To the many Jazz and Latin aficionados based in the United States, especially in New York, the name and the talent of the Israeli-born flautist and composer Itai Kriss are both very well-known, having Kriss established himself as one of the most talented and imaginative performers in the contemporary music scene of the aforementioned genres.
Throughout his career and by sharing recording studios and live venues with some highly talented fellow musicians from all over the world, Kriss managed to put together an enormously solid and skilled collective called Telavana, which includes several multi-instrumentalists that have been working together with the Israeli artist since 2018, releasing two excellent albums called respectively Telavana (2018) and Supermoon (2021).
With a brand new record just released and called All Aboard/Vol.1 Departures, Itai Kriss & Telavana transport their listeners, through their remarkable musicianship, in a fascinating and multi-faceted musical journey, from the streets of Paris to the Brazilian coastline, stretching their sonic wings even further to the vibes and the rhythms of countries like Morocco or Kriss' native Israel, among others.
The seven brand new instrumental compositions created by Kriss and Telavana included in All Aboard.. are exquisitely constructed and performed, incorporating different layers of sounds like Salsa, Jazz, Fusion and Desert Music. One of the many winning aspects of this album, it is most certainly dictated by Itai Kriss' creative music vision, a vision that allows the artist and composer to let his compositions flow freely not only through his amazing flute playing skills, but also by allowing each of the Telavana's band members to display their individual talents on many passages of the album.
All Aboard/Vol.1 Departures is a truly, mesmerising celebration of genres' contamination and a true feast for any music lover's ears; from the foot-stomping up-tempo of a track like Dakar, where Salsa, Latin and African rhythms are shuffled superbly, thanks also to such an impressive percussive work made by Telavana's Dan Arana and Samuel Torres, going to the album’s closing tune Seventh Life, an explosive all-around masterclass in Fusion and Jazz by Kriss and Telavana, All Aboard... explores numerous sonic alleyways where Itai Kriss' work as creator, performer and conductor is often surprisingly extravagant, but, by the same token, always extremely coherent and honest in expressing the feelings that Kriss and Telavana might have felt by visiting several countries while travelling the world and playing their music, throughout the years.
A record that encompasses not only high level of musicianship, but also pure, uncontaminated joy for life. All Aboard/Vol.1 Departures is this year's ideal soundtrack for all those that wish to travel the world through the medium of music at any point, come rain or shine, through a hugely accomplished record that reinstates once again and rather beautifully the class and talent of Itai Kriss & Telavana.
All Aboard/Vol.1 Departures is out now and it is available to be purchased via Spotify