Dunes
Self-Released, 2024
8/10
The debut album from the drummer Tom Maor, the 7 tracks here embrace jazz, world music, post-rock and other idea that illustrate an exciting fusion appeal.
Ronen Shmueli’s intricate piano opens the listen, where the title track welcomes Assa Kook’s glowing trumpet amid Maor’s skilled drums, and “Mid-Lane Syndrome” follows with Oded Segev’s rich tenor sax and Michael Kalisky Schutz’s atmospheric guitar making for a dreamy climate.
In the middle, Éyal Hai’s well timed alto sax and expressive vocals from Rotem Bahar and Yuval Menashe help make “Joy” the album’s best, while “Hsipaw” radiates much beauty thanks to Ilay Shachal’s airy flute and Yonatan Voltzok’s strategic trombone.
The final track, “Honestly, No”, doesn’t disappoint either, where Ron Warburg’s glorious trumpet and Yaniv Bar’s clever bass suit Maor’s meticulous drumming.
A personal effort that was inspired by a life-changing trek through Asia, there’s a lot of heart and soul packed into these 7 well thought out tracks.
Travels well with: Avery Sharpe- I Am My Neighbors Keeper; Brent Birckhead- Cacao