Erlebnisse
Self-Released, 2021
9/10
A solo piano record from the Toronto resident Noam Lemish, Erlebnisse brings an improvisational spirit to jazz, western art music, Eastern European Jewish music and Israeli popular song across 16 tracks of spontaneous skill.
“Erlebnis 1” starts the listen and offers intimate, elegant progressions that flow with both beauty and mystery, and this sophistication continues to the hypnotic melody of “Erlebnis 2”, as well as the lower register of the absorbing “Erlebnis 3”.
Deeper selections include the initially sparse but then agile “Erlebnis 6”, while “Erlebnis 8” both rumbles with an ominous quality but also embraces a minimalist spirit at times. “Erlebnis 10”, one of the record’s best, doesn’t last long but amazes us with its unpredictable and charming, even quirky manipulation of the keys.
Further still, “Erlebnis 14” gets a bit dense with a thick landscape of creativity, and “Erlebnis 16” exits the listen with a complicated and dizzying display of profound and imaginative playing that puts a firm exclamation point on the captivating listen.
A record that’s as diverse as Lemish’s heritage, Erlebnisse embraces jazz, classical and chamber ideas, and much like the title states (Erlebnisse is German for ‘deeply felt experience’), this single take and real time affair is one that comes with a unique emotional experience that you’ll likely be taken with immediately.
Travels well with: Jazzlab Orchestra- LOGUSLABUSMUZIKUS; Philippe Côté With Marc Copland- Bell Tolls Variations