"Rothbard has a patient way with a phrase, a confident time feel and solid, tasteful chops."
David Adler, Jazz Time
Twin Song on Midlantic records from guitarist Avi Rothbard presents solid hard-bop/soul-jazz in standard organ-trio configuration. With updated harmonies this still echoes back to a time the country was dotted with clubs that had Hammond organs (when guitarists like George Benson, Kenny Burrell and Grant Green toured with Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith). Rothbard's Twin Song swings with 9 mostly upbeat, original compositions. Twin Song features the musicianship of Avi Rothbard on guitar, Jared Gold on Hammond B3 Organ, and Joe Strasser on drums. Wayne Escoffery makes a guest appearance on Tenor Sax.
Rothbard has developed a style firmly rooted within the American jazz guitar mainstream. One can hear the influences of Wes Montgomery filtered through Joe Pass, Grant Green and George Benson in his playing.
Twin Song is clearly a showcase for Rothbard's considerable talent (both as a guitarist and composer), but this group is a performs as a cohesive unit and each musician is given opportunities to shine on this album. Organist Jared Gold has the chops and evokes the late great Larry Young with his great post-bop harmonies and voicings. Joe Srtasser swinging as ever and Wayne Escoffery provides some stunning solos on Tenor.
www.Jazzpolice.com Rothbard, a '98 Berklee graduate, asserts his bona fide credentials with this recording, which works within the classic guitar/organ/drums genre, but also goes beyond.
With a little help from organist Jared Gold and drummer Joe Strasser, the guitarist opens with an up-tempo burner that is very much in the mode of a funky sermonette from the soul-jazz pulpit. Part of the young Israeli's education in America occurred not just in rarified classrooms, but also in steamy Harlem nightspots where the music absolutely has to cook.
Aside from soulful signifying, Rothbard has a number of tricks up his sleeve, including a 5/4 ballad, a 6/8 swinger and a flag-waving modal piece sparked with crackling unison guitar/organ passages.
There are other seasoning pops up in three bright cameos by tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, a former protégé of jazz legend and Hartford resident Jackie McLean.
Though the trio is fine and mellow, Escoffery's rich tenor lends it a little extra sonic gravitas rooted in groove and grit.
OWEN MCNALLY Hartford Courant
Guitarist Avi Rothbard takes a refreshing and earthy approach on this trio and quartet recording. The leader, who was born on the Israeli kibbutz Gan Shmuel and trained at Boston's Berklee College of Music, is deep into updating a chitlin-circuit sound here.
The quartet works up a froth on nine Rothbard originals that span both the sweet and rocking sides of soul jazz. The session projects some arthouse overtones, but the effect is pleasantly primal at times, as on the opening stomper, “Preach's Inches.”
Rothbard is more complementary than flamboyant as a soloist. He plays to make the band better, not preside over it. Organist Jared Gold and drummer Joe Strasser find heft in the leader's tunes, which are reasonable most of the time, if not particularly memorable. Tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery makes some airy cameos.
One yearns at times for some clarifying soul, but at least Rothbard's aim is to entertain as much as mystify.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Avi Rothbard's second release as a leader on the MidLantic label demonstrates his unique talent as a soulful guitar player of the highest caliber and a gifted composer. Rothbard was born and raised in a Kibbutz in Israel, and came to the US to study at the Berklee College of Music in 1995. Since moving to New York in 1999, Rothbard has established himself as a first-tier player on the New-York music scene and has performed with the likes of Mike Ledonne, Wayne Escoffery, Bob Moses, Ted Rosenthal, Grant Stewart, Joe Magnarelli and others.
Rothbard's chosen format for this new album (and his previous album) is the organ trio. The classic "soul-jazz" style of Guitar-Organ-Drums was made famous by Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Pat Martino and George Benson in the 60's. Rothbard is deeply rooted in that tradition and has spent many years absorbing the bebop and soul-jazz vocabulary, but he does not stop at that. His influences also include modern players like Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson.
The opening song "Preach's Inches" has a CTI-era George Benson vibe to it. With drummer Joe Strasser providing a light back-beat feel, Rothbard launches into a catchy melody that leads to a short funky organ solo by Jared Gold and then some exciting break-time choruses with great drum interludes and some tasty octave soloing by Rothbard leading right back to the melody. Keeping things tasty and short is another hallmark of this album. With all but one tune clocking in at around 5 minutes, you never feel like the players are stretching their solos too long and you get a great balance of composed sections and improvised solos.
"Minor Impact" is an up-tempo swing tune that breaks right into a blazing guitar solo. With the tempo being so fast, most players will tend to play streams of continuous 8th notes, but not so with Rothbard, who takes his time and develops his phrases thoughtfully even at such a fast pace demonstrating breathtaking technique and good taste to match, and even tipping his hat to Grant Green by quoting one of his signature phrases in an unlikely spot. Jared Gold who follows with a great Organ solo is also a master of solo construction - telling a whole story in two choruses before the group trades fours and takes the tune out.
"Cheerleader" is a memorable pop ballad that shows Rothbard may have a lot of commercial appeal beyond the confines of the straight-ahead jazz audience.
"Twin Song" is a medium swing/latin tune with a strong melodic motif that is established first by Organ and then Guitar and finally provides a vehicle for Rothbard to develop thematically throughout his masterful solo. "Triad" is another medium swing which lets Rothbard stretch out a little more, moving ideas around chromatically and taking it outside a bit, but always in a logical and musical way. Gold's solo follows also has shades of Larry Young's more modern Organ sound but he clearly has his own sound and conception.
"Five Corners" opens with Rothbard playing some astonishingly fast lines against out-of-tempo lush organ chords before launching into the melody and another expertly crafted guitar solo. Rothbard's sound throughout the album is full, round and clean and his ideas are always executed with technical mastery and soul. This song features a solo by the Tenor Sax giant Wayne Escoffery who graces it with a powerful and energetic solo statement before returning to the theme.
"One & Nine" is a Rothbard's tribute to another one of his influences: Wayne Shorter. Taking the motif from Shorter's "Yes and No" and recasting it in a completely new setting, he creates a melodic vehicle for one of his best solos on the album, before turning it into a samba feel for Esscoffery's solo. "The Password" is a beautiful guitar solo piece which changes moods from rubato to Bossa Nova and allows Rothbard to show the many colors he can extract from his guitar.
Any lover of Guitar-Organ trios will find this album very satisfying. Rothbard preserves the traditional stylistic elements that make this format work so well, and adds his own contemporary ideas on top of catchy memorable compositions to create a unique blend.
Dan Adler
Israeli guitarist Avi Rothbard has caught on to American idioms quite successfully. His sound has the clarity and "ping" of most bop-influenced jazz guitarists, with a liquid, bluesy overlay that makes him an effective leader of what's usually called the organ trio (guitar-organ-drums).
"Preach's Inches" has an upbeat gospel orientation, and it's typical of Rothbard's rapport with organist Jared Gold and drummer Joe Strasser in a tightly wound threesome. "Five Corners" is the most innovative composition, as guest saxophonist Wayne Escoffery contributes both judiciously and meatily to the trio texture.
"Cheerleader" sounds like an R&B ballad waiting for a lyric, and Gold's soupy accompaniment doesn't help. But the guitar melody is fetching, and a good theme likewise carries a much different piece, "Triad," with its vigorous organ and guitar soloing. Rothbard's facility and imagination are most concentrated in "Minor Impact," which also offers the best evidence of Gold's commanding bass line on the pedal board.
"Twin Song," Midlantic Records. Reviewed by Indianapolis Star staff writer Jay Harvey.
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Avi Rothbard, originally from Israel, has been making his way through the New York jazz scene for the past few years and this is his second release with Midlantic Records. His compositions are both stylistically and technically superb and his guitar playing is equally brilliant. Building from, but not limiting himself to, classic style and form, he is able to take his music in many new directions. This collection showcases the multi-dimensionality of Rothbard's acumen as a composer and jazz musician. The arrangements are tight and precise, but overflowing in exuberance and creative exploration.
“Preach's Inches,” is soulful and funky. Rothbard on guitar practically flies around the room and Jared Gold is fierce on organ; and the next track, “Minor Impact,” actually has more energy than that. It is fast and intense and Joe Strasser's drums take hot and nervous breaths throughout leading to a couple of quaking solos before it goes out with a quick jab. The mood is lightened up a bit, with “Cheerleader,” a wonderful composition, which glides in softly, but with light animation. Rothbard's guitar-playing here lingers, beckoning the listener deeper and leads to a funky change up where organ and guitar really shine. The last track on this CD, “Just a Little Sip,” is also of special note as it features some sizzling saxophone by Escoffery. Excellent!
Veronica Timpanelli (
JazzReview.com®)
"Of the many organ trio releases that have popped out over the past few years, Twin Song deserves a place in the front rank it's that good”.
Larry Nai (cadence)
"Rothbard's compositions are fully realized and clever, while at the same time retaining their emotional center. It is a joy to hear the interplay between the musicians.Twin Song is an excellent CD"
All About Jazz New York
-
“Twin
Song is A Very Solid effort by Israeli born musician, Guitarist Avi
Rothbard. his organ trio is rooted in mainstream playing, but with
modern awareness”
Neil Tesser(“Listen Here!” Jazz reveiw)
- “Going Somewhere-”A forward looking guitarist with hip
organ grooves”
Zan
Stewart(Jazziz magazine)
“Guitar /Organ/drums trio taken clean and crisp turns afresh face.
They give “ Just One Of Those Things’ a sideways harmonic glance and
ring true on Billy Strayhorn’s “ A Flower Is A lovesome Thing”.
Fred bouchard (Boston Globe, Downbeat)
“He
and his collogues consistently provide an enjoyable body of music,
Rothbard begins to truly show him self as more than an assemblage of
influences. Rothbard spins of single notes with speed and alacrity.”
Derek
Taylor( Cadence magazine)
“Rothbard
gets into some nice lines”
Jim
Ferguson( Jazz Times magazine)
Up-and-coming drummer/bandleader Pete Zimmer brought his A-team to the Jazz Factory Saturday, September 8. His quartet featured trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, guitarist Avi Rothbard and bassist David Wong. The first set included the leader's "Summer Samba" as well as standards "Lover Man" (demonstrating Zimmer's abilities on brushes) and "From this Moment On," (a showcase for Pelt's muted trumpet). The second set began with the Coltrane tune "Straight Street," followed by a Zimmer original, "Common Man," a midtempo swinger. "Lover" was taken at a very fast tempo, with Pelt and Rothbard trading fours. Another Zimmer song, "Time that Once Was," followed and was in turn followed by Sony Rollins' "Doxy." "Una Mas" and a Kenny Burrell blues closed the evening. Besides Pelt's always on-the-money soloing, Rothbard provided musicality which seemed to borrow from both mainstream and progressive styles, adding a sense of tension and surprise to many of the pieces. Wong's accompaniment was sympathetic and he showed impressive chops during his solo turns.
"Rothbard, an Israeli-born musician now living in New York, has two CDS as a leader, Going Somewhere (MR2002-1060) and Twin Song (on his own Rothbard label, available at www.cdbaby.com). Twin Song features Rothbard, organist Jared Gold, drummer Joe Strasser and the great young saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, in a series of original compositions which deftly unite soulful grooves with a progressive musical approach."
Louisville Music News Martin Kasdan
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