hello. i’m jazz. and yes, i’m still alive.

gilfema – regatta bar, boston: 1/14/09

zildjian’s ferenc nemeth came to town with his trio gilfema (+2).  before going down to the show, i quickly took a listen to a couple of their tracks on rhapsody to get a feel for what i’d be in for.  but, no recording could nearly match up to the energy and emotion that these guys throw down into every beat they play. with ferenc on drums, west african guitarist lionel loueke and bassist massimo biolcati transcending through time signatures, going from 5, to 7, to 13, to 9 all within a single piece could leave your head spinning, but these dudes kept everything so incredibly tight that it did make your head spin that they were able to keep control.  they were joined in on this gig by alarinetists anat cohen and john ellis who added a great spin to a typical jazz trio sound.  beyond that, the tunes were so nasty (in a good way) that it made you just scrunch up your face in approval.  if you enjoy jazz or world music at all, take a listen to ‘twins‘ and ‘question of perspective‘ and if you like them, listen more…

if you ever see that they’re playing at your local jazz spot, i implore you to see them. they’re that good live.

~ by craaaig on January 15, 2009.