01/05/2009 MazzMuzikas - Online Webmag

Al Orkesta mixes folk and ethnic music with jazz and rock elements, leaving lots of room for the soloist's creativity. The quintet is made up of the leader Jo Higham (tenor sax, clarinet), the trumpet player Jean-Paul Estiévenart, the guitarist Jacques Pirotton, the bass-player Olivier Stalon and the drummer Stephan Pougin. Traditional music from Turkey ("House of the Marriage") Syria ("Sal Fi-na Al-Lahda") and Israel ("Sphil-Zhe Mir A Lidele") form the thematic starting point upon which the musicians improvise to their heart's content. A conspicuous role is set aside for Pirotton's electric guitar, so that the music in addition to folk and jazz can also be called rock. All the numbers are by Joe Higham with the exception of "Valse Immonde" by Jacques Pirotton. I hesitate to make anyone spend money, but this CD, issued in the latest releases from Mognomusic, is another little pearl. Perhaps the free jazz elements, which are definitely present, may scare off some listeners, but here there can certainly be no talk of "squeak-grunt" music.