Yotam Silberstein calls this album of eleven songs The Village but with lyricism of a most wondrous kind, creates for each an enormous soundworld that embraces the richness of his instrument. Something miraculous always happens in each song. It would appear that each string of his guitar “sings” with a sonorous beauty of tone and an uncompromising resonance only achieved by a chosen few. Compositions have been crafted with fastidious care and glimmer like works by a celebrated jeweler. “Parabens” is sensuous and infused with Brasilian undertones and exudes a mesmerism that is elementally Silberstein. On “Milonga Gris” the Zen-like calm of Silberstein’s hand is awoken by dancing curlicues and ornate arabesques accompanied by complex harmonic figurations.
None of this can disturb the long, arching lines or the sense of easy improvisational charm of Yotam Silberstein in “The Village”. And you can almost forget that you are listening to a virtuoso display; in his refreshingly self-effacing, idiomatic approach musical substance is always to the fore. You can hear it in the lofty, luminous “O Vôo Da Mosca”. Songs such as “Nocturno”, “Stav”, Fuzz” and “Albayzin” designed and played as polar opposites to almost everything else on the album. Here Yotam Silberstein draws on a harder-edges aggression to seemingly drive himself through thornier thickets. 
But always he presents a grand-scale vision of the works with unhurried poise and an exceptional consistency of sound. Of course ‘unhurried’ is set aside for a distinctly more breathless pace in his “Changes”.
Not only is the repertoire chosen with seemingly elaborate care, but so, it seems are the players. In Aaron Goldberg’s pianism you can see that the melodic inflection is curvaceously pronounced in each song, particularly in “October” is imbued with a natural and discreetly sensuous tonal palette, unfailingly refined and presented by the ‘big’ pianist together with the equally larger-than-life characters in the form of bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, who propel the composer’s tune with a large-scale momentum as well. Best of all the music’s integrity and coherence is boosted with good taste in the harmonic and rhythmic departments. As always, throughout this recording the conception of Yotam Silberstein is exquisitely maintained with great care given to its craftsmanship.
And if by chance you wonder, when “October” is coming to an end, if Yotam Silberstein will take us somewhere else in the world the answer in “Lennie Bird” is a triumphant yes as he rings in the elfin charm, bebop-dance gusto and eloquent melody. This final piece becomes pure liberation, as Yotam Silberstein, Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers and Gregory Hutchinson let Lennie Tristano’s impulses carry them where they will.
Track List – 1: Parabens; 2: Milonga Gris; 3: Nocturno; 4: The Village; 5: Stav; 6: Fuzz; 7: Albayzin; 8: Changes; 9: O Vôo Da Mosca; 10: October; 11: Lennie Bird.
Personnel – Yotam Silberstein: guitar; Aaron Goldberg: piano; Reuben Rogers: bass; Gregory Hutchinson: drums.
Label – Jazz & People
Release date – April 2017
Running time – 1:04:49
Website – http://www.yotammusic.com/
Buy Yotam Silberstein’s music on: amazon
