…a heady mix of infectious grooves and melodic compositions all delivered with a sunny disposition that is sure to engage listeners

Avenue K Records

Itai Kriss (Flute, Vocals); Wayne Tucker (Trumpet, Flugelhorn); Ahmed Alom-Vega (Piano) Tamir Shmerling (Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass, Vocals); Dan Aran (Drums, Percussion, Vocals); Samuel Torres (Congas, Percussion)
Special Guest: Amos Hoffman (Oud (Tracks 1 & 3), Electric Guitar (Tracks 5 & 7)
Recorded at the Bunker Studio in New York City on January 9th and 10th 2023

This latest release from flautist is a heady mix of infectious grooves and melodic compositions all delivered with a sunny disposition that is sure to engage listeners. Kriss plays in a manner that places the melodic content, and above all a sense of fun and enjoyment, at the heart of what he does. This ensures that the playing is taut and focussed, and it is only when one gets to the end of the album and searching for the repeat button that you appreciate the virtuosity involved in what has just been heard.

The opening ‘Agadir’ is enough to grab the attention, and from here on in Kriss does not loosen his grasp on your attention as the group celebrates the joy of travelling. The leader’s flute and trumpet and flugelhorn of Wayne Tucker bounce ideas of each other in fine style, and both have interesting things to say in the brief solos that emerge organically out of Kirss’s compositions.

The Brazilian baiao rhythm is fleetingly explored in ‘Night Vision’ and the rhythms inherent in Afro-Cuban jazz infuse ‘Prendido’. Kriss takes a cheeky yet tasteful look at a smooth jazz groove with ‘Seventh Life’ with its funky bassline and percussion that is canny enough not to disappear down a cul-de-sac but evolve into a solid groove with some excellent interplay between flute and trumpet.

Kriss celebrates and embraces his Middle Eastern roots in the excellent ‘Beach Song’ yet it is the beautiful ballad ‘Flânerie Brumeuse’ that is the highlight of the set. A brilliantly arranged composition that has the ability to transport the listener wherever they may wish to go.

For this Kriss’s third album for his group Telavana, the flautist has written seven pieces for this mini travelogue that show him to be a composer of note as well as a fine exponent of his chosen instrument.