Search - Ned Rothenberg :: Port of Entry

Intriguing & Satisfying Chemistry - 4.5 stars

David J. Ohanlon | Lilyfield, NSW Australia | 08/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Must admit I bought this with a bit of trepidation - previously I had purchased Ned Rothenberg's "Ghost Stories" which left me a little unsatisfied as it features a lot of extended playing of the shakuhachi (an instrument which I don't much care for) & the pieces are largely of a "stop-start" nature (ie. no real "flow"). However a friend of mine saw Rothenbeg perform in concert & insisted on a second try.

Well, first up with "Port of Entry", Rothenberg plays mainly Clarinets & Alto Saxophone and is teamed with Jerome Harris on Acoustic Guitars & Samir Chatterjee on Tabla & various percussion. This combination of instruments is both intriguing &, ultimately, beguiling. The Tabla generally lays down a great rhythmic patern which the guitar &/or reeds/sax can embellish, dance around, prize open, whatever!

The opener "Gamalong" is a perfect example of this - after a nice saxophone intro the percussion lays down a beautifuly relaxed, unhurried rhythm & allows the varied & often exciting improvisation to begin.

Most of the tracks that follow are similar in nature & quality - "Dan can dig" & "Rad-At" being downright groovy, "FoFela" like a mysterious dance & "Hotel Lazard Cafe" very evocative of an exotic location.

The extended title piece, however is a little meandering (some would say "slow-burning) & "Lost in a Blue Forest", although conveying the tension of being lost in a forest very well is a little out of "sync" with the rest of the album.

However overall, as mentioned, an intriguing & beguiling album with many highlights."