Tsahar, Assif/New York Undergr / Fragments
Album: Fragments   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Tsahar, Assif/New York Undergr   Added:Mar 2005
Label:Hopscotch Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-06-05 Pull Date: 2005-08-07 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Aug 7 Jul 24 Jul 10 Jun 26 Jun 19 Jun 12
Airplays: 2 1 2 1 1 2

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 24, 2009: Memory Select
Tenth
4. Aug 05, 2005: The Dog and Pony show
Seventh
2. Aug 11, 2009: Jena & Gomorrah: big bands
Fifth
5. Aug 04, 2005: Multiple Personality Disorder
Twelfth
3. Jun 26, 2007: Alban Stands There
Fourteenth
6. Jul 22, 2005: Memory Select
Seventh

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2005-06-17
Short compositions for orchestra. The kind of improv setting that often resembles modern chamber music, particularly due to the empahsis on strings. Traditional Jewish scales pop up (5,7) but the more dominating sound are microtones -- that is, violins/cellos played in screechy, other-worldly scales.

In the past, Tsahar has used the orchestra in a more free-form setting. These pieces show off the composed elements much more (5) although they do let the musicisians spin into untethered improv (6,11).

1- Slow, with guitar
2- Quiet scrabbling with trumpet
3- Sad violin wail, slow, dark
4- Very quiet squeaking
5- Slow, mysterious. Old-world folk vibe
6- Jumpy improv
7- Slow, Balkan/Klezmer violin
9- Slow, drawn-out lines. Dramatic, with squeaky soloists
10- Brash trumpet and jazzy bassline
11- Fast chaos
12- A gradual rumble
13- Sour-toned viola over pizzacatto backing
14- Dark and creeping with fast cello, into a squall
15- Small, w/overlapping horn and flute blips
16- Improv clatter, fast w/quiet middle. Ends bright and jazzy with spirited clarinet

Track Listing
1. First   9. Ninth
2. Second   10. Tenth
3. Third   11. Eleventh
4. Fourth   12. Twelfth
5. Fifth   13. Thirteenth
6. Sixth   14. Fourteenth
7. Seventh   15. Fifteenth
8. Eighth   16. Sixteenth