JAN GARBAREK - BOBO STENSON QUARTET: WITCHI-TAI-TO

I believe you was told more than twice Witchi-Tai-To is Garbarek's best album. And it could be the truth if you like cool polished comfortable sound of ECM recordings of mid 70s. Otherwise you find here good musicians' competent playing and well organized post-bop jazz with lot of melodic elements to make it more comfortable and few free-jazz spices to avoid it of being boring.

Released as Jan Garbarek-Bobo Stenson quartet album, this release contains music seriously different from Garbarek's early quartet's releases. If first three Garbarek's solo albums were all great to excellent collections of hungry and sharp innovative avant-jazz, later Garbarek turned to more accessible music, mixing his early avant-garde sound with post-bop and Nordic folklore.

Here on Witchi-Tai-To (which is real Garbarek - Stenson duo work with competent rhythm section on support) he reaches the peak of still innovative and accessible symbiosis.All songs but one are mostly known American jazz composers's compositions, from Carla Bley to Don Cherry. Garbarek-Stenson duo demonstrates wide possibilities playing melodic post-bop on the edge between still experimental (but never risky) and comfortable. Music sounds really nice, but are from one hand too polished, and from other - too much secondary. Garbarek's tenor sax sounds extremely clear and quite pleasant (and Coltrane-like), Stenson demonstrates all his influences (Jarrett,etc). Carlos Puebla composition "Hasta Siempre" reminds Charlie Haden/Carla Bley's Liberation Music Orchestra...

Luckily, this album (the last Garbarek's one for years)is still the one with positive balance of inspiration and conformity. Don't expect explosion of Garbarek's earlier works, but just very professional pleasant and not boring release.

My rating is 3,5 .