JAZZ

Irish Times
Oct 08, 2004

Ray Comiskey

Latest cds reviewed

JAN GARBAREK
In Praise of Dreams
ECM

Garbarek’s first album in six years unites the great Norwegian
saxophonist with a remarkable Armenian-American violist, Kim
Kashkashian, and a fine African percussionist, Manu Katche, for some
beautiful music. With a focused fascination with melody and sound,
there’s a folk-like, deceptive simplicity to what they do. Garbarek
and Kaskashian weave around each other with such intuitive mutual
appreciation that it’s hard, at times, to separate the written from
the improvised. Regardless of instrument, Garbarek, on tenor and
soprano here, has always had a signature, arresting sound, but
Kashkashian’s is also strikingly personal and expressive. Sampling and
some lovely synthesiser (by Garbarek) provide an aural carpet for
their unabashedly lyrical encounter. Is it jazz? Who cares?