Meir Shitrit just released his latest offering “WAY” in 2012. It’s a funky yet worldly jazz album that gleefully dances up and down the spectrum of modern jazz music with some impressive fretwork and some breathtaking arrangements and performances along the way. Shitrit has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for his work mainly for his guitar playing skills. The musical content of this album depicts a period of the last 3 years of my life. It doesn’t necessarily include extreme adventures, it’s only that with every day that passes I seem to be a little different from who I’ve been the day before, feeling life in a slightly different manner, and therefore experiencing new sounds. The result stands before you: An Album about a searching and self expression within the endlessness of sounds and musical worlds.Opening with the finger snapping track “Shepherd’s Way” through to the lingering musical fabric of “Taqsim Square” this album hits on all cylinders. “WAY” is an eclectic mixture of all the best modern jazz has to offer, but what even more amazing each selection has a worldly flavor to it. I could be wrong but some pieces dabble into worldly inprov whose beginning, middle and end may not have been was unknown at the outset. The music herein is perfect for just sitting back and jamming out to, or playing in the car for a long drive. While each track does have a unique feel and groove, every song on “WAY” delivers Top Tired Jazz that will satisfy any aficionado. Of particular note are the smooth, soothing guitar work of Shitrit. His playing is beautiful while retaining a masculine fullness that compliments the skillful array of sounds from the rest of the members. Beyond the standard band members, there is a high degree of X-Factor present between the notes. What is X-Factor? It’s the passion within. Though I could be wrong I suspect musical influences are as follows: Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Ralph Towner and Don Ross to Antione Da’four. Meir Shitrit lends an incredible guitar touch and deserves a lot of credit for bringing this amazing CD to your ears. My favorite tracks are as follows: Jaffa Nights, Blue, Down Town. To sum it up: I give “WAY” by Meir Shitrit an enthusiastic nine out of ten stars and highly recommend this album to any fan of jazz or progressive jazz funky yet worldly. Grab yourself a copy and kick up your heels to some solid jazz! It definitely sets the standard for this rather elitist outlier genre.
Locale: Tel Aviv, Israel
Sounds Like: Joe Pass, Andy Mckee, Shakti, Tommy Emmanuel
REVERBNATION: http://www.reverbnation.com/meirshitrit
BELOW AVERAGE/AVERAGE/ABOVE AVERAGE/STELLAR
Song Clips/Download: http://meirshitrit.bandcamp.com/
Review by Trevor Gray (UK) edited by Heather Savage
Review comments; heathersavage5@gmail.com
