Superb jazz saxophone Alex Weitz – LUMA: I didn’t catch Alex’s debut album (March, 2013), but if it’s anywhere near as high-energy and high-talent as this splendid nine-song release, I’d love to revisit it! My most pertinent advice for this album, at least for your first sitting, is – listen to this with your HEADPHONES on, so you can catch every little nuance of tunes like the 7:21 “Equilibrium“… Alex’s reeds are joined by Tal Cohen on piano, Ben Tiberio on bass and drums by Michael Piolet, and they display true talent here… it starts off with a superb bass intro, and morphs into a full-fledged exploration of subtle jazz shadings that will bring back many memories for veteran jazzers (smoky cellars & that kind of thing).
If you find your ears more in the mood for music that JUMPS right out at you, both rhythm-wise and because of sophisticated changes, you’ll totally dig the 6:01 “Outer Noise“… as with all of the pieces, though, this stands out mostly because of Alex’s unique and original style on the saxophone; I just LOVED the “movements” on this one… it will surprise you every eight bars.
It was the 6:21 “Azalea” that got my vote for personal favorite of the 9 songs, though… what the players project together is something you (really, REALLY) don’t often find… total comfort with each other, and an extreme dedication to pleasing the listener who wants more than “just another tune”… totally unique phrasing and a most graceful style make this easy to give a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to… as well as an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of a (perfect) 5.00; meaning this also gets a “PICK” for “best saxophone led group”. Get more information about this exciting young player on the Alex Weitz bio page. Rotcod Zzaj
