Sahar
Enja, 2022
8/10
The bass wizard Or Bareket pens a very interesting and atypical jazz affair here, where Morgan Guerin (tenor sax, EWI, organ), Jeremy Corren (piano, Fender Rhodes), Savannah Harris (drums, percussion) and Joel Ross (auxillary percussion, co-arranger, producer) help the listen radiate flawlessly.
“Root System” opens the listen with playful percussion and meticulous bass plucking, as a very welcoming spirit flows amid the creativity, and “Soil” follows with firm keys and crisp drumming to complement the strategic bass and buzzing climate.
Halfway through, “Temperance” finds an intimate place to reside with its poetic demeanor and soulful sax, while “Kapara”, the album’s best, meshes keys, drums, bass and percussion in the adventurous jazz foundation.
“Sundial” and “Sahar” exit the listen, where the former offers a bright and lush display of brass and bass working together in a dynamic setting, and the latter finishes in a dreamy haze of textured warmth.
It’s no surprise that Bareket is the first call bassist for Leon Parker, Joel Ross, Ari Hoenig and many others, cause his artistry and strong attention to detail is quite impressive across these harmonic, melodic and worldly 10 tracks.
Travels well with: Matthew Muñeses- Noli Me Tángere; Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead- Poetic