Daniel Zamir - I Believe (Tzadik, 2008) ***

Although this quartet consists of some great instrumentalists such as Uri Caine on piano, Greg Cohen on bass and Joey Baron on drums, the whole record is focused on Daniel Zamir's lyrical sax-playing, mixing jubilant moments with sadness, typical for klezmer, and adding the soul and the rhythmic power of jazz, and even reggae on one track. Although Zamir's playing is highly recognizable and a real joy to hear, he seems to be stuck in a certain idiom which has reached its limits. His three previous albums were a little more direct, a little more raw, and possibly a little more genuine, and especially the first two "Satlah" and "Exodus" are in that sense the easiest to recommend. Things are more polished here, nicer, with less anguish, which also means that the music has less tension. I'm not sure how to interpret the title, but inspirational music and great art never really fit, you need internal struggle and conflicts to create true art. Nevertheless, his sax playing is a joy to hear at moments.

© stef