| You can be a New Yorker and a Californian without being an American, and that's precisely the case with the Canadian born drummer and composer Harris Eisenstadt. Strongly connected to the creative scenes of the Big Apple and the City of Angels (he’s lived in New York since 2006 and lived in Los Angeles from 1999-2005), Eisenstadt has been influenced by both cities and has contributed to all the occurring developments. It was with an all-American band he recorded “Canada Day”, his musical tribute to the country where he started to play. This is, indeed, a citizen of the world: the music Eisenstadt composes has rhythmic elements coming directly from West Africa, where he spent some studying periods with local master percussionists, and the overall chamber music effect is, undoubtedly, of European origin. But there's something more to intrigue you in this CD than its transnational components. The leader of the session surrounds himself with musicians known for their sometimes radical avant-garde activities, and yet, we find here Nate Wooley, Matt Bauder, Chris Dingman and Eivind Oipsvik dedicated to the most recognisable post-bop, even if sometimes going for more free-flowing situations. Have no doubts: this is jazz in the formal sense. And the best you can expect and hope for! |