Recorded at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, on 14-15 2024.
Israeli saxist and clarinettist Hillai Govreen studied at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin and New School in New York and debuted with Allusions in 2021, a recording that found the reedist in duo with pianist Nitsan Kolko. Every Other Now features an array of New York musicians including Steve Cardenas whom Govreen studied with at the New School and the acclaimed Herschian, Eric McPherson. It also includes the presence of London pianist Noah Stoneman who I’ve been a fan of since hearing him playing Hammond organ in Xhosa Cole’s Larry Young themed Unity band about 5 years ago.
The Brazilian flavoured ‘The Day After’ comes as a surprise in the context of that place in the album if you listen in track order from the beginning and there’s something of a reset from that point on. So for instance the clarinet playing of the leader is prominent on next track ‘Downhill’ which works well conversationally with another pianist on the record Eden Ladin. I’m not so keen on the synths on ‘Something Short’ but again the variety is welcome.
Bassist Ben Meigners is a big presence on an album that is full of originals. Govreen’s sax style is soft and characterful – it compares a little with Melissa Aldana’s or even Eli Degibri’s (go hear Degibri’s 2010 album Israeli Song featuring Brad Mehldau, Ron Carter and Al Foster if you haven’t already). The album includes the standards Harold Arlen’s ‘Ill Wind’ done as a fairly hard boiled 1970s styled treatment with good Fender Rhodes from Stoneman and Richard Rodgers’ South Pacific show tune ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ covered in very vulnerable and affecting fashion.
MORE FROM MARLBANK
