Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Shauli Einav: A Truth About Me

Shauli Einav: A Truth About Me

By Dave Wayne
November 15, 2014
View read count

A quick glance at the song titles on

Shauli Einav

saxophone
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Shauli Einav's third album A Truth About Me reveals a narrative thread concerning restlessness and movement. Song titles such as "Embarcad��re," "The Traveler," "Nomads," and "Le Musketeer" suggest that Einav's musical inspirations are tied to journeys; both his own and others.' Listening to A Truth About Me, with its relentless, forward-leaning rhythmic drive (courtesy of the dynamic Paris-based rhythm tandem of

Louis Moutin

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Moutin and Florent Nisse), reinforces this impression. And it's no surprise, considering the Israeli-born saxophonist has moved from Tel Aviv to Rochester, NY (where he attended The Eastman School of Music), to New York City, and now to Paris, all in the space of a few years. Einav's an adventure-seeker whose music literally bursts with energy and inventiveness. For example, the spinning carousel of 12-bar solos on "Circa 1988" imparts a feeling of frenzied, near-constant activity, as do the seemingly endless variations of the tune's melodic motives.

Einav's compositions, like those of

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland and

Henri Texier

bass
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Henri Texier, are busy and multi-layered, yet tuneful; sunnily energetic and swinging yet replete with sly rhythmic and harmonic changes that subtly hint at darker moods. It's a diverse lot as well, with allusions to folk, classical, funk and free-bop. "Circa 1988" blends math-y energy and ethnic nuances resulting in a hybrid sound that could be described as Israeli acoustic jazz-rock. "The Traveler" is a hard-charging straight-ahead bop tune with lots of harmonic motion and a turnaround in three-four; soloists

Andy Hunter

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Hunter and

Paul Delay

b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Delay clearly have fun with the changes. Moutin and Nisse lay down some mean funk on "Le Musketeer," and negotiate the tricky head and ensuing rhythmic modulations with jaw-dropping artistry.

The album's longest piece, "Nomads" starts off with what sounds like a particularly devilish saxophone exercise, but quickly develops into a (mostly) minor-key multi-sectioned piece that alternates between a medium tempo syncopated post-Coltrane 6/8 feel and an almost classical-sounding horn chorale taken at a somewhat slower tempo. It's really lovely, and Einav's impassioned solo is riveting. Antonin Tri Hoang's flowing bass clarinet augments the ensemble on "One for Alex," an almost meditative piece that revels in off-kilter harmonies. Einav's tender soprano solo shows a different side of his musical personality.

As he's proved on his previous releases Opus One (Plus Loin, 2010) and Generations (Posi-Tone, 2012), Shauli Einav is a remarkably complete musician, a virtuosic soloist with a lush sound on both soprano and tenor whose compositions are daring and deep.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Embarcad��re; Circa 1988; Copenhague; The Traveler; Nomads; Eleven Fifty Two; One for Alex; Le Musketeer; Ultramarine; A Truth About Me.

Personnel

Shauli Einav

saxophone

Shauli Einav: soprano and tenor saxophones; Andy Hunter: trombone; Antonin Tri Hoang: alto saxophone and bass clarinet; Paul Lay: piano; Florent Nisse: bass; Louis Moutin: drums.

Album information

Title: A Truth About Me | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Cristal Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Tudo
< Previous

Imber, Wiltshire
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.