Ngatibatanei / Let Us Unite!

5-STARS The extremely virtuoso Israeli alto saxophonist Idit Shner presents a top-class album with the outstanding Zimbabwean percussionist John Mambira, which will delight both jazz and world audiences. It impressively combines the traditional music of Zimbabwe with American jazz and the music of the Pacific Northwest of the States, as the rhythm section comes from Oregon. All of Mhondoro's musicians contribute to the success of the album with their varied compositions. The first track, Torrey Newhart's "Henceforth", sets the stage for the rest of the album with its rhythmically stirring theme and features a great piano solo and magnificent percussion. "The Change" begins with a great alto saxophone solo before the band joins in with strong rhythms and leaves the field to Idit Shner and John Mambira. This is followed by the Mastrogiovanni composition "Murray" with solos by Shner, Baxter and Mastrogiovanni, the folk-focused "Lunar Curve", in which Taffie Matiure can be heard as a guest on the Mbira, the traditional instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe, and the Garrett Baxter composition "Conestoga", a wonderfully soulful and ballad-like theme that becomes increasingly dense towards the end and leaves the listener breathless. In the fast-paced and rhythmically complicated title track of the album "Ngatibatanei", the musicians also appear as singers and delight with virtuoso solos on alto saxophone, piano and drums. The band's partly free and collective playing in the lyrical Garrett Baxter number "Kraken" stands out from this. The final point is the Ken Mastrogiovanni composition "For Now", in which the piano, alto saxophone and percussion once again shine as soloists.