This review appears in the July 2010 issue of All About Jazz-New York.
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Yotam, Resonance (Jazz Legacy)
By David R. Adler
Israeli-born guitarist Yotam Silberstein has dropped his surname for performance purposes — he’s simply “Yotam” now. But the crisp and determined quality of his playing remains intact on Resonance, his third disc as a leader. All three outings have featured strong bands, but Resonance pushes the star power to another level with Christian McBride on bass, Aaron Goldberg on piano, Gregory Hutchinson on drums and special guest Roy Hargrove on trumpet. Their swing feel is furious, yet effortless, and it bursts forth from the first notes of John Lewis’ “Two Bass Hit,” a well-chosen opener.
Yotam still hasn’t topped his 2004 trio debut for Fresh Sound, The Arrival, which has a spark reminiscent of Barney Kessel’s Poll Winners discs with Ray Brown and Shelly Manne. On his 2009 Posi-Tone effort Next Page Yotam turned to organ quartet, favoring the trebly, somewhat old-fashioned guitar sound he also uses on Resonance, though it takes on a warmer, more satisfying quality in the piano-bass-drums environment.
In a word, Yotam loves the blues, and this is where Resonance shines most. From the blistering “Two Bass Hit” to Joe Henderson’s soul-jazzy “Mamacita” (featuring Hargrove) to Yotam’s own midtempo “Blewz,” Yotam does more than just hold his own in daunting company — he fosters a genuine band sound, a sense of listening rather than outdoing.
There are fireworks, to be sure, but calmer moments as well: Yotam offers a darkly romantic waltz called “Merav,” and adds a wistful vocal on top of McBride’s arco melody — a surprising touch — on the Shlomo Gronich number “A Fresh Love Song (Bo’i Yalda).” The contrast between “McDavid,” with its leaping, upbeat piano/guitar unison line, and “Bye Ya’ll,” a tense, lurching Latin piece, shows the ample range of Yotam’s writing. But it’s the blues cuts as well as Clifford Brown’s “Daahoud” (with Hargrove) that make the date snap into focus.
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