When listeners hear that a jazz album prominently features an organist, they often think of soul-jazz. It isn't hard to understand why;
Jimmy Smith was a giant, and so many of the organists who emerged in late 1950s and '60s were
Smith disciples. But it's important to remember that a lot of 21st century organists -- from
Larry Goldings to
John Medeski to
Barbara Dennerlein -- have favored a post-
Smith perspective. And on
Next Page, Israeli guitarist
Yotam Silberstein doesn't get into soul-jazz at all even though he features an organist throughout the album. The organist is
Sam Yahel, who has acknowledged
Jimmy Smith's funkiness on some of his recordings but is stylistically closer to
Larry Young (the first jazz organist who truly brought a post-
Smith approach to the Hammond B-3).
Yahel's presence is a definite advantage for
Silberstein on this 2008 recording, which employs
Willie Jones III on drums and features tenor saxophonist
Chris Cheek on some of the tracks.
Silberstein obviously wasn't looking for an organist who would stick to the
Smith/
Jack McDuff/
Richard "Groove" Holmes/
Jimmy McGriff view of the organ, and
Yahel helps him deliver a guitar/organ date that contains both post-bop and hard bop and never ventures into R&B-ish territory.
Silberstein, thankfully, doesn't inundate the listener with beaten-to-death warhorses. Half of the songs are
Silberstein originals, and the others range from
Charlie Parker's "Cheryl" to
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Ligia" and Israeli composer Matti Caspi's "Ahi Eshtagea." "Cheryl," of course, has been recorded by countless improvisers, but "Ligia" is one of
Jobim's lesser-known pieces -- and Caspi's work certainly hasn't been a major focus of jazz instrumentalists. Between
Silberstein and
Yahel's skillful musicianship and their willingness to take some chances when it comes to choosing material,
Next Page is a likable contribution to post-bop and hard bop. ~ Alex Henderson