Assif Tsahar & Hamid Drake - Soul Bodies, vol.2

Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG Newsletter

This is an extraordinary live duo featuring Hamid Drake on drums & percussion and Assif Tsahar on tenor sax in November of 2002 and it is dedicated to the late Peter Kowald who had recently passed.

The opening piece is a splendid groove piece called "Warriors of Stillness". Hamid has become everyone's favorite drummer of the past decade and it is easy to hear why: he exudes that magical groove, blending jazz, funk, rock, reggae and other ethnic influences into one uplifting stream. Assif sounds swell riding the waves jubilantly, not screaming but dancing.

And that's just what it makes me wanna do.

Even when they start to explore the freer terrain on "Praying Mantis", the duo move in waves together, weaving layers of notes and spinning quickly, yet intricately. Assif takes his time and plays more soulfully than ever, rarely screaming and balancing the intensity just right. Both players balance things just right, sometimes just simmering, sometimes boiling, but never too much. They are in a more contemplative mode/mood since their friend and musical cohort, master-bassist and musical diplomat, Peter Kowald, had recently passed away. They are evoking his special spirit and there is a touching vibe at the center of this set.

Spirits rejoice, my friends, let their cosmic suave help heal us.