Assif Tsahar & Hamid Drake - Soul Bodies, vol.1

Uno Ohlsson, Norrköpings Tidningar

The record company Ayler Records continue to spread the message of free jazz luckily for all who have become tired of all the worn out phrases of the mainstream jazz.
From the avant-garde scene in New York the musicians Hamid Drake and Assif Tsahar have been collected and the recording is made on the spot.
Israel born Assif Tsahar (born in 1969) plays tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. He has been heard with musicians like Susie Ibarra and William Parker and it is not difficult to hear that he is influenced by masters like Coltrane and Ayler.
Hamid Drake is an experienced free jazz drummer and has played a lot with Don Cherry.
The record includes three pieces, where "Soul Bodies" and "Heart's Mind" follows given structures for free jazz. Easier to listen to is "Clay Dancers" were Tsahar's Israeli musical heritage blends with Drake's drumming and singing of Sufis themes in Arabic.