Itai Kriss & Telavana: Supermoon
Itai Kriss

New York-based flutist Itai Kriss titled the tracks on his third album with his Telavana ensemble after the signs of the Zodiac, with each composition his attempt to translate a sign's character into sonic form. That's certainly as good a concept as any to facilitate the creation of musical material, but in truth no familiarity with astrology is needed for Supermoon to be enjoyed and appreciated. Of greater import is how strikingly Kriss integrates echoes of Middle Eastern and Caribbean music into his Latin-jazz mix, the result a heady, vital potpourri. However much on paper the blend looks unusual, the performances on the seventy-one-minute set sound unforced and organic.

That's no doubt attributable, at least in part, to the experiences Kriss has had performing with some of the world's top Afro-Cuban, Latin, and Salsa artists and being a part of NYC's jazz community for almost twenty years. His debut album, The Shark, appeared in 2010 and its follow-up, TELAVANA, eight years later. Now Supermoon arrives to solidify his reputation and present the next chapter in the evolving story of Kriss and his ensemble. The core band couples him with Wayne Tucker (trumpet, flugelhorn), César Orozco (piano, Fender Rhodes), Tamir Shmerling (bass), Dan Aran (drums), and Marcos López (percussion). Guest keyboardist Shai Maestro appears on eleven tracks, while vocal contributions to two come from Cuban percussionist Keisel Jiménez, Malaya Sol, and J. Hoard.

At album's start, Kriss's entrancing flute introduces “The Cusp” before the music kicks into an infectious jazz-funk groove, clavinet giving the sound a ‘70s vibe and the rhythm section digging in and inspiring the leader and Tucker as they trade solos. While their instruments make for a harmonious front-line in “Aries,” Orozco on Fender Rhodes and Shmerling on electric bass do their part to help flesh out the sound. The energy level escalates when Jiménez adds rousing vocals to the Timba-styled “Taurus,” the move so transporting you might well imagine yourself sunning on a Cuban patio. It doesn't surprise that “Crustacean Vacation” is a fan favourite at live shows given the seductiveness of its dance-funk pulse and joyous vibe, and with soulful vocalist Hoard on board, “Virgo” rises to similarly exuberant, even ecstatic heights. In contrast to a driving performance such as “Libra,” “El Alacrán” cools the pace for a pensive, romantic reverie. As strong is the smooth, kalimba-sprinkled “Aquarius” for the vibrancy and uplift of the performance.

For an outfit that's six members only (seven with Maestro), Kriss and Telavana generate a lustrous sound one would more associate with a larger ensemble. That's easily explainable, however: while Aran, Shmerling, and López produce a dense percussive backdrop, Kriss, Tucker, Orozco, and Maestro create a luxuriant array of timbres that's warm and often sultry. As a front-line combination, flute and horn are effective too in being so contrasting, yet they also merge beautifully in the many instances where they're heard in unison. Perhaps the highest compliment one could pay to Kriss is to say how much listening to Supermoon makes one want to experience the band in concert. The material on this stylistically encompassing collection sounds terrific on disc but would no doubt soar even more live.

January 2022