All About Jazz
Review by : Eyal Hareuveni
The cover of Israeli saxophonist Albert Beger’s Big Mother captures your attention immediately. Yinon Tubi’s photos of an anonymous, depressing rubbish dump frame Beger’s love cry on behalf of all mothers, a conceptual six-part suite that calls us to action before it’s too late.
The new work challenges Beger, who usually opts for shorter compositions that emphasize his abilities as an improviser and his close interplay with his partners. Most noteworthy, these have included bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake, with whom he recorded Evolving Silence, Vol.1 and Evolving Silence, Vol. 2 (Earsay, 2005 and 2006). This time Beger has chosen to focus on the collective qualities of his new quartet.
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The line-up feature Beger’s trusty bassist Gabriel Meir, and two new members, pianist Aviran Ben Naim and drummer Yoav Zohar. Naim brings a deeper dimension to the quartet with his Ellingotinian harmonic sophistication, and with well-articulated solos that contrast and comment on Beger’s fiery Aylerian blowing. The muscular drumming of Zohar supplies a steady beat, and enables Meir to use extended techniques on the bass and to introduce more sounds and colors to the palette. Beger concentrates on tenor saxophone.
Rainlore’s World Of Music
Review by : Rich Sharm
“…Although concerning itself with a subject that is full of ugliness, Big Mother is an album that surprises with a great deal of beauty. It is distinguished by some very fine melodies, often complex harmonies, and solid rhythmic interest throughout. Beger’s rich tenor ebbs and flows between the downright lyrical and the highly strung, deeply impassioned…”
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Free Jazz Blog
Israeli tenor saxophonist Albert Beger can be fierce, and also very gentle, yet he’s always expansive. He appears to be influenced by both Coltrane and Ayler, at times sounding like Redman. His new quartet further consists of Aviran Ben Naim on piano, Gabriel Meir on bass and Yoav Zohar on drums. In contrast to his trios with William Parker and Hamid Drake, the addition of the piano brings the music more into post-bop territory, with a lyricism and emotional outbursts which will surely please the fans of Jarrett’s early 80s quartets, with sax and piano having changed the lead role, of course. And even the more mainstream, more composed tracks such as “Tales Of Beelzebub”, quickly evolve into very powerful improvisations by sax and piano, pushed forward by a strong rhythm section, ending in abrupt stop-and-go unison breaks. “Point Of No Return” is a heartrending duet for sax and piano. “Big Mother” refers to nature and mother earth, as an ode and a lament about the deterioration of the planet, as illustrated by the sad album cover on which a mother and child look at a waste dump. The march-like cadence of the track gives the inevitability of progress, or vaguely reminiscent of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Disney’s Fantasia, over which first the arco bass, then a mournful sax wails and weeps. Yet the last track “The One For Hope”, shows some light at the end of the tunnel, although starting very sad, with a very loose structure and rhythm, gradually moving to a more light-footed approach, especially because of the piano’s high-toned playing and Beger’s soaring sax, leading to a gentle composed ending. A strong achievement.
