Drummer
Daniel Freedman teams with two musical comrades, pianist
Jason Lindner and bassist
Omer Avital, and makes a strong debut as a leader. Aside from the traditional Moroccan piece "Alach Ya Ghazali" and their gospel-tinged reading of the classic
Joe Cocker vehicle "You Are So Beautiful," all the tunes are originals, with
Freedman penning five and
Lindner and
Avital each contributing two. Alto sax whiz
Myron Walden sits in on the rubato "Night Poem," while flutist Josh Levitt and percussionist Tomer Tzur add color to the Moroccan track. Otherwise, it's stripped-down trio interplay all the way. Highlights include the truly weird harmonic structure of
Lindner's "Montuno Picasso," the waltz/funk hybrid beast that is
Freedman's "Rise Up," and the two melodic
Avital gems that close the record, "Cypresses" and "Yes." The montuno piece, in particular, exemplifies the advanced take on Latin music shared by these players. ~ David R. Adler