Eden Giat Quartet
Crossing The Red Sea
Self Release, 2021

Crossing The Red Sea is the debut album by young the Israeli pianist Eden Giat.

Born in 1999, Giat has built a solid reputation in Israel thanks to collaborations with internationally renowned artists such as Avishai Cohen a double bass player, Omer Avital of the group Yemen Blues, Ravid Kahlani, and many others.

Crossing The Red Sea is his debut album and featuress him leading a quartet consisting of Yuval Drabkin on tenor and soprano, David Michaeli on double bass and Nitzan Birnbaum on drums and percussion.

The record features a fascinating blend of contemporary jazz with the sounds typical of the Middle East developed in seven original pieces written by Giat. The initial chorus of “Nash Didan” and the relative melody exposed by the piano, the theme of “Ha’Sultan “, and the piano solo of the title track are three brilliant examples of overlapping ideas of different musical origins that creates a personal and particularly interesting sound.

The musicians are world class. Michaeli and Birnbaum’s rhythm is at ease both in fast and aggressive tempos as demonstrated in “Crossing the Red Sea” as well as in more delicate pieces, such as the delicious “Tnudat Hayam”. Drabkin has an aggressive yet melodic approach to the saxophone, and his solos are full of an energy that draws the quartet into the best moments of the record.

Crossing The Red Sea is a beautiful album which reveals Giat’s prodigious talent as a pianist and composer; if you’re like me and you think that the mix of jazz and other musical cultures is one of the most interesting evolutions of African American music, this record will be a real revelation.
(EM)