Omer Avital - Free Forever (2011)

There is something special about Omer Avital, and while much has been written about him saying as much, there is, well, more. There’s a reason we call him “maestro,” and that has to do with his complete mastery of the musical experience from top to bottom. In this recording, you will be treated to what I would call ‘the perfect set’ from the Panic Jazz Club in Marostica Italy, on April 18th, 2007.
It also has to do with the Avital’s concept of “freedom.” In the years I’ve known Avital, I’ve heard him use that word a lot in connection with his music, and I think it is a theme of central importance. He craves freedom, finds freedom in his music, and his music speaks of freedom. Each musical outing is a journey, but with the path undetermined at the outset. This is true of jazz in general. But in Avital’s case, I do believe that he takes the idea of the journey consciously into the process. The journey is far ranging, fluid in form, and represents in many ways the development of a character as in a narrative, and is suggestive of epic themes: a journey for the seeker, a journey for the explorer, a journey to manhood, to fatherhood. Each soloist is accorded the maximum amount of freedom by the accompaniment, here in the form of fluid time, dynamics, and instrumental form, all used as a kind of narrative.