For his entrance onto ECM (label), Yonathan Avishai kicks off Joys And Solitudes with Mood Indigo. By putting Ellington's masterpiece in the spotlight, the Franco-Israeli pianist (alongside double bassist Omer Avital and trumpeter Avishai Cohen) undoubtedly wanted to remind himself where he came from. This refined musician is part of a certain piano tradition that’s far removed from the usual Bill Evans/Keith Jarrett axis, both of whom were incredibly influential among musicians of his generation. In addition to The Duke, Yonathan Avishai approaches pieces by the great elders John Lewis, Ahmad Jamal and Bobby Timmons without ever plagiarizing their touch. "Ellington is still a thoroughly modern pianist and composer. His way of always telling a story while playing has influenced me a lot and Mood Indigo is a song I have loved for a long time. "
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With his faithful rhythmic section (Yoni Zelnik, an Israeli double bass player based in Paris, and Donald Kontomanou, a French drummer with a double heritage, both Guinean and Greek) Avishai also reminds his listeners of the impressive composer that he is. He uncovers seven original pieces with pure, fat-free melodies, filled with blues and swing as well as silences and spaces... "I feel deeply rooted in tradition. Most of all, I love the history and the perspectives it opens up when you study it. I’m particularly interested in the history of jazz - from Louis Armstrong to Cecil Taylor and so on." ‘And so on’ indeed! On Les Pianos de Brazzaville, Yonathan Avishai evokes his trips to the Republic of Congo and Central Africa. The theme Tango is a response to the album Ojos Negros by Dino Saluzzi and Anja Lechner. The piece When Things Fall Apart takes its title from a novel by the American Buddhist Pema Chödrön, but is inspired by Avishai Cohen's music and is in fact a response to the trumpeter's composition Into The Silence. In the end, all this material fuels an album that’s full of grace and reinforces the conviction that Yonathan Avishai is a very great contemporary jazz pianist. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz