REVIEW: Roy Mor 'After The Real Thing'

Written in Music’s Dick Hovenga from The Netherlands writers, “After The Real Thing is a great introduction to Mor's talent .“

The worldwide breakthrough musicians saxophonist / clarinetist Anat Cohen, drummer Ziv Ravitz, pianist Yonathan Avishai and above all the two Avishai Cohens (bassist and trumpet player) have of course optimally proven that Israel has a very interesting jazz scene. And a new batch is already in the spotlight. Pianist Roy Mor is clearly one of them.

 Having graduated in both philosophy and engineering, a future at Microsoft was in sight, but he decided to follow his great love and left for New York where he, among others, and right away, in the bands of Anat Cohen, Esperanza Spalding, Ben Wendel and Dave Douglas played. On his return to Israel, he joined the band of trumpet player Avishai Cohen.

 He has been active on his own for years now and with the now worldwide released album After The Real Thing his fame will quickly increase. With a leading role for former player Amos Hoffman, Mor has brought together jazz traditions with original / traditional music from the region on his new album.

 It has turned out to be a beautiful album on which Mor brings his great qualities as a pianist into the limelight, plays himself nicely in the spotlight of the more famous jazz halls. His playing is accessible and rich in color and performed with a fine technique, both in the uptempo pieces and the more subdued ones.

 After The Real Thing was recorded in Brooklyn (just before Covid took over New York too) with a nice diverse group of musicians, with double bassist Myles Sloniker and drummer Itay Morchi as his most important musical companions, next to Hoffman, who plays the guitar in addition to old. . Flugelhorn player Davy Lozar can also be heard on the album.

 The major part of the album is filled with own compositions that are set up in a wide spectrum of jazz. In addition, Mor has recorded compositions by a variety of interesting other composers, such as Kurt Weill, the well-known Israeli composer Efraim Shamir, Hoagy Carmichael (the well-known The Nearness of You) and Yonahan Zarai.

 After The Real Thing is a great introduction to Mor's talent for a larger audience. Nice to listen to, finely played jazz with a nice liveliness. And although the oud produces a nice special sound within the band sound, I hear the really great talent even more when they fall back on pure piano, bass and drums. How effortlessly they find each other and how beneficent Mor can play.

 Roy Mor's album After The Real Thing was released by Ubuntu Music on May 21, 2021.

Meraki Goes Dutch with 4.5 Stars!

The Dutch music publication, Written in Music, features Dick Hovenga’s review of their debut album. Hovenga writes, “Meraki is one of those albums where the talent really shines.”

The British jazz trio Meraki is actually a trio around the great pianist Jacky Naylor. Again such a bizarre talent that is conquering the world with a lot of adventure and fascinating technology. In addition, optimally fed by his great band mates Nick Jurd (bass) and Jonathan Silk (drums). Men who have both been praised for their technically gifted game and an adventurous spirit.

Naylor started with Meraki with the great European piano trios in mind. With Jurd and Silk there, Meraki had to become a trio that would immediately capture the imagination, both in the compositions and the way the band would play them. At the same time it had to accommodate an individuality that would appeal to the imagination.

For four years they worked hard to define their own sound and now that their debut is here we can say that they have succeeded optimally. Meraki is truly a striking new jazz trio that puts you on the tip of your seat from the first notes of opening track 3 lives. It is a wonderfully tumbling over each other in layers at the same time very handsome composition that defiantly captures the class of the trio.

Where 3 lives right away already impressively shows what this trio is capable of, they rise straight to world class with the following 43 lives. What a wonderfully exuberant, downright virtuoso composition that is right! Typically such a composition that you want to hear again immediately after listening and at an even heavier volume. In two sides of the same coin, which follows immediately after, the class shines just as hard.

Naylor is a fascinating great talent who knows how to play on a wide range of emotions with a fabulous technique and wonderful free play. He is also a pianist who has an impressive hand of composing. Meraki's debut has a nice diversity of compositions, each with its own rich timbre and dynamics.

But Meraki is of course much more than Naylor. It is a fantastic group of musicians who know best what to do with the stack of wonderfully adventurous compositions. Adventure, fascinating technique and great playing pleasure is what gives this debut album an irresistible power. And the great Jurd and Silk are just as essential to the band's sound as Naylor.

Meraki’s debut is full of impressive compositions. You can clearly hear that the trio of musicians have taken the time to fully absorb the music, deepen it, and let it come to full maturity. Pieces like sherpa, dr jekyll and mr hyde, in a sailing boat and the unparalleled album closure simple things are just as strong as the aforementioned tracks. Always rich in adventurous arrangements and performance and heart-strengthening as really good debut albums can be.

Meraki marks the birth of a very promising new piano trio. So much great musical class can never pass unnoticed. Meraki is one of those albums where the talent really shines.