Jazz gets back to Jerusalem, at the Israel Museum

The Art of Jazz marks the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Jerusalem Foundation

By BARRY DAVIS
Pianist Johann Bourquenez (center) of Switzerland’s Plaistow trio (photo credit: Courtesy)
Pianist Johann Bourquenez (center) of Switzerland’s Plaistow trio
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The forthcoming Jerusalem Jazz Festival is a shot in the arm for lovers of the music all over the country and, naturally, particularly for jazz fans in the capital who generally have to traipse down to the other end of Route 1 to catch some worthy live action, or down Route 90 to get through 40+ degrees of heat before, hopefully, the air cools a mite for the evening shows at the summertime Red Sea Jazz Festival.
There was, in fact, an international jazz festival in Jerusalem in 2006, which took place under the auspices of the Yellow Submarine, but the inaugural four-dayer did not survive and was soon incorporated into the limited program space afforded to it by the Israel Festival.
But now jazz appears to be making a comeback to this fair city of airs, big time, with a wide-ranging three-day lineup scheduled to take place at the Israel Museum December 2-4.
The event, which goes by the highly declarative name of The Art of Jazz, marks the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Jerusalem Foundation, which supports countless cultural and artistic, community and coexistence projects in Jerusalem. The Yellow Submarine is also on board for the new venture.
Internationally renowned trumpeter Avishai Cohen has put together a program that takes in diverse areas of music, from straight-ahead jazz to improvisational sounds on the freer side of the discipline, to sounds and rhythms that have little to do with the core titular genre but are more than likely to keep the museum audiences well entertained.
In addition to the artistic director’s own show, along with siblings soprano saxophonist Yuval and stellar saxophonist-clarinet player Anat, the mainstream offerings include the Yuria-Voltzok Quintet led by trombonist Yonatan Voltzok and saxophonist Asaf Yuria, The Duchess Vocal Jazz Trio from the Big Apple, while Puerto Rico-born saxophonist David Sanchez will bring more than a touch of Latin jazz to the proceedings. Grammy Award laureate Sanchez was also on the roster for that initial stab at putting on a grandly scaled jazz event in Jerusalem nine years ago.
Things take on broader influences with the trio led by saxophonist Matan Chapnizky, whose points of reference include British rock and West African rhythms, while the confluence of jazz stalwarts guitarist Ofer Ganor, twin brother double-bass player Eyal and 70-year-old saxophonist Jess Koren should hit the mark.
But if grooves are your thing, look no further than the Plaistow threesome from Switzerland.
The Geneva-based band, which comprises pianist Johann Bourquenez, acoustic bass player Vincent Ruiz and drummer Cyril Bondi, has been around for eight years, during which time it has put out no fewer than nine releases and performed all over the world.
In fact, the Plaistow website describes the group’s artistic output as “not jazz, it’s conceptual.”
Listening to the group’s last three albums – Lacrimosa, which came out in 2012; Citadelle, from 2013; and the brand new Titan – one can see where that epithet is coming from. There is a minimalist sense to the music, as a single line slowly but surely begins to unfurl and take on ever-increasing bulk, and the tension builds and builds until there is a sense of something quite feral lurking just beyond the horizon.
Bourquenez says the band works very hard to arrive at just the right sound, textures and feel.
“We sometimes record the same tune three times, to get something that we finally feel happy with. We tend to try for perception,” adds the pianist with a laugh.
All three also bring a lot to the triad table. In addition to the somewhat subliminal jazzy intent, there are classical, rock and folk-infused strands to the end product, which is delivered with a finely tuned sheen.
Despite the polished exterior, Bourquenez says the band’s music is less premeditated than first meets the eye.
“I just do what I want to do,” he states simply.
“It is something very underground [subconscious].
I am not especially conscious of the process. I just do what I want to do, and afterwards I decide what we can call it.”
The pianist notes that besides the classical jazz trio instrumental lineup, there is not much jazz in the group’s music. “There is no 4/4 [tempo] and there is no walking bass. So there is not much of the cliché of jazz, and there is some rock in there and some pop and a lot of electronic music, and ambient. It is a real mix of everything.”
After hearing all that, it comes as no great surprise to learn that Bourquenez’s musical upbringing was anything but orthodox.
“I played the violin from the age of five, and I gave it up at 10,” says the pianist. “I didn’t like the training and the discipline at the conservatory.
I wanted to play free, and the conservatory stuff was about playing straight; there were too many rules. I didn’t like that.”
That was that for Bourquenez, with music, for a few years; and when he came back to it, at the age of 14, this time it was entirely on his own terms.
“I started playing the piano – but without a teacher,” he says.
Meanwhile, the youngsters had been grooving to the high-energy sounds of heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, with English rock band The Cure also a favorite.
“I especially loved The Cure,” he recalls. “I learned English from their songs. I knew all their lyrics by heart.”
He was 19 when he came across jazz.
“There was an Italian movie with some music by [iconic pianist] Keith Jarrett,” Bourquenez recounts. “And then I heard [Jarrett’s all-time best-selling jazz record] The Köln Concert. And then I got into [pianist] Thelonious Monk and [saxophonist] John Coltrane and legendary pianist and composer] Duke Ellington.”
There was no looking back for the Swiss musician. “I felt that jazz was very free, which was important for me. There was improvisation and it was happening in one special moment. That was something I really liked.”
Bourquenez also likes his band mates. “Vincent [Ruiz] is 25 and he is a great bass player.
He is so dependable and strong, so I feel I can do anything I want with him playing with me.”
Bondi, it appears, comes from a different mind-set. “Cyril is 35 and he comes from a background of noise and free improvisation.
But he also plays rhythmical stuff. So that’s a good combination.”
Be prepared to groove when Plaistow plays at the Israel Museum.
And there is plenty of variety elsewhere in the Art of Jazz festival program, with silky ethnic sounds provided by master percussionist Zohar Fresco, Jewish jazz with Moroccan influences courtesy of the Abraxas gang led by New Yorker Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, all manner of jazz-inflected intent from Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon, energy aplenty with Brazilian guitarist and electric bass player Munir Hossn and unfettered vibes from saxophonist Assif Tsahar in tandem with electric bassist Igor Krutogolov and irrepressible drummer Hagai Fershtman.
And if the Israel Museum shows don’t satiate your thirst, there will be free jam sessions at the Yellow Submarine well into the wee hours.
The festival patrons will also be helped smoothly into the appropriate spirit as they pass through the museum cafeteria, where DJs will be on duty each day, playing all manner of jazz on LPs.
For tickets and more information: www.jerusalemjazzfestival.org.il