Yosef Gutman: Perfect Traveler
Soul Song Records

Perfect Traveler differentiates itself in two key ways from many of the other distinguished releases Jerusalem-based five-string acoustic bass guitarist Yosef Gutman has brought into the world. It's the first time he's paired with Israeli-French pianist Yonathan Avishai, an ECM recording artist whose playing Jazzwise characterized as having “restrained improv eloquence and quiet empathy” (anyone familiar with Gutman's music will assuredly recognize that such words could as easily apply to him). It's not a duo recording, however: the two are joined by Gilad Ronen and Daniel Dor on woodwinds and drums, respectively. Their contributions are as integral to the music, with the former's flute and latter's percussion amplifying the music without detracting from its intimacy.

Perhaps more significant is the addition of spoken word to four of the set's fourteen tracks, the bassist augmenting his music with his own poetry and thereby offering a clear and direct articulation of his beliefs. His strikingly youthful speaking voice arrests the ear when it appears alongside Yemenite and Moroccan liturgical melodies. Gutman's worshipful deference comes through in the words he utters in the stirring opener “Channel Small,” “I'm most useful when I'm small, not worthless small, but channel small—like a flute that's hollow so the music can flow.” Humble gratitude for the blessed gift of life resonates through “Modeh Ani” in his words, “For the light in my eyes, for the breath in my lungs, for the heart in my chest—thank you,” in the stateliness of Avishai's hushed accompaniment, and in the unexpected appearance of Gutman singing. His ongoing desire for self-betterment is rendered explicit by the title “I Want To Be More” and in the stoical determination he expresses during “Forward” (“I walk as if there is no sea; I walk as if there are no walls; I walk forward”).

Produced by Gutman and mixed and mastered by Stefano Amerio, the album exemplifies a spaciousness that allows each element to resonate clearly. Even though we've by now become familiar with the sound of Gutman's five-string acoustic bass guitar, we're reminded once again of how critical an element it is to his music when the production presentation captures its upper-register melodies so vividly. Recorded at his studio in Jerusalem, the music flows with a natural grace and ease, the pieces not pure improvs yet their unfolding redolent of the kind of connection musicians of like-minded sensibilities share. Throughout the release, bass blends fluidly with piano, their union beautifully enhanced by the woodwinds of the bassist's long-time colleague Ronen and Dor's astute percussive colour.

Tracks co-credited to Avishai and Gutman that draw on traditional Yemenite and Moroccan melodies are no less memorable for eschewing spoken texts. The first, “Dror Yikra,” captivates with a bright piano melody before a melodica-like instrument adds a radiant additional dimension. The music alternately sings with poetic charm and Middle Eastern mystery, Gutman's bass vocal-like during its solo and Dor's percussive punctuations complementing the sonic terrain. As meditative as much of the album's music is, there are lively moments too, with passages in “Hodu,” for instance, manifesting a strong rhythmic energy and propulsion. With soprano sax pointing the music in a rather Jan Garbarek-like direction, “Nin'alu” temporarily relocates the album to ECM territory.

Gutman's humility extends to sharing the spotlight, as happens when the arrangement for “Nigun” features Avishai and Ronen only and the joyous “Piano Solo” Avishai, of course, only. “Big Hug,” on the other hand, positions the leader's soloing bass at the forefront, even if Ronen's overdubbed flute-and-clarinet textures are as attention-getting. The album title's intended ironically, of course, as Gutman would be the first to identify himself as a less-than-perfect life traveler, someone humbly receptive to direction from a higher power and searching daily for his own personal “soul song” (“Where Falling Becomes Flying” says as much in his words, “There's a wisdom in the wounds, and knowing in the nights spent searching, that the perfect traveler never finds”). Pity the record store owner who has to slot Gutman's music into a particular section when it encompasses multiple genres without favouring one over another. His is a spiritual music that incorporates elements of folk, jazz, classical, and World music. It's easier, perhaps, to pinpoint its distinguishing qualities, its emphasis on humble and sensitive expression, its aura of contemplative serenity, and its sincerity and authenticity. How fitting that his label was given the name Soul Song Records.

October 2026