By Rex Butters

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Cooper-Moore and Assif Tsahar’s follow up to last year’s blistering America finds them sounding a mellower tone, with no loss of passion or imagination. Tsahar’s improvisational intensity navigates the unique aural worlds created by Cooper-Moore, whether on conventional or invented instruments.

Cooper-Moore plays the marimba-like ashimba while Tsahar simmers on bass clarinet to open “The Eight.” The bright, lovely little flute/harp/guitar/mouth-bow multitracked “Tribes Gathering” also features a tasty bass clarinet solo by Tsahar. The unique sound of the mouth-bow blooms through the pastoral soundscape.

Deep rumbling synth underscores “Oracles,” with Tsahar seeing the future on tenor. His warm crying sax contrasts the moaning synth waves. Tsahar uses the bass clarinet to blow the charge on “The Hunt,” with Cooper-Moore providing drums and rapid ashimba. A beautiful harp solo starts the title track, quickly joined by a minored flute song. Switching to hard rolling tenor sax, the piece switches gears with Cooper-Moore hiss and whisper on drums. Some baritone horns blow a fanfare, and a synth marimba joins Tsahar’s fiery muzmar, a Middle Eastern double reed, for atmospheric exotica that lands us back into the rollicking tenor solo.

Spidery bass strings dance and stretch with abrupt guitar on “Deviations.” Cooper-Moore’s deedly-bo swims a rubbery rhythm over Tsahar’s guitar shards. A heartbreaking harp/tenor duet, “Forlorn,” lets Tsahar’s tenor cry softly with Cooper-Moore’s graceful music box accompaniment. Slapped keys and grating metal synth back Tsahar’s tenor solo in sci-fi on “Another World Another Time.” “The Procession” encores the slippery deedly-bo, Tsahar soaring over the bounce. Suddenly, multitracked flutes, harps, and ashimba create a succulent tropical paradise soundtrack, Tsahar sticking around on tenor.

Tshar and Cooper-Moore act as true Eulipions, transporting the listener through the threshold of imagination.

print   email   permission   license   . More reviews of Cooper-Moore and Assif Tsahar's Tells Untold. This article first appeared in All About Jazz: Los Angeles. Download our latest issue for an extended monthly calendar, a club guide, interviews, local artist profiles and more!

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Track Listing: The Eight; Tribes Gathering; Oracles; The Hunt; Tells Untold; Deviations; Forlorn; Another World Another Time; the Procession.

Personnel: Cooper-Moore: harp, ashimba, drums, flute, deedly-bo, mouth-bow, synth & the bell; Assif Tsahar, tenor sax, bass clarinet, acoustic guitar, muzmar, thumb piano.

Style: Modern Jazz/Free Improvisation

Review Published: July 18, 2005