John Balke, Amina Alaoui, and Friends
Siwan
ECM

Evan Parker’s Electro-Acoustic Ensemble
The Moment’s Energy
ECM
www.ecmrecords.com
By George W. Harris

Here are a couple of ECM releases that demonstrate the disparate sounds of what we call “jazz.” Do either qualify? Is the goal to make “jazz” or “good music?”

Siwan is a clever recording by keyboardist Jon Balke, joining with violinist Kheir Eddine McKachiche, trumpeter Jon Hassell, vocalist Amina Aliaoui, and a Middle Eastern nuanced string section. The music captures the essence of the Andalusian regions of the Mediterranean, with sounds floating between Morocco and Spain, depending on which way the sea winds blow. Alaoui has a gorgeously earthy voice, and sounds at home in Arabic and Spanish, with the band giving sounds that rise to the Atlas Mountains, and down to the Sahara desert. The mood shifts from lonely and dark evenings to folk treasures that will make you feel like you’re traipsing through the alleys of Fez. Excellent music that captures the mood perfectly.

I’m not sure what Parker’s mood was (couldn’t help the pun) when he put this band and resultant recording together. If your idea of music is hearing clattering percussion that sounds like someone rummaging through a sink full of plates, or splats and spurts that sound like ejections from a soap dispenser, than forget going to jazz clubs, and come over to my kitchen and record me emptying the dishwasher. If you can find 3 differences between this recording and my domestic chores, my hat is off to you.