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Oded Tzur: Here Be Dragons
ByThat's just part of what you'll gather from Israeli born/New York biding saxophonist

Oded Tzur
saxophone, tenor
Nitai Hershkovits
piano
Petros Klampanis
bass, acousticb.1981

Johnathan Blake
drumsNo, it's because there's a sense of passage here; a purpose to get through the journey no matter the mountain range or sea. You hear it from the start, as Tzur's yearning, elegant opening statement evolves into a quixotically designed journey of team spirit: each instrument and player arriving at the right moment. Given blessings from bansuri (sideblown bamboo flute) master Hariprasad Chaurasia, Tzur faithfully rides the updrafts on the dusky imaginings "To Hold Your Hand" and "20 Years." As dusk settles, a sense a righteous, day's end gratitude carries "Years" as it unwinds with a quiet sweep: Blake's whispering, Hershkovits's lullaby, and Klampanis's uncanny ability to make our awareness an intrinsic component of his bass line, all revealing the leader's depth of empathy and folklore.
Like the three miniatures that precede it (featuring Hershkovits, Klampanis, and Tzur, in that order), the fully engaged "The Dream" wields a force all it's own, and accents Tzur's compositional approach that all group discussion include juxtaposing and desire to wonder Hershkovits (taking over from

Shai Maestro
pianob.1987
Track Listing
Here Be Dragons; To Hold Your Hand; 20 Years; Miniature 1; Miniature 2; Miniature 3; The Dream; Can't Help Falling In Love.
Personnel
Oded Tzur
saxophone, tenorOded Tzur: tenor saxophone; Nitai Hershkovits: piano; Petros Klampanis: double bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.
Album information
Title: Here Be Dragons | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: ECM Records
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