The Magician: Live in Jerusalem

Saxophonist Alon Farber founded his sextet Hagiga twenty years ago, so when his band performed live in June 2023 at the Israeli Museum for the Jerusalem Jazz Festival, you could expect a solid show of layered sonics. It took its improvisational power a step higher by inviting trumpeter Dave Douglas into the collaborative zeal. Together they capture the robust energy of the live setting. Dave transcends the sax clashes on his swinging composition "Persistence of Memory" with trumpet yearnings and sparkles. Alan's title track also features Dave and buoys with excitement. Throughout there are rich improvisational colorations, crisscrossing horn flights, firepower swings and the stops-you-in-your-tracks luscious trombone solo of Oded Meir on the lyrical ballad "Minuet for Maya." The Magician captures the spark in the rousing interplay. Don't expect a serene listen. Call it powerful play!