Neon Egypt "Unearthed" • An Album Review By David Steffen
Listening to music should always bring an element of surprise. Preferably not the ‘ghost in the closet’ sort, but rather something new and dynamic; an unexpected pleasure. Familiarity is not a bad thing, but discovery can be far more interesting. For the uninitiated, sitting, listening and taking in the newly released album by Neon Egypt—Harrison Goldberg and Steven Miller—one immediately understands that this is a transportive album. Goldberg is heard on tenor, alto or soprano saxophone, accompanied by Miller playing his melodic Shendai Ceremonial Drums, a unique sonic hybrid between taiko drums and Timpani.
In another age I’d suggest the way to listen to Neon Egypt is to enter a high-end listening room, with a state of the art Linn turntable, dropping the needle (carefully) into the outermost groove and letting the album track through side A, and then (carefully, again) flipping the album and listening to the B-side. Of course, absent a time machine, leave that imagery aside and just play the CD. Close your eyes and you’ll probably be in that listening room anyway. At least that’s what I did. Here’s what I heard on my journey of “Unearthed”, track by track.
(1) “Return to the Golden Land” is one of the more exotic tracks. It evokes great aural imagery. There’s no magic carpet hovering near by, but I’m certain the dancer is somewhere in the room. A perfect opening track.
(2) “Spirits and Kings” continues the introduction but at a slightly different cadence.
(3) With “Cartouche Du Jazz” the pace picks up and for the first time, the distance between Miller’s drums and Goldberg’s saxophone is far more pronounced.
(4) In “View From A Mountain Temple” the journey takes a turn. It’s as if the musicians stopped at an oasis and took some time to reflect on the journey so far, before continuing on.
(5) “Waters Of Nubia” seems to take us to the old (pre-Aswan Dam) region of the Nile. The image of Lake Nasser is too big and overpowering for this track. Instead we feel like we’re sitting along the old Nile with visions of a lone fisherman on the water. Happily.
(6) “Enter The Princes” was the track where I heard Miller’s percussion “singing lead”. Goldberg’s sax is there but I stayed focused on the marvelous rhythms.
(7) In “Luxor After Dark” Goldberg and Miller share an alternating series of solos. One dominates, then recedes as the other is up front. It reminded me of some hundred year-old call and response.
(8) The rains arrived in “Bedouin Down”, but more quickly than I would have preferred they disappeared. Perhaps it was the age (or condition) of that original master track.
(9) “Nearly Too Far” is an hypnotic trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
(10) “Flows The Sacred River” brought me back to a happy place, where Miller and Goldberg are pulling together and bringing us with them.
(11) “Under A Scimitar Moon” feels less like the soft quarter moon, and much more like the Middle Eastern blade for which it’s named. Goldberg makes his instrument sing as if it’s trying to single-handedly keep the sword’s edge at bay.
(12) “Towards The Sun” is a perfect closer for the album. It brings the listener back to the Golden Land.
There are many stops along the way, yet the continuity of the 12 tracks of “Unearthed” is unmistakable. And improvisational. It’s a cover-to-cover exploration, as Harrison and Steven celebrate their journey. Like driving down a highway with hills and curves these two musicians push the boundaries of the melodies and rhythms, reinventing time signatures and melodies to fit the moment. And yet, there is a clear common thread through the album, from start to finish. And we’re better for having gone along for the ride. Albums like “Unearthed” are meant for an immersive listening experience. We’re not looking for singles here. The idea is to explore it all and pick favorites later.
About a decade ago, I read the following in “All About Jazz”: “This is what sets apart jazz music from many other forms of music. A friend of mine, who is a keen composer, once asked me, "Don't you jazz musicians get bored playing the same standards all the time over and over again," and I replied, "Well, the thing is, every time we play, it is different from the last, and we seldom know what's going to happen next.” Whether a standard, classic, a new original or spur of the moment composition, that’s what we love about terrific musicians. We may not necessarily be familiar with the song, but we can embrace the performance.
Neon Egypt: "Unearthed" • NeonEgypt.com
