Songs Of The Metropolis

http://www.rainloresworldofmusic.net/

Released on 21st January, Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble's Songs Of The Metropolis is their second release on the prestigious World Village label, and their first in nearly two and a half years.

By way of a preamble, as it were, I feel compelled to note the following. It is curious to note how two great jazz musicians, both very much belonging with the giants of the past, one in Britain, Gilad Atzmon, and one in the States, Mark Weinstein (reviewed app. a week ago), one primarily known for his alto and soprano sax and clarinet, the other a jazz flautist, both fierce, fiery improvisers, both from totally different musical backgrounds and with totally different styles and approaches, are releasing albums within a few short weeks of each other that have so much in common, in spite of taking entirely different directions. Fundamentally, and most strikingly, both albums mark a fairly radical departure from each of the artists' usual directions and styles, and have both venturing well outside of their 'comfort zones.' Both albums are about heart, and beauty, and seem to question the soullessness of our modern world. Both almost force the listener to stop everything and listen to a more serene, sublime sound, to listen to their heart, each in its own different way of course. This is, perhaps, where the similarities end...

As ever, this demonstrates, elegantly, how our commonalities outweigh our differences, and how those little differences make life interesting of course.