Ari Joshua (Space Owl, Big High, Ari Joshua Quartet, etc) returns with “Elephant Walk,” another fine piece of sonic artistry that will undoubtedly appeal to anyone who appreciates skillfully composed and performed music. This time, this highly experienced multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, and producer teamed up with keyboard player and composer John Medeski (Dewey Redman, Billy Higgins, Bob Mintzer, Alan Dawson, Iggy Pop, John Zorn, David Fiuczynski, etc) and a drummer Billy Martin (John Zorn, Dave Burrell, Miho Hatori, Iggy Pop, Eyvind Kang, Chris Whitley, Ikue Mori, John Scofield, etc). Together, they deliver an astonishing musical performance that immediately grabs attention and refuses to let go. Perhaps their collaborative work dives deep into the fundamentals of jazz music, but you’ll notice how many different but complementary music genres found their way into this sonic equation. You’ll notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from Bosanova, blues, chillout, ambient, and world music resonate in each segment. There are even some elements that might resemble something reggae and dub musicians would incorporate into their songs. Still, jazz remains their primary weapon of choice from scratch to finish, proving they have deep roots in this marvelous genre.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that you’re dealing with three outstanding musicians capable of delivering one of the best modern jazz compositions ever. Joshua, Medeski, and Martin have all the tools of the trade and tricks up their sleeves to convince even the pickiest listeners that “Elephant Walk” contains everything you ever needed from a jazz number. It’s a cheerful, danceable, hypnotic, irresistible, mesmerizing song where all the instrumentations get along together, shaping a nearly ethereal atmosphere. The multilayered rhythmic experience based upon moderate, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and additional percussions serves as more than adequate base for the remainder of the instrumentations. Billy Martin expertly dictates groove and pace but also keeps other orchestrations in line, so everything sounds top-notch from scratch to finish. The delicate but vividly hearable, equally complex, warm-sounding basslines offer heaviness, depth, and clarity to the mix, but also serve as a binding element between drums and other instruments. Besides offering more than necessary low-ends, Ari Joshua once again proves why he’s one of the best modern jazz guitar players nowadays. The way he offers catchy, subtle, complex chord progressions, harmonies, themes, and leads goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire track. His ability to breathe fresh air into such a longevious genre makes “Elephant Walk” such a delightful listening experience. John Medeski’s organ performance comes like a cherry on top. He equally contributes to the ambiance with so many accentuations, chord progressions, harmonies, melodies, and solos, all performed in a recognizable traditional jazz manner. His virtuosities perfectly suit everything Joshua and Martin delivered through their jaw-dropping musicianship.
With all their knowledge, experience, skills, talent, ideas, and musicianship combined, Ari Joshua, John Medeski, and Billy Martin prove they’re an unstoppable jazz machinery capable of writing, composing, arranging, recording, and producing some of the most exciting compositions in this longstanding the genre. Their ability to breathe fresh air but simultaneously remain loyal to the fundamentals of the genre, goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire track. “Elephant Walk” is not just another jazz session you stumble upon streaming services every day. Quite the contrary, this song has an irresistible, hypnotic, addictive, danceable ambiance thanks to all the brilliant ideas and impressive musicianship offered by some of the greatest modern jazz musicians. Besides exceptional performances by all three artists, Ari Joshua verifies himself as a prolific songwriter, composer, and musician who always delivers a premium musical experience to the table. You should put “Elephant Walk” on your radar as soon as possible if you’re into jazz music because this number has everything you ever needed. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
Ari Joshua has apeared on stage or in studio with the likes of Big High, Stone Gossard, Reggie Watts, Tom Morello, The RHS Jazz Band, Members of the Trey Anastasio Band, Soule Monde, and more. Also, it’s good to mention that Ari Joshua is the founder of The Music Factory Music School, and you can support his work by signing up for music lessons online or in person at www.musicfactorynw.com
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