The Squid's Ear Magazine


Beger / Taubenfeld / Hazan / Drake: Cosmic Waves (NoBusiness)

Two studio sessions of ebullient improv from the quartet of Israeli tenor saxophonist Albert Beger, bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, double bassist & guimbri player Shay Hazan, and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, from hard-blowing collective interplay to introspective discourse, ending with Beger's reflective composition "Astral Visit"; a perfectly balanced album of modern jazz.
 

Price: $16.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 5.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Albert Beger-tenor saxophone, percussion

Ziv Taubenfeld-bass clarinet, percussion

Shay Hazan-guimbri, double bass

Hamid Drake-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: NoBusiness
Catalog ID: NBCD 167
Squidco Product Code: 34933

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: Lithuania
Packaging: Jewel Case
Tracks 1 and 4 recorded at Levontin 7, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 10th, 2023.

Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at Kitcha Studios, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 8th, 2023, by Uri "Momo" Barak.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Two studio sessions of ebullient improv from the quartet of Israeli tenor saxophonist Albert Beger, bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, double bassist & guimbri player Shay Hazan, and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, from hard-blowing collective interplay to introspective discourse, ending with Beger's reflective composition "Astral Visit"; a perfectly balanced album of modern jazz.



"A dream state... Playing with Hamid Drake, Albert Beger and Shay Hazan feels like getting caught up in a net of energy waves that makes communication so direct that there is no other way but improvising."-Ziv Taubenfeld


Artist Biographies

"Albert Beger (born 1959) is a saxophonist, flutist and an academy lecturer from Israel. Beger is a composer in the fields of post-bop, hard-bop, free-jazz and avant-garde music.

Albert Beger was born in the city of Istanbul, Turkey, in 1959 and immigrated to Israel with his parents when he was three years old.

From an early age, he was exposed to the cultural fusion in the new born state of Israel, a mixture of Eastern-Europe, Western-Europe and Arabic food, clothes and music.

In his youth, he was mainly listening to the pop/rock music of the sixties, and got carried away in the prog-rock wave of early seventies.

Upon listening to Jethro Tull's music for the first time, and hearing Ian Anderson's flute - Albert was immediately attracted to the sound that was produced by the instrument and during his army service he got himself a flute and started learning the instrument by himself.

Post his army service, Albert studied classical music with legendary Israeli flutist Uri Teplitz, while discovering the tenor saxophone in the age of 25-26. According to Albert, the flute couldn't carry the energy that he wanted to produce and the tenor fitted right for this need.

AT the age of 27, Albert received a scholarship from the Berklee School of Music in Boston and went to study in the prestigious institute for three years.

This is time when he was introduced with the more free shapes of jazz, and was introduced to the music of Albert Ayler, Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and Art Ensemble of Chicago.

In 1995 Albert released his debut album The Primitive, a collection of early compositions that gathered together to make a surprising debut.

This Life followed in 1997 and was released in Israel by the biggest record label in the country NMC records, and got a distribution deal from Columbia Records.

Art Of The Moment followed in 2000, featuring Menachem Zibziner on Guitars, Gabi Meir on Bass and Amir David on drums.

In 2003, a turning point in Albert's career, he was signed to the new label Earsay's Jazz, by producer Yossi Acchoti, with a request to follow Albert for future albums to come.

With Earsay's Jazz, Albert released Hevel Havalim in 2003, with his new trio (including Gabriel Meyer on bass and Hagai Fershtman on drums), and Listening in 2004 with his quintet (the former album trio augmented by Yoni Silver on alt saxophone and bass clarinet, and Yiftach Kadan on guitar).

In 2005, Albert received his first formal recognition from the country, when he won the Landau Award for Performing Arts. In a jazz festival that year in Tel Aviv, Albert shared the stage with two of the most dominant figures in the free jazz world - Hamid Drake (drums) and William Parker (bass).

Albert, Drake and Parker, booked a studio session and recorded couple of Albert's compositions, and the session was released in a two volume album called Evolving Silence (released 2005 and 2006).

In 2008, Albert had released his eight album Big Mother. Big Mother dealt with the topic of ecology and the danger human beings cause the planet. This album was the first to include a pianist (played by Aviran Ben Naim).

The year after, Albert received Israel's highest honor for musicians, the prestigious Prime Minister's Award for Composers.

In 2010, Albert had signed a record deal with the relatively new label Anova Music, and released Peacemaker, a six piece conceptual suit."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Beger)
1/17/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Born in the Galil region, Northern Israel, Ziv Taubenfeld started playing the clarinet as part of his primary school orchestra and continued with classical studies at the local conservatory. Following the attraction to low sounds, he added the bass clarinet as a second instrument that soon became his main focus. Taubenfeld's interest in improvised music grew bigger after meeting the influential saxophone player Albert Beger, who opened up a path that led to further studies of the bass clarinet with Michael Moore in the Netherlands. Amsterdam's improvised music scene turned out to be Taubenfeld's creative home for the coming years, resulting in collaborations that continue to this day.

In parallel to the Amsterdam based activities, Taubenfeld developes compositional concepts with Bones between 2015-2019. In 2017 Taubenfeld was offered to present the music of Bones at the North Sea Jazz Festival, July 2017. This was followed by several European tours. The third album of Bones- Reptiles- was released in fall 2019 on NoBusiness Records.

Taubenfeld's most recent project - FULL SUN â€" brings together strong individuals from the international creative music community. This flexible unit is dedicated to compositions with an exploratory spirit, often using the gongs, balafon, bells, and whistles to widen the sound palette of the ensemble. The Full Sun pool of musicians include: Michael Moore, Joost Buis, Luis Vicente, Nicolas Chientaroli, Marta Warelis, Yung-Tuan Ku, Rozemarie Heggen, Shay Hazan, Omer Govreen, Onno Govaert and Dudù Kouate.

Other bands Taubenfeld takes part in include Kuhn Fu, ZYFT, CosJazzul and Xavier Pamplona Ensemble. Recent collaborations include Han Bennink, Ab Baars, Hamid Drake, Ada Rave, Wilbert de Joode, Frank Gratkowski, Michael Formanek, Olie Brice, Tobias Delius and Carlos "Zingaro" among others."

-Ziv Taubenfeld 1/17/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Shay Hazan born in Israel, November 22nd 1989. Started playing the electric bass at age 12. In 2007 his musical path has changed radically when he took on himself the work of studying the double bass. While studying at the Jerusalem Academy for Music & Dance Shay was preforming original and improvised music in different settings around the country. Soon after graduation Mr. Hazan started playing in the New Albert Beger Quartet, Stephen Horenstein Sextet, Bones and occasional groups dedicated to his own compositions."

-Bones Trio (http://www.bonestrio.com/about)
1/17/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends a great deal of time touring worldwide. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music; by the late 70s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups)

He studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks; using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Drake)
1/17/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. A Question of Universality 19:01

2. Into the Horizon 11:11

3. The Steamer 09:30

4. Astral Visit 04:24

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
Collective & Free Improvsation
Jazz & Improvisation Based on Compositions
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Quartet Recordings
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
NoBusiness.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
McIntyre / Thompson / Suggs / Fielder
Rivbea Live! Series, Volume 1
(NoBusiness)
The first in NoBusiness' Ribea Live! series from Sam & Bea Rivers' famous and influential 1970's NYC loft series is this dynamic July 12, 1975 concert led by saxophonist Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, in a quartet with Malachi Thompson on trumpet, Milton Suggs on electric bass and Alvin Fielder on drums, part of Studio Rivbea's Summer Music Festival 1975.
Swell's, Steve Fire Into Music ( w/ Moondoc / Parker / Drake)
For Jemeel: Fire From The Road [3 CDs]
(RogueArt)
A triple CD of extended and magnificent performances between 2004 & 2005 from the quartet of Steve Swell on trombone, William Parker on double bass, Hamid Drake on drums and Jemeel Moondoc on alto saxophone, to whom this album is dedicated; two concerts in Texas and one at the Guelph Jazz Festival, with compositions from Swell and Moondoc plus collective improvisations.
Uruk (Duthoit / Hautzinger / Drake / Zerang)
Ame: Live at Artacts
(Trost Records)
Two long-standing duos--Isabelle Duthoit on clarinet & voice and Franz Hautzinger on quarter tone trumpet plus Chicago percussionists Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang, both on percussion and frame drum--joined together in 2020 for a European tour, recording this wildly informed homage to the Mesopotamia city Uruk live at Artacts in Alte Gerberei, St. Johann, Austria.
Taubenfeld's, Ziv Full Sun
Out Of The Beast Came Honey
(Clean Feed)
Amsterdam-based bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld's sextet perform the leader's innovative compositions that include a tribute to alto saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, and a graphic composition for Sunny Murray, in a band with Michael Moore (sax & clarinet), Joost Buis (trombone), Nico Chientaroli (piano), Omer Govreen (double bass) and Onno Govaert (drums & percussion).
Owlman (Sama / Taubenfeld / Jan Willem van der Ham / Petruccelli / Sola / van Es / Ferreira / Govaert / Chientaroli)
Owlman
(Creative Sources)
Pianist Nico Chientaroli leads this 9-piece Dutch ensemble, based around free improvisation but merging rock & experimental music from funky to abstract, in generally energetic and slightly unhinged music in a Dutch improv kind of way, incorporating spoken word with texts from Jorge Luis Borges, William Burroughs, Martin Calegari, &c.; wonderfully embraceable and eclectic.
Jordan, Edward 'Kidd' / Joel Futterman / William Parker / Hamid Drake
A Tribute to Alvin Fielder (Live at Vision Festival XXIV)
(Mahakala Music)
Recorded at Vision Festival XXIV in June of 2019, legendary drummer Alvin Fielder's friends and long time partners Kidd Jordan on tenor saxophone, Joel Futterman on piano and William Parker on contrabass are joined by drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake for an emotional and potent swinging free jazz tribute to Fielder, who passed away in January of that year.
Vandermark, Ken w/ Butcher / Drake / Kessler / McPhee / Mori / Noble / Prevost / Rasmussen / Tilbury / Wooley
Unexpected Alchemy [7-CD BOX]
(Not Two)
Recorded during Ken Vandermark's residency titled "The Unexpectable", in Krakow in 2017 at Klub Alchemia, plus concerts at Hevre and Black Box in Germany, with duos, trios and quartets in a variety of configurations with artists including Ken Vandermark, Nate Wooley, Ikue Mori, John Butcher, Kent Kessler, Steve Noble, Mette Rasmussen, Eddie Prevost, Joe McPhee &c.
Zyft (Ziv Taubenfeld / Henk Zwerver / Maya Felixbrodt)
Midnight Tea Suite
(Creative Sources)
The debut for this acoustic free improvising Amsterdam trio of Ziv Taubenfeld on bass clarinet, Henk Zwerver on guitar, and Maya Felixbrodt on viola, in a set of abstract improvisations of an active nature using unorthodox and extended techniques, with an upbeat sense of excitement and enthusiasm that allows for solo forays amongst great collective discourse.
Zwerv (Raoul van der Weide / George Hadow / Henk Zwerver / Ziv Taubenfeld / Luis Vicente)
Live
(Creative Sources)
Rothenberg, Ned / Hamid Drake
Full Circle - Live in Lodz
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Two legendary improvisers, Downtown New York multi-reedist and shakuhachi player Ned Rothenberg met Chicago drummer Hamid Drake at Ciagoty I Tesknoty, in Lodz, Poland in 2016 to record this effusive, extraordinary live concert of improvised music, demonstrating both enormous instrumental skill while imparting wonderfully upbeat energy; outstanding!
Dunmall, Paul Quintet
The Dreamtime Suite
(FMR)
Saxophonist Paul Dunmall's quintet with Hamid Drake, Dave Kane, Steve Tromans, and Percy Pusgove, bridge traditional with chamber jazz and world music, including a work for bagpipes and frame drum, in a monumental suite of improvisational possibilities.
Gratkowski, Frank / Hamid Drake
Live In New Orleans
(Valid Records)
Live recordings from the duo of saxophonist Frank Gratkowski and drummer Hamid Drake performing in New Orleans in 2009; amazing and far-ranging dialog from two masters.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Dijkstra / McBride / Rosenthal + (Bishop / Prentky / Lowe)
Porchbone
(Driff Records)
Active since 2016, The "Bone" in PorchBone is heard in the three trombonists who join the trio of bassist Nate McBride, drummer Eric Rosenthal, and saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, who composed 7 of the 8 pieces on this album (Duke Ellington is the 8th, and the inspiration for their sound along with Sun Ra), with trombonists Jeb Bishop, Michael Prentky & Bill Lowe.
London, Frank
Brass Conspiracy
(Tzadik)
A diverse, upbeat and embraceable album of brass-heavy jazz from New York trumpeter Frank London's ensemble, from funky rhythms to material that would be at home in Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool, flavored with London's Klezmatics background and performed with three percussionists, taking a wide view on the role of brass, particularly trumpet, trombone & tuba, in the history of jazz music.
Oswald, Margaux Collateral Damage
In Time, Hollow Oaks Become Chapels
(Clean Feed)
The debut of this international septet with three double basses, two electric guitars, drums, and grand piano, led by pianist Margaux Oswald, who chose these players for their connection to Copenhagen and their previous collaborations in varying configurations, here their collective improvisations employing subgroups juxtaposed to full ensemble power through texture and timbre.
TriJJo (Jung-Jae Kim / Joel Haag / Henrik Wartel)
Conversations with Snow
(Creative Sources)
The Swedish trio of South Korean tenor saxophonist Jung-Jae Kim, Joel Haag on guitar and Henrik Wartel on drums, recording in the studio for a mix of five original compositions from Jung-Jae Kim, often based around a motive or idea which is developed and expanded upon by each member of the trio, and five collective improvisation borrowing from a variety of styles.
Coleman, Ornette
Free Jazz To Ornette! Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Exploring further the concepts of free jazz, saxophonist Ornette Coleman's back-to-back 1961 & 62 albums find the composer and innovator in a ground-breaking double quartet that includes Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry & Freddie Hubbard, Scott LaFaro & Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgns & Ed Blackwell; then with quintet with Scott LaFaro temporarily taking Charlie Haden's chair.
Reinhard, Samuel
For Piano and Sho
(elsewhere)
Two studies in the elongation of piano decay complemented by the harmonics and texture of the shō (a Japanese free reed instrument) using stillness and repetition in a two part extended work by NY-based Swiss comoposer Samuel Reinhard, performed by Copenhagen pianist Paul Jacob Fossum and Japanese Gagaku musician Haruna Higashida; an album of beautifully meditative pools of sound.
Democ, Adrian
Piano
(elsewhere)
Three meditative pieces by Eastern European composer Adrian Demoč, recorded at Czech Radio Ostrava and performed by Miroslav Beinhauer: 'Ma fin est mon commencement' and 'Gebrechlichkeit' which both provide flexibility to the performer; 'A Luca Marenzio ll', a reinterpretation of a previous trio work pivoting around the cello, uniquely interpreted here by Beinhauer.
Brotzmann / Kondo / Toyozumi
Complete Link
(NoBusiness)
Trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi, who originally worked together in the band EEU, first played with saxophonist Peter Brotzmann as a trio in 2014, this live recording at Roppongi Super Deluxe in Tokyo captured two years later in a wild collective free jazz outing, Kondo augmenting his horn with electronics, as they explode three super-charged improvisations!
Bailey / Toyozumi
Breath Awareness
(NoBusiness)
Derek Bailey's 1987 trip to Japan yielded a number of important recordings, including a duo with Mototeru Takagi, a trio with Sabu Toyozumi & Peter Brötzmann, and this concert at IMAI-Tei with Toyozumi, one of the first generation Japanese free improvisers and the only non-American to become a member of the AACM; here in three duos and Bailey's solo "Diaphragm".
Pavone, Jessica
Reverse Bloom
(Astral Spirits)
Four fascinating works of string intersection from New York composer and violist Jessica Pavone, recording in the studio with the trio of violinists Aimre Niemann (Du.0 (do-point-oh)) and Abby Swidler (Xanthoria Quartet), Pavone's compositions creating wonderful psychoacoustic intertwining of texture and tone that slowly and beautifully blossom.
Davis, Caroline / Wendy Eisenberg
Accept When [VINYL]
(Astral Spirits)
Based on a growing friendship and friendly improvisations developed between 2022 & '23, New York guitarist Wendy Eisenberg and saxophonist and activist Caroline Davis developed this set of ten songs--poignant, expressive, deeply personal, unconventional, illusory--performed with drummer Greg Saunier, reminding of the early Downtown NY scene in their confident fragility; beautiful.
Houle / Gentile / Hawkins
Fatrasies
(Les Disques Victo)
The transatlantic trio of UK pianist Alexander Hawkins, NY drummer Kate Gentile and Canadian reedist Francois Houle are heard in four masterful spontaneous improvisations in their live performance at the 39th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Houle performing on clarinets (sometimes two at a time) including the early, deep-note basset clarinet.
Ayler, Albert
Live Greenwich Village To Love Cry, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Bringing together two contrasting Impulse! albums from Aylers late 60's output: the exemplary free jazz release Live Greenwich Village in two sessions with core Ayler associates, brother Donald, Michael Sampson, Henry Grimes, Beaver Harris, &c.; then Ayler's challenging attempt to reach a more popular following in Love Cry, with Milford Graves taking the drummers chair.
Rempis, Dave / Tashi Dorji Duo
Gnash
(Aerophonic)
Beginning their tours as a duo in 2017 and expanded into the trio Kuzu, Bhutanese improvising guitarist Tashi Dorji and Chicago saxophone improviser Dave Rempis recorded these four exotically powerful dialogs after their 2023 tour, performing at The Sugar Maple, in Milwaukee, Rempis on multiple saxophones including the soprano sax that the late Mars Williams gifted to him.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC