Just months after Make a Sound, the first full album on his new label, Sky River Music, saxophonist Oded Tzur returns with a confident, exhilarating set of compositions. In the Arms of a True Believer reunites him with past collaborators Petros Klampanis (bass), Nitai Hershkovits (piano), and Cyrano Almeida (drums), and adds two new voices: Anais Benoit on piccolo and Corentin Morvan on euphonium. The pair brings a sprightly, intricate melodicism to the music. Longtime followers will notice this evolution right away and will likely adore it, while newcomers will find one of his most successful albums in an already rich catalogue. The cover shows a parent and young child in a close embrace, and the music matches: a heartfelt, widescreen vision of jazz, full of…
Tag Archive: Oded Tzur
Make a Sound marks the first full release from saxophonist and composer Oded Tzúr‘s fledgling label, Sky River Music. After a pair of fiery albums for Enja Records and a string of esteemed releases on ECM Records, Tzúr sets out in a new direction with a set of tracks channeling deeply personal expression through his Indian-influenced jazz. He is accompanied on this journey by an experienced group of collaborators: Joe Martin (bass), Nasheet Waits (drums), Vanraj Shastri (sarangi), and Gilad Hekselman (guitar). Guitar and sarangi bring entirely new shades into Tzur’s growing canvas of expression, creating an album that has the pastoral ambiance of Americana and the simmering fervor of Indian classical music.
The album does not often bounce like his…