Thursday, December 20, 2018

ORIENTAL WIND – Live In Der Balver Höhle (JG-Records, 1978)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

A document of Oriental Wind's powerful performance at the fifth annual jazz festival held at the Balver Höhle in Balve, Germany in June 1978. The impact is only lessened by a somewhat muddy sound, but if you can listen beyond the aural fidelity, you're in for a fine treat. All material is based on Turkish traditional music arranged by band leader Okay Temiz, but the quintet (also comprising Oriental Wind regulars Lennart Åberg on saxes and Bobo Stensson on piano) have a go at it with an explosive Coltrane-like fervour. The ensemble playing is on top level, with the five performers working up a transcendental frenzy, culminating at the end of ”Dere Geliyor Dere”. Haci Tekbilek's baglama (a Turkish lute of the saz family) is an excellent addition, adding a U.S. Kaleidoscope touch to parts of ”Fidayda”. That all tracks were originally released on their brilliant studio debut doesn't make "Live at the Balver Höhle" redundant at all. The live versions are a very good complement to the studio incarnations, although they would have benefitted from a better recording.
 

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