Yair Elazar Glotman - Compound
(Subtext)

“What am I listening to? “ This is the question that brought me where I am, the question I demanded an answer to. Not so much about identifying the artist, but I needed to know what was happening to me, what was surrounding me in the moment when I first heard Compound by Yair Elazar Glotman. This reaction sums up what I feel is the most defining characteristic of the record: the deeply woven sense of mystery within its fabric. It’s music that is fractured and fluttering while confidently illuminating the space between its elements with each stroke of the piano keys, each scrape of a double bass bow. There are three main ingredients that are responsible for what you are hearing: piano (Rieko Okuda), drums (Marcello Silvio Busato) and contrabass (Glotman). The most accurate piece of information you will find on the sleeve of this record is its title, as the combining force of these three elements are what elicit this sense of mystery. All three of these instruments are pushed either to their maximum potential or restrained as much as they possibly could be. It's truly hard to tell which it is. The mood is stark, the tone is heavy, but still somehow there is peace within the music, But this peacefulness is anything but predictable. What the music reminds me of most is actually John Coltrane's final quartet in which he bowed out and let the light shine upon his three collaborators, particularly on his final album Expression. That same instability is firmly planted in Compound. The music is not anti-melody but it certainly does not rely upon any melodic ideal in achieving its goal, though it is not music that leans on atonal sensibilities either. Glotman has successfully found the space between the right notes and the wrong ones, the line between peace and chaos. It's cover is a photo of what looks like a boarded up building with thick smoke pouring out of every available space between each board. This may actually be the best description of the album because as always, wherever there is smoke, there is fire. (Adam)
Check out a track here.