Omer Avital and Yonathan Avishai

March 16, 2019
Pit Inn, Shinjuku

Omer Avital オマー・アビタル - bass
Yonathan Avishai ヨナタン・アヴィシャイ – piano

Two can be much more than four, or more than even sixteen. That was the feeling with Avital and Avishai’s show at Pit Inn during the Ides of March. Nothing to beware of here, though, other than enjoying potent, engaging jazz. The duo’s complexity was swept along in the full-on energy they brought to every tune, making them feel like much more than one plus one.

Kicking off with a buoyant “Bedouin Roots,” the pair got deep into their roots in middle eastern traditions paired with a deep bass-led blues and rollicking jazz. With many musicians, their intention of trying to mix genres, styles and influences is placed in the forefront of the music. But with Avital and Avishai, their roots are so deeply part of their expression, it all feels natural. That sense of “of course” continued with the upbeat post-bop number, “Muhammed’s Market,” which sounded like Horace Silver was going shopping in an Arabic bazaar.“

Anthem to Life” aimed for more than just feel-good fun. It kept reaching and pushing towards the kind of euphoric rising-above that anthems are supposed to achieve, but often don’t. Whoever was soloing, the other was pushing them on to the farther reaches of the lovely chords and melodic lines.

The second set got even more upbeat with “Song for Amos,” a lyrical, melodic tune that showed the pair’s love of good, solid melodies for their own sake. Their improvisations become even more interactive in the second set. Perhaps they had no choice, since the audience kept clapping and getting even more engaged. “Arrival” kept the melodies flowing while getting into funkier rhythms that kept everyone clapping even more.

The pair showed just how global jazz can be, by bringing in their Middle Eastern roots together with European harmonies, pop tunes, jazz standards and modern jazz in a mélange that felt less mixed than fluid. It felt like the two were just reaching into their brains and pulling out one melody after the next, and yet all of them fit together marvelously. That constant flow no doubt comes from their joyous approach to making music, evident on each song. Their enthusiasm was the bond for all the elements, and to the listeners.