SHESHET

Israel presents a very interesting and varied progressive rock scene specially during the 70's and 80's and a remarkable classic rock and folk variety of very talented artists (including Matti Caspi, Yehudith Ravitz, Arik Einstein, etc). One of the major exponents of these musical tendencies (yes, all of them +jazz) is Shem-Tov Levi with his characteristic flute and skilled piano playing accompanied by his very competent singing. Prog-wise Levi is one of the epicenters of the Israeli branch being part of projects such as Ktzat Acheret, Tzlil Mechuvan, The Family Album (with Schlomo Gronich) and in 1976 decided to form a new group: Sheshet. For this he teamed with one of the most beautiful voices in music (specifically israeli folk and pop), Yehudith Ravitz.

Levi and Ravitz have always surrounded themselves with very talented artists (being the duets Levi-Gronich and Rechter-Ravitz very enjoyable and progy) , this is no exception since for this album they recruited a group of brilliant artists of rock (Aroch played with Arik Einstein and Shalom Hanoch on israeli rock cornerstone album/rock opera Shablool) and jazz (being Renert a very respected jazz pianist) backgrounds. So what you would expect here is an amazing fusion album (lots of Chick Corea influences) with hints of Gentle Giant (it seems that every israeli band of the era was influenced by the Shulman brothers and co.) and somewhat of a Canterbury atmosphere (the israeli scene has lots of humor and craziness + some tendencies towards a jazzy sound).

When the band was founded they had many troubles getting gigs which is the main reason of their short existence, but an executive of a recording company convinced them to reunite and record the album (thanks god they agreed) which you can still find in most israeli record stores...

Now the song by song review (beware...spoilers...):

Clappers: the album starts by showcasing the abilities of the instrumental band with a jazzy jam featuring a combination of bass, drums, piano, flute and electric guitar followed by a section headed by vocals to develop into a two minute instrumental jam and finish with more beautiful singing. Very complex writing and more than competent playing. 5/5

Colours: the first of many instrumentals. Focused on the piano, the supporting rhythm section is very competent and the flute accompaniment and soloing makes it very enjoyable. 4.5/5

Left Foot Samba: is a must for latin/brazilian jazz/fusion (and Matti Caspi) fans, written by singer (and co-founder) Yehudith Ravitz showing that besides of being a fantastic vocalist she is a very skilled composer (+ the lyrics are fun and well written). Fun song with an amazing flute performance (I'll be saying this a lot because Levi's flute is just magical) but too short of length (3:31 only)... 4.75/5

7/8: as the title announces it has a 7/8 time signature (which is a good sign for us prog nuts), showing the desire of making different and more complex music, the highlights are the rhodes piano, the somewhat odd flute playing, the rhythm section (jazz players would kill for one like this) and the piano that suddenly breaks into the music in several sections with great improvs + Levi's and Ravitz's vocalizations (no lyrics) get a special mention. Highly enjoyable and a bit weird (for prog fans this is completely normal!) tune. 5/5

If Only You Have Come: a sad ballad singed by Levi accompanied by an acoustic piano (with a rhodes intro) with some flute, electric guitar and bass moments. Nice but short prog ballad. 4/5

Autumn Nights: one of my all time favorite songs mainly due to Ravitz's vocals (which are somewhat unusual) and Levi's beautiful flute. It continues in the mood of the previous song with a sad ballad, the guitar licks and the rhythm section deserve an honorable mention. If you liked Ktzat Acheret you are going to love this one! 5/5

Debka: it builds up from a traditional arab tune (Debka dance, as the title announced) performed by Levi in flute and singed by him and the rest of the band (no lyrics), then it turns into a more upbeat rock improv and lots of Jazz with unusual elements and soloing by each member (including vocal). The drums shine with the piano, guitar and flute. 4.75/5

Dinosaurus Jr.: This is for Ktzat Acheret nostalgia... A rock instrumental song led by Levi's beautiful flute (I cannot get tired of it) featuring a very nice melody and filled with lots of jamming. 4.5/5

F Minor: closes the album in a very calmed way and (similarly to 7/8) the title announces the key in which the song is written. F Minor is an instrumental dominated by the flute, piano and rhythm section and it has to end with the wordless vocalizations of Ravitz and Levi. 4.75/5

Highlights? The flute (of course), Ravitz's voice, the piano, the rhythm section, the guitar... what can I say? the entire band!!!

Total: 4.69

This is a no-brainer an absolute prog classic, masterpiece and cornerstone of the amazing and somewhat forgotten Israeli prog/rock/jazz scene....

If you like Chick Corea, Canterbury scene prog, Middle-eastern, Gentle Giant, Yehudith Ravitz, Shem-Tov Levi, Ktzat Acheret and/or israeli music in general this is for you...

Now this is amazing stuff !! I'm happy to see the high rating for this album placing it exactly where it should , because this is so good and such a great album, such great music, I almost can't believe it! Music is definitely prog but on the lighter side, it's not acustic but never gets heavy ,always have that great feel of a band playing at ease, even on the rockier parts. For the ones seeking harder edged music with heavy guitar and keys look else where! But for the rest of you this is a diamond , everything is so well done and played so good, songs are well written and interesting. It's hard for me to pick a standout since the songs have a wide range of diversity from eclectic prog to great softer parts that evolves effectively! I must say vocals are so well done great harmonies throughout the entire album, Hebrew language can sound ....well actually I don't know how it sounds because I speak it ,but I am sure it sounds very different, although ravitz has this great voice just beautiful. "Clappers" offers the eclectic side of the band starting out with this great piano riff which easily all the band follow gradually simply great, I love the chorus with those harmonies , from the start you realize this band is professionals!! "Colours starts so easily with the piano that you think you might fall asleep in a minute or so , but it builds up with great guitar and more soloing it then climaxes and drums really steals the show with those great poundings , really good! I didn't mean to go song by song but I will say this album goes further and shows Brazilian style , jazz and there is an Israeli vibe to the music which adds to more diversity. Although some of the musicians on the band were inspired from prog artists especially from England there is no imitation just inspiration, the music is totally original and always have this Israeli spin to it and that what makes it so good. Now I definitely must comment on the beautiful flute playing by Levi, so right and never goes noodling like a lot of bands do. " Debka" is the rocker for this album with one riff played over and over by each other of the members include vocals singng the same riff , great guitar soloing and piano as well. "dinosaurus jr." shifts from so many moods so cleverly and in such elegancy , I really can't describe this song , it starts very psychedelic and then goes gentle giant like and some maybe jade warrior like, amazing stuff , it goes through rock fusion jazz all blend together like it was one style. Closing song has a very emotional feel with that jazzy soft vibe and those vocals , it then changes and has a very dramatic atmosphere , this is five stars music right there great flute and drums pounding the way and some crazy piano and then suddenly goes back to the main riff forgetting everything happened a second ago.

I am left with no words for conclusion but I must ... Prog lovers get this , I must say it does not reveal it greatness right away like so many other albums , so have a few spins. Anyway great piece of 70's prog rock of the highest caliber , original music and so much fun too. I also must say very good recording and mixing which is a wonder for me because of all the crapy recording in the 70's especially for prog. Essential and a must have, five stars with no hesitation!!

This curious little release from an obscure one-album wonder Israeli prog outfit is an eye- opening collection of progressive tunes which draw heavily from the more mellow side of jazz fusion and the Canterbury scene. With guitar tones often reminiscent of Phil Miller's work in Hatfield, flute from band leader Shem-Tov Levi which reminds me of some of the more gentle works of Camel or Jade Warrior, and an overall atmosphere which harks back to the first two Return to Forever albums, this is a delightful exploration of more laid-back aspects of the subgenres it draws from and, through this mix of influences, comes up with something truly unique. Special mention has to be made of the excellent vocals from Yehudith Ravitz, who'd go on to have a rather successful solo career after this release.

This was the only studio album that Israel's own SHESHET released back in 1977. A six piece with two guitarists playing a lot of the acoustic version but we do get some electric guitar solos. A pastoral record with plenty of flute and piano as lead instruments but really it's those male and female vocals that draw me in. In fact my first impression was that this sounds like Argentina's INVISIBLE. It was after spending a week with this that I saw many mentioning GENTLE GIANT which surprised me although I hear it on one track "Debka" with the vocal arrangements. The male singer would become a popular vocalist in Israel after this. I don't know but this is one of those records that just makes me feel good, very uplifting with some excellent instrumental work by all. Everyone but the drummer adds vocals so we do get some harmonies and other multi-vocal sections. This didn't sell well at all causing the band to break up soon after this was released.

Cymbals" might be my favourite and a great example of the music on display here. Piano only to start as the bass and drums kick in. Flute starts to solo then vocals around a minute as it settles. My first spin of this had me delightfully confused with how this sounded coming from a band from the Middle East. Gorgeous stuff and the piano and flute take turns leading with the vocals coming and going. I feel there's a couple of misses hence my rating like the ballad "If You Had Come". There's some jazzy tracks too like "7/8" and "Dinosaurus Jr". I really enjoyed this one and it's easily 4 stars. The leader of the band the flute player would reappear in the Israeli music scene with SANHEDRIN over 30 years later.