Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Tel Aviv White Night Festival 2014
Tel Aviv White Night Festival 2014
Enav Canter
Tel Aviv, Israel
February 6-7, 2014
The program of the 10th anniversary of Tel Aviv White Night Festival, for contemporary and improvised music, was more modest and focused this year than in previous years, but remained faithful to its vision—introducing innovative and forward-thinking musicians from the local scene and abroad.
The all night festival was opened by a new outfit, headed by the forefather of free jazz and improvised music in Israel, clarinetist
Harold Rubin
clarinetb.1932
Ido Bukelman
guitarThe quartet featured a delicate negotiation between the associative and poetic playing of Rubin and the young trio's muscular, dense playing. Rubin did not initially fit with their powerful, restless interplay and found himself ornamenting their outbursts with inventive ideas or references to jazz legacy, including a quote from "Over the Rainbow." Patiently, Rubin managed to harness the trio into more contemplative, dynamic and collaborative interplay. Then the quartet began to show its great potential, enjoying Rubin's extensive experience in improvisation, realizing that often, fewer things played mean much more.
After a light-hearted interlude of Shakespearean songs by the charming soprano vocalist Amalia Ishak, baritone saxophonist Stephen Horenstein began his solo set. Horenstein has developed a remarkable command of his instrument, which enables him to produce layers of sounds—overtones that correspond with more conventional blows, percussive clicks, and inventions that create a detailed dialogue between higher, then deeper and darker registers. Horenstein's set was highly imaginative, often cerebral yet totally engaging and full of humor and surprises. He concluded his short set with a gentle and playful duet alongside Danish pianist Olga Magieres.
The " data-original-title="" title="">Spheres Duo—vibes player Zvi Joffe, the artistic director of the festival, and pianist Arnon Zimra, is an integral part of the White Night Festival throughout all its incarnations. The duo hosted violinist Isabela Ordnung and flutist Smadar Peleg for two contemporary compositions including the impressive "Dizzy Land," a reworking of a seminal Israeli folk song adopted by
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
Nina Simone
piano and vocals1933 - 2003
The highlight of this set came when the duo played alone, focusing on extended techniques—Zimra adding objects to the piano strings and using it as a futuristic percussive machine and Joffe sticking various mallets to the vibes. Their inventive sonic gestures were proected on a huge screen, intensifying the improvised experience and the telepathic interaction between Joffe and Zimra.
During the intermission, performance artist Doris Bloom appeared in the lobby of the Enav Center. Bloom, a Denmark resident born in South Africa, called her performance "I Phone you 2," backed by Danish alto saxophonist
Lotte Anker
saxophoneb.1958
The next set featured composer and percussionist
Lukas Ligeti
percussionb.1965
Wadada Leo Smith
trumpetb.1941
The festival concluded with the ad-hoc trio of Anker alternating on alto and soprano saxophones, Ligeti on drums and Danish electric bassist Peter Friis Nielsen in a spontaneous set that was the highlight of this festival.
Friis Nielsen is one of the best kept secrets of the European improvisational scene, even though he collaborates regularly with high-profile performers like Peter Br?tzmann, Louis Mohlo-Mohlo,
Mats Gustafsson
woodwindsb.1964
Ligeti expanded this concept with massive, poly-rhythmic drumming while Anker suggested a different perspective, avoiding a similar muscular manner to magnify the energetic flights Friis Nielsen and Ligeti. She wisely offered much more introspection and nuance, which colored the intense interplay with softer shades. Her inventive ideas included sticking a water bottle to the alto sax bell. The trio's highly personal approach melded organically into an inspiring and powerful demonstration of free improvisation, a beautiful close to a successful festival.
Photo credit
Eyal Hareuveni
Tags
Live Reviews
Eyal Hareuveni
Israel
Tel Aviv
Harold Rubin
Ido Bukelman
Spheres Duo
Dizzy Gillespie
Nina Simone
Lotte Anker
Lukas Ligeti
Wadada Leo Smith
Yo Miles!
Mats Gustafsson
Comments
PREVIOUS / 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.
Tel Aviv
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses
| More...
Buy Now
