AMAZIR

After a few years of silence (the reason is still unknown to me, but I must admit I never searched for it either), Aka Moon resumed their recorded adventures that were so brutally stopped in 2002. Amazir is sort of a return to the trio's jazz roots, even if there are some avant- garde forays and some ethnic (Caribbean) dabblings into the album. This still the same trio, with the faithful Fiorini on piano, Malik on flute and Northettes/Wyatt-ian type of scats vocals and a few more guests. Obviously, part of the delay between albums is that Amazir is the first record released by the Cypres/Kastafior label, but it is nice digipak with sober artworks, much the same that will be used for their next album Griots.

Opening with the title track, the album appears mainly syncopated jazz with a slight dissonant flute at times and a slightly funk bass, but soon enough in the following Cuban 1 appears Malik's thrilling flute and his high-perched scat vocals and the track takes on an addictive side. The 11-mins Vasco and the 7-mins Lila are definitely a bit more dissonant and brings a lot of substance to the album, Hatzi's bass being hypnotizing and Galland's drumming always right on the dot and at the same time surprisingly complex. 7 Wheels come back with Malik's Northettes scatting and the next Cuban 3 sees his flute coming to the fore, while Galland drums up a storm. Fiorini's piano is still as discreet but so useful to underline his partner's small tour-de-force, but he soars like an eagle in Vasco. And of course there is Cassol: Fabrizio's sax is of course the signature of the group's sound and sides up with all of the tracks >< he signs them all.

Those that were missing a bit the early Aka Moon and thought they were getting lost in their ethnic endeavours, will definitely like this album, probably their most "straight jazz" since the early 90's, but there is a lot more to it than that, too.