowess complementing the graceful strings and mature guitar playing.
Halfway through, we’re graced with the fascinating guitar acrobatics from Andriotis amid much melody, while “Avid” blends the guitar and violin in sublime ways that are just so heartfelt but also quite playful.
Approaching the end, “The Arrival” allows Goodman’s violin to soar with much beauty alongside the soothing guitar progressions, and “I Hear A Rhapsody” exits the listen aglow in romantic, gorgeous jazz sensibilities that showcase Andriotis’ unparalleled guitar playing.
For fans of atypical forms of jazz, Andriotis’ meshing of modern, acoustic, instrumental and very atypical jazz sounds make for an absorbing instrumental affair that you can’t listen to just once.
Travels well with: Ari Lehtela- The Year The Earth Stood Still; Matt Smith- Being Human