The musical flow of this powerful and harmonious trio is exemplary. Shai Maestro, Jorge Roeder and Ziv Ravitz are back with a new work, and it is as intimate as ever. They push the boundaries of deep and mature jazz, but are not afraid to integrate adjacent styles into their album. They combine elegant electronic sprinklings and the inclusion of vocals to create their own unique universe.
Since Shai Maestro's trio debut in 2011, his musical path has been closely linked to the search for a holistic, full human existence. He is supported in this by a friendly collaboration with Jorge Roeder (bass) and Ziv Ravitz (drums). The musical identity of the trio, which has been formed over the past six years, has given it a special status in the international jazz scene.
Their shared story can be heard on The Stone Skipper. The trio's fourth album is structured like a narrative that unfolds through and is based on a central musical structure. The theme runs through the entire album and thus represents a characteristic narrative that connects the individual pieces of the album. "This album is by far the most personal we have made so far. We are not trying to be virtuosos on our instruments, but rather to serve the story itself."
The new work is both the creation and the story of people who surpass themselves and their limits in their own way. "I like the concept of stone skipping, or 'skipping stones' on a calm water surface. It is a way of defying nature. The stone defies its inevitable fate of obeying gravity for a while. The stone grows beyond itself, in a way."
In musical terms, this crossing of boundaries also meant that the Shai Maestro Trio integrated four voices that were as emotional as they were fascinating into their new album: Grammy Award nominees Gretchen Parlato and Theo Bleckmann, as well as Neli and Kalina Andreeva. As a soloist with the Bulgarian National Orchestra, Neli is an absolute icon in the world of polyphonic
singing. The vocal interventions are like breaths, like articulations that never completely take over the musical narrative.
This exercise led Shai Maestro to write lyrics for the track "The One You Seek Is You" for the first time. He got help from Jo Lawry, a member of Sting's band. The trio also enriches the album with the harmonious combination of acoustic and electronic instruments. "In my opinion, this can quickly become a trap, it very quickly seems forced. Our aim was therefore to try to use electronic instruments as a means of supporting the purest form of musical expression: composition."
The album was recorded in the heart of rural Sweden in Nilento and echoes great albums by Avishai Cohen and Youn Sun Nah (“Gently Disturbed” and “Lento”), which were also recorded there.
Shai Maestro is a true artist on the piano and impresses with his own expressiveness. He strolls through The Stone Skipper as if through his own little kingdom. He gives himself over to both the exuberant energy and trance-like meditations - without ever overdoing it. At his side, Jorge Roeder and Ziv Ravitz prove how perfectly the three musicians have found each other in some of the most intense moments on the record ("Water Colors", "From One Soul to Another", "Spirit"...). - jazz-fun.de
A concert by Shai Maestro is always an unforgettable experience! At the age of nineteen, Shai Maestro began his career with Avishai Cohen as an accompanist. After a few years performing all around the world, the time for independence came in 2011. Brought up on traditional music, classical and jazz, Shai Maestro polished his pianistic style and his skills as a composer. He also chose the best sidemen: Ziv Ravitz on drums (Lee Konitz, Esperanza Splading...) and Jorge Roeder on the double bass (Roy Haynes, Gary Burton, Julian Lage...). The trio is mesmerizing on record, magical on stage. In concert or in the recording studio, a mysterious sacred fire sets the piano ablaze. Nothing faked or contrived here, Shai Maestro's trio goes straight to the point. Their exceptional presence, at time minimalistic, or dissonant and exuberant, touches and immediately wins over the audience. - mezzo.tv
Con The Stone Skipper, que se lanzó hoy (11 de Noviembre de 2016), ¡Shai Maestro y sus cómplices Jorge Roeder y Ziv Ravitz firman una pura maravilla! Jugando con las fronteras de lo que comúnmente se llama jazz, el trío del pianista israelí ya no duda en aventurarse en otros territorios, casándose con elegantes teclados electrónicas y la aparición de voces en ósmosis con su universo único. Desde su debut en trío en 2011, la trayectoria musical de este «maestro» llamado acertadamente, parece acompañar la búsqueda de una humanidad plena y completa. Grabado en Nilento en medio del campo sueco, The Stone Skipper, el cuarto álbum de un trío más unido que nunca, está construido como una historia que se desarrolla y se basa en un motivo musical central, el hilo conductor común de una impresionante unidad bíblica que conecta las piezas. «Este álbum es, con mucho, el más personal que hemos hecho. No intentamos tocar virtuosos en nuestros instrumentos, sino ponernos al servicio de esta historia lo mejor posible». Un disco que acoge cuatro voces habitadas y cautivadoras. Las de Gretchen Parlato, Theo Bleckmann , Neli y Kalina Andreeva, como cuatro respiraciones que nunca tienen prioridad sobre la narrativa musical que mezcla instrumentos acústicos y electrónicos. A la llegada, con The Stone Skipper, Shai Maestro y sus cómplices acaban de cruzar un nuevo rumbo, indudablemente humano, ciertamente artístico. presoventanilla.worldpress.com / qobuz.com/fr-fr/magazine
Tracks
01. A Man, Morning, Street, Rain
02. Without Words
03. From One Soul To Another
04. Pearl
05. Stop Motion
06. Kunda Kuchka
07. The Stone Skipper
08. Mirrors
09. The Message
10. Spirit (For Anat)
11. It's Your Blessing And Your Curse
12. Water Colors
13. Rain, Morning, A Man, Street
14. The One You Seek Is You
15. Epilogue
SHAI MAESTRO piano, keyboards, percussion
JORGE ROEDER double bass, effects
ZIV RAVITZ drums, effects
GRETCHEN PARLATO voice (2, 14)
KALINA ANDREEVA voice (6)
MIKA RAVITZ voice (9)
NELI ANDREEVA voice (6)
THEO BLECKMANN voice (6)
Recorded December 6, 2016 at Studio 104, Maison de Radio, France
Sound Surveyor Music – SSM1116 (France)