Review by La Música Amanseix les feres from Catalonia – Xavi Reija Electric Quintet Nu Breed

El passat 30 de març es produeix el llançament oficial de Nu Breed, el nou i rotund treball del Xavi Reija Electric Quintet. Aquesta obra, que marca un punt d’inflexió a la trajectòria de Reija, consolida una proposta d’avantguarda que uneix la precisió rítmica amb la llibertat absoluta del jazz elèctric

El baterista i compositor Xavi Reija concentra tota la seva potència creativa a Nu Breed, un disc que sacseja els fonaments del jazz fusió a Espanya. Amb el nou Electric Quintet, Reija s’allunya de les estructures convencionals per submergir-se en un so cru i vibrant on l’electricitat és la veritable protagonista. Des de Barcelona, ​​aquest quintet de personalitats aclaparadores compta amb Rafael Garcés al saxo, Dušan Jevtovic a la guitarra elèctrica, Tomàs Fosch als teclats i Bernat Hernández al baix elèctric. Junts facturen una música d’alt voltatge que beu directament de la grapa de King Crimson i la llibertat de Miles Davis. El resultat és una proposta d’una intensitat emocional infreqüent, en què les composicions originals serveixen de combustible per a una improvisació col·lectiva que no dóna treva a l’oient.

Nu Breed és el projecte més ambiciós de Reija, un músic la trajectòria internacional del qual l’ha portat a col·laborar amb figures de la talla de Tony Levin o Markus Reuter. Amb una discografia sòlida que inclou títols com “Resolution” o “The Sound of the Earth”, el baterista barceloní demostra en aquest nou treball perquè és un referent de l’avantguarda instrumental. Nascut el 1972 i format amb els màxims honors al Berklee College of Music de Boston, la seva carrera és una successió de fites: des de guanyar un premi Emmy el 2018 fins a signar articles científics sobre la improvisació a la prestigiosa revista The Brain Sciences. Aquesta barreja de rigor tècnic i energia salvatge sobre l’escenari converteix l’Electric Quintet en una formació única a la seva espècie, capaç d’actualitzar el llenguatge del jazz elèctric amb una firma pròpia i desafiant.

L’experiència de Xavi Reija es palpa a cada compàs de Nu Breed. Parlem d’un músic que ha enregistrat més de vuitanta discos de sessió i ha compartit escenari amb figures com Steve Hogarth, Nitai Hershkovits, Gary Willis o Abraham Laboriel. A més de la seva faceta com a intèrpret, la seva tasca com a autor de llibres tècnics i el seu paper com a representant internacional de marques com Yamaha o Paiste avalen la qualitat d’un projecte que busca l’excel·lència sonora sense perdre gens ni mica de risc. Amb aquest quintet, Reija no només presenta un disc, sinó que lidera una celebració de la creativitat sense límits recolzada en una secció rítmica demolidora i una instrumentació que explora textures pròpies de l’avantgarde més actual.

El desplegament de Nu Breed té dues cites marcades en vermell: el proper 30 de març, l’àlbum arribarà a les botigues físiques ia totes les plataformes de reproducció en continu. Setmana després, el 27 d’abril, la sala AClam de Barcelona serà l’escenari de la presentació oficial en directe. Per donar abast global a aquest llançament, es farà una emissió internacional en directe de vint minuts del concert a través de YouTube i xarxes socials, permetent que la crítica especialitzada i els seguidors de tot el món segueixin en temps real la posada de llarg d’aquesta nova fita a la seva discografia.

Nu Breed no és només una nova referència discogràfica; és la confirmació de Xavi Reija com un dels pilars fonamentals del jazz elèctric europeu, un artista que ha convertit el risc i la precisió en el segell personal.

Review by Bad Alchemy from Germany – Xavi Reija Electric Quintet Nu Breed

Review by MoorsMagazine from Holland – Xavi Reija Electric Quintet Nu Breed

Linner notes by Sergio Cabanillas on Universos Paralelos, Spain – Dreamscape Room

Linner notes by Dan Burke from New Jersey, USA – Dreamscape Room

New review on www.distritojazz.es by Y.M. Spain- Dreamscape Room

de los más destacados jazzman en su instrumento en la escena española.

Hace años que vengo siguiendo la pista musical de Xavi Reija, y a día de hoy me sigue pareciendo uno de los mejores y más dinámicos músicos de jazz españoles, muy atento a lo que se está haciendo fuero y asimilándolo a su propio lenguaje.

Dos de sus discos en solitario, ‘Resolution’ y ‘Reflections’, así como su trabajo en con el guitarrista Dusan Jevtovic, ‘Random Abstract’, han aparecido ya anteriormente en este sitio.

‘Dreamscape room’ trae una imporante novedad en el trabajo de Xavi Reija; tiene un nuevo trío, formado por el pianista José Carra, uno de los pianistas con más proyección en el jazz español, y el bajista José Manuel ‘Popo’ Posada que proporcionan el equilibrio perfecto para la música que plantea el baterista de origen catalán.

A Reija se le puede adjetivar como un músico de jazz fusión, todo una rareza en el jazz que se hace en España, pero aquí da un paso importante pues en las ocho canciones que componen el disco se nota una notable influencia de ese jazz que hace, entre otros Gogo Penguin.

De esta forma el minimalista, la música circular y eso que aquí hemos venido en jazz post jazz se dan la mano con verdadera naturalidad.

Seguro que por todo lo anterior, así como por una buena dosis de energía que se transmite en la música de este disco, ‘Dreamscape room’ se oye con una fluidez sorprendente, la misma con la que es tocada, y el tema que cierra el disco y que da título al mismo sólo se puede catalogar como una de las piezas más logradas en la carrera de este baterista.

Hay que señalar que el disco ha sido grabado en La Casa Murada en Llorenç del Penedés (Tarragona), lugar donde Xavi Reija acostumbra a grabar sus trabajos. Y ese espacio también ha tenido que influir en algo en el estupendo resultado final de ‘Dreamscape room’.

New review on #bigbeautifulnoise blog from #Edmonds, Seattle, USA.
Reviewed by #leehenderson Lee Henderson

A hurricane of a release by an extraordinary drummer from Catalan (Xavi was born in Barcelona, Spain) who some may recall from the 2016 released XaDu ‘Random Abstract’ album, and previous solo ‘Resolution’ (2016) also on Moonjune Records. One look at the players on ‘The Sound of the Earth’ (2018) and any fusion fan and/or progressive rock devotee, will jump for joy. Xavi Reija – drums/Tony Levin – bass guitar, upright bass, stick/Markus Reuter – touch guitar/ and Dusan Jevtovic – guitar, bring a quartet formation to full tilt. Xavi has worked in groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, plus, and knows the freedom of having one musician keep a foundation, while the other (s) are allowed to float and dance around that stone. Reija has involved experience with multiple artists (he has worked with Steve Hogarth, Demian Band, Chez Luna, plus many more, and started his own quintet before the years with Moonjune Records).

A snake charmer’s set of compositions, keeping some heavy handed, sometimes furious, margins of Crimson world ‘Red/Larks’ Tongues in Aspic’, blended with spaced out explorations, and fusion with the power and the glory of what only this quartet could produce. Including a perfect balance of extended cuts and average length compositions, the song writing is divided between Reija (1,5,7), Jevtovic (3,9), and the group as a whole (2,4,6,8). So the beautiful flow and outcome is not only full of regard, but rich in quality. Who could expect anything less? Important contributors include co-producer Leonardo Pavkovic (the one man superhero and owner of Moonjune Records). Mastered by  Alvaro Balana, mixed by Jesus Rovira, and recorded by Paul Antonell.

Some of the longer tracks feel like a jam, but only by elite professionals, who can make an improv seem effortless. Parts have a prescribed 1970’s jazz rock feel, and I hear snippets of Quiet Sun, and Phil Manzanera’s more unconventional work. Moments often have the girth of Richard Pinhas’ solo work, and ‘From Darkness’ (track 3) has an avalanche like something from ‘Larks’ Tongues in Aspic’ full blown. The album is not without a funky jazz fusion number (dominate on his early quintet recordings), the title track ‘part 2’ (track 4), which is a different look at track 2 (‘The Sound of the Earth’ – part 1). Part 2 sounds like a developed Stick Men number. A totally instrumental and sharp, brilliant, brave, emotional, and singular set of pieces  to put a mark on the musical map, hands down. A resounding applause and HIGH RECOMMENDATION.

From Netherlands, new review on YourMusicBlog about my music The Sound of the Earth

Spanish maestro drummer Xavi Reija is giving us another insight in his musical world. And if you are familiar with his previous releases, you will already know that his world is one of complex ideas, based on inventive rhythms and jazzy notes and free form jams.

Accompanying him on this album are the ever so wonderful Tony Levin on bass and stick and on (touch) guitars Markus Reuter and Dusan Jevtovic. All of them no stranger to the Moonjune label.

If anything, this is another album that you will have to digest slowly and repeatedly. Well, at least for me that is certainly the case. Should you be familiar with the Three Of A Perfect Pair album from King Crimson, I am getting the same kind of vibe from several of the songs here. So lots of sound and noise things happening in seemingly random order.
So where opening track Deep Ocean surprises me with riffs and hooks I can immediately identify with, others like From Darkness make me look over my shoulder to check if I am still alone…

Of course there is no debating the quality of the musicians here. This is just a matter of taste and the willingness to invest a lot of time of getting to know and appreciate the music. Which is too rare a thing sadly in today’s world of fast everything. But if you regard yourself an exception to that rule, enjoy this trip!

New review on theprogressiveaspect.net by Mel Allen

Sometimes life gets in the way of completing reviews, the growing pile needing your attention, but in this case just playing the album, enjoying it, means kind of forgetting that you need to make some notes. Yep that’s the case here, so I finally get to putting down some words on this excellent album, which was released in the latter part of 2018.

This is a project undertaken by Xavi Reija, band leader and Catalan drummer, with Serbian guitarist Dusan Jevtovic. They have worked together many times in the past, here inviting Tony Levin and Markus Reuter along for the ride – and what an inspired choice that has turned out to be.

This is not an album which can be easily categorised, and herein lies its success in my opinion; it can appear as a difficult, challenging listen, but that is the main point really, you need to listen. Further replays reveal so much more, which is demonstrated through the player’s skill and experimentation. You get drawn into their music with its adventurous and earthly qualities, challenging your listening habits, but by just paying attention it heaps wondrous musical rewards upon you.

Xavi’s drumming is interesting and precise, never over dominating proceedings, in fact this applies to all the players, and they appear to only play just what is needed, making great use of the pauses between notes, never over fussy and this allows the room for each of them to blossom within the sound. The album was recorded in one day in August 2016 at Club House Studio, Rhineback, NY by Paul Antonell, and this has created some great improvisation, but with structure and direction in this excellent example of progressive jazz fusion.

The album consists of nine tracks spread over seventy seven minutes which appear to pass quickly once you become immersed in the sonic adventure of their musical world. The opening track Deep Ocean thunders into life, instantly grabbing your attention before it settles down into a slower grinding groove. There are four tracks with the album title The Sounds Of The Earth numbered I to IV, with running times between 9 and 16 minutes long, and they use this time wisely to experiment with tones, sonic textures and melodies, all of which gives an earthy feel to their playing.

This entire album is an excellent listening experience, providing adventurous song writing and playing from four top quality musicians. If you are prepared to be adventurous as a listener, there is so much for you to enjoy here.

New review from Italy on the website traccedijazz about The Sound of the Earth

We find German guitarist Markus Reuter in the Xavi Reija album in the company of ancient bassist King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin and Serbian guitarist Dusan Jevtovic for a work ideally dedicated to the sound of the earth. A primordial and raw hard rock riff introduces the album with “Deep ocean”, to represent the violence of the forces of nature at work in the creation phase, guitars and beaten skins to simulate the sound of waves breaking and shaping the coasts rocky. Soon after, the first of the four parts of “The sound of the earth” ‘could stage the gradual awakening of the world after an imaginary apocalypse. It continues for over seventy minutes between convulsive moments, saturated improvisations of electricity in which the leader’s instrument ensures a constant and essential pulsation, and phases of environmental stasis, with the alternation of Reuter’s fluid and atmospheric guitar with the more leathery Jevtovic’s , going through kraut suggestions and references to King Crimson. And the association with a phase of life on earth is left to the listener’s imagination. Some too much dilation and an intermittent sense of incompleteness do not compromise the overall suggestion of a work that does not lack for (brutal) originality.

From France new review on rythmes-croises.org by Frédéric Gerchambeau

In 2015, I already told you about Xavi REIJA. It was about his album Random Abstract, duet with Dusan JEVTOVIC. And I said: “The result varies between the stroking, with Secrets, the muscular, with Random Abstract, the imposing, with Something in Between, and the leaping with Decaying Sky. Throughout this magnificent album, Duvan JEVTOVIC does not finish to force our admiration with its titanic solos and its subtle harmonies. As for Xavi REIJA, he imposes masterfully by his striking as massive as precise, multi-stylish and classy. “Here is now his new solo album, The Sound of the Earth. Finally, solo, not really in truth.

Because when you surround yourself with Tony LEVIN (which is customary Peter GABRIEL and KING CRIMSON, just to locate the stratospheric level of the guy) on bass and Chapman Stick, and Markus REUTER (a good friend of Tony LEVIN with which he plays in the STICKMEN) at the touch guitar, it’s already a pretty good team! Especially that Duvan JEVTOVIC is back in the ranks as an old accomplice of Xavi, weaving as always marvelous solos on the guitar.

To fully understand the essence of The Sound of the Earth, it must be understood that the entire album was recorded in one day. But not by anyone. REIJA, JEVTOVIC, LEVIN and REUTER are not mere musicians, they are four giants, both on their instrument and in their way of improvising in a phenomenal way in the present moment according to the past and in the direction of future.

In a normal quartet, the four musicians play together, accustomed to each other. Here, it fuse on one side and another in a game of perpetual ping-pong where each stroke is winning. But there’s no sweat, self-coverage, or “I’m getting-full-view”. The spirit is perfect, in the inestimable respect of others and in the desire to make the best album possible, there, at the moment and in this single day.

The result is an album with a thousand inventions, a thousand shades too, dense, moving, amazing. Better, the Sound of the Earth is an incredible album, absolutely essential to anyone who appreciates this kind of art of the challenge which finally leads to an opus curling the avant-garde.

From German new review on the Prog-rock site

This is a Catalan drummer who has created the crème de la crème of progressive jazz for his latest work ‘The Sound Of The Earth’ to release a small masterpiece in the genre. Because his teammates are none other than Tony Levin (bass – best known for his collaboration with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson), Dusan Jevtovic (guitar) and Markus Reuter (touch guitar), the latter two mainly through releases of the Moonjune label known. Of course ‘The Sound Of The Earth’ was also released on this label from New York.
The album is also pretty easy to digest for non-jazz musicians as it has a lot of atmosphere and quiet parts. And the title song runs in a total of 4 parts, scattered over the entire term, like a red thread through the album. And these parts are all between nine to over 16 minutes long. Thus, you can look forward to all the exceptional musicians on unbelievably exciting prog-jazz numbers of the quieter kind, in which all musicians show all their skills. For me, the great, soulful guitar parts are especially fascinating. But there are also quite free-jazzy sequences, such as on ‘The Sound Of The Earth II’, so that even ‘real’ jazz lovers get their money’s worth.
Friends of the genre can access here without hesitation.

From UK, New review on www.the-rocker.co.uk

… “If there is one thing you can rely on it’s that MoonJune will bring you ridiculously talented musicians working in unison to provide you, the listener, with some really out there jazz, fusion and, indeed, jazz-fusion.

And so it is with Spanish drummer, Xavi Reija, who has teamed up with guitarist Dusan Jevtovic (see reviews elsewhere), bassist Tony Levin (King Crimson and beyond) guitarist Markus Reuter. And even by the standards of MoonJune this one is all over the place. That’s a good thing by the way. Yes there is plenty of seventies styled Beck type fusion on offer but just when you get used to that, you’re swept off into an ambient psychedelic landscape.

From UK, review on dprp.net by Owen Davis

I just cannot work out why this album is so utterly compelling. Its ugly beauty and barbed mesh of discordant sounds leaves a disturbingly pungent after taste that cannot be easily removed; even by the liberal soothing application of a number of Brian Wilson’s most melodic tunes.

The fine musicianship of all of the players involved leaves little doubt that they have brought their “A” game to the project. The album features Xavi Reija (drums), Tony Levin (bass, double bass) Markus Reuter (touch guitar) and Dusan Jevtovic (guitar). The recording of The Sound Of The Earth took place on one day during August 2016. The spontaneous nature of much of that session is self-evident in much of the music that is on offer. The compositions are lively, inventive and perhaps more importantly, are loosely structured.

This enables all of the performers to improvise and adapt to the collective strengths of the other players. The imaginative space and sense of mystery and shared purpose that this creates, gives a great deal of freedom, for the exploration and timing of a variety of routes through the music. On some occasions, the diversions are fruitful and the results are genuinely exciting, on other occasions much less so.

There are numerous virtuoso passages, which display a range of incredible wide-open-mouth skills. Fans of progressive jazz fusion, will no doubt, quiver and shiver with absolute delight at the stirring way in which the music is delivered. Fans of melodic prog might bow their heads in disbelief and pound the pillow with a frustrated fist.

The Sound Of The Earth is not the sort of album for the fainthearted. If you enjoy music that you can hum, or whistle along to, then unfortunately, much of it may not be appealing. It is however, the sort of album to accompany hours, spent in concentration in darkened repose, whilst trying to unpick which path, or direction a player is choosing to travel at any given time.

The longest track on the album The Sound Of The Earth IV is in this respect, a mind-gazers delight. Its ambient sprawling nature and colourful patchwork of moods offers numerous opportunities to encounter and experience a patchwork of different sonic colours and varied musical routes.

The sound and approach of the two guitarists featured in the release is very distinctive and makes this aspect one of the albums most fascinating and enjoyable features. The contrast between the weeping raw cascading of the heavily distorted tones of Jevtovic, with the Fripp like fluidity of Reuter’s touch guitar is intriguing. The manner in which the two players duel, improvise and imaginatively joust is never less than enthralling and is often captivating.

Reija does not dominate proceedings and his contribution strikes just the right sort of balance between power and sensitivity. In tandem with Tony Levin, the rhythm section is impressive to say the least and the loose structure of the tunes gives more than enough opportunities for both players to excel.

There were times when the heartfelt warmth of a simple tune, or the chill of a doleful melody would have provided an emotional scaffold to drape the heart, or would have offered some less challenging relief, from the undoubted technical brilliance on show. The only tunes that have some sort of semblance of conventional sonic beauty are Serenityand in particular Lovely Place. Herein lies what some might perceive to be the main issue with this album. To put that in some context, it is not difficult to imagine many listeners who find the musical norms of mainstream prog appealing, shouting out in unison.

“That’s heavy shit man, but where are the tunes?”

Personally, I was not too bothered about the lack of an epic song to sing, or an Aqualung-like riff, or two, to knuckle rap. The Sound Of The Earth is an album that explores a raft of musical possibilities and this is what makes it so interesting, even though it is not always consistently satisfying.

The occasional glimpses of a more ear friendly approach in tunes like Lovely Place, did little to nullify the challenging assault upon the senses emitted by the largely unstructured and on occasion’s discordantly raucous nature of the compositions. In the midst of the albums impressive inventiveness, I probably would have liked to have uncovered and discovered a warm melodic heart, beating or lurking beneath the squeals of twisted guitars, atmospheric effects and strident rhythms.

The album begins forcefully with Deep Ocean. Its opening section has a gruff edge and combines an insistent riff with a multi-faceted attack upon the senses where all the players step up to the plate to combine forces in a highly charged and purposeful manner. When it all comes together, as during Deep Ocean and in the moody and equally evocative Take A Walk, which is somewhat reminiscent of the style of mid 70s King Crimson, the results are mesmerising. This piece clasps the senses tightly. The sound quality is magnificent. It contains bulging bass lines, rhythmic guitar patterns, snappy drums and teases with a whiff of the unexpected.

Overall, The Sound Of The Earth is a fine example of freely structured, yet highly sophisticated and intricate progressive jazz fusion, played with panache and consummate skill. These elements intertwine and combine to ensure that much of the album is often utterly compelling.

What more could anybody wish for?

Whilst checking out The Sound Of The Earth, you may even find yourself so captivated, that you choose to ignore a thought that seeps into your mind, or a shout uttered from the darkened corner of the room.

“Anybody want to hear Pet Sounds? Let’s have a sing along tune?”

Well, wouldn’t that be nice!

From Poland, review on progrock.org.pl  by Konrad Niemiec

Musieliśmy czekać 3 długie lata na następną niesamowitą płytę, za którą odpowiada duet znakomitych instrumentalistów Xavi Reija i Dusan Jevtovic. W 2016 roku płyta Random Abstract była sygnowana jako dzieło duetu XADU. Teraz mamy do czynienia z dziełem które podpisał sam XAVI REIJA. Lider zespołu i kataloński perkusista, Xavi Reija i urodzony w Serbii gitarzysta Dusan Jevtovic, współpracowali przy wielu projektach w ciągu ostatnich kilku lat i stali się muzyczną jednością. Ale teraz wspomagają ich dwaj inni wirtuozi. Pierwszy z nich to urodzony w Bostonie, Tony Levin, basista z niesamowitym muzycznym rodowodem, począwszy od Herbiego Manna i Chucka Mangione do Petera Gabriela i King Crimson uzupełniony 10-letnim pobytem w swoim projekcie Stick Men. Drugim wirtuozem jest kolega Levina z zespołu Stick Men i członek Crimson ProjeKCt i Centrozoon urodzony w Niemczech Markus Reuter. I cała ta czwórka opracowała wspólny język komunikowania się za pośrednictwem muzyki.
Kiedy skupimy się na dźwiękach, pomyślimy, że ta czwórka wirtuozów gra ze sobą od lat. Ale tak nie było. To po prostu czwórka profesjonalistów rozumiejących się bez zbędnych słów.

A jaka jest płyta mówiąca o dźwiękach ziemi? Trudna do sklasyfikowania, bo po prostu jest nieporównywalna. Do niczego, no może poza poprzednią płyta XADU. Ale tutaj mamy do czynienia z muzyką totalną. Nie opartą na żadnych schematach, wyzwoloną, płynącą, niepokojącą. Nie jest to muzyka relaksacyjna. Ta muzyka wciąga nas do interakcji. Słuchamy i podziwiamy jak się rozwija, płynie, ewoluuje. Jak muzycy budują napięcie. Przez głowę przebiegają setki myśli, które próbują sklasyfikować to co słyszymy. Próbują to skatalogować, uporządkować. Ale tego zrobić się nie da. To muzyka dla wytrawnych słuchaczy. Nie pozwala przejść koło siebie obojętnie, ale też wymaga skupienia. Wielkiego skupienia.
Płyta została nagrana w sierpniu 2016 roku w Club House Studio w Nowym Jorku, a zmiksowana w Hiszpanii w 2018.
Dla mnie to pozycja szczególna, bo ja uwielbiam takie inteligentne wycieczki muzyczne po różnych obszarach ludzkiej świadomości. I dlatego polecam tę płytę wszystkim wymagającym słuchaczom, którzy nie szukają lekkich i łatwo wpadających w ucho chwytnych klimatów. Jeśli szukacie czegoś jeszcze, jeśli lubicie się muzycznie zatracać to jest dokładnie pozycja dla was. Nie wypoczniecie, nie zrelaksujecie się. Zostaniecie zmieleni przez mikser dźwięków i rytmów, które zawładną wami do końca.
Polecam gorąco.

From Italy, review on Late for the Sky blog 

Il batterista ispanico Xavi Reija è ormai da tempo accasato presso l’etichetta Moonjune: questo nuovo disco, registrato con i fedelissimi Dusan Jevtovic (chitarrista serbo, compagno di scuderia e co-titolare con Raija di un disco in duo) e Tony Levin, ormai un pilastro del basso, anch’egli frequentemente coinvolto in produzioni di casa Moonjune.

The Sound Of The Earth, questo il titolo del disco, prende le mosse da un brano che era apparso in origine proprio sul disco in duo con Jevtovic: il brano in questione, Deep Ocean, viene qui posto in apertura quasi a contrapporre il suono del mare, dell’oceano a quello della terra che viene sviluppato nel disco attraverso quattro differenti suite inframmezzate da altri brani più brevi.

A completare il gruppo, nel disco troviamo anche la touch guitar di Mark Reuter, un altro benemerito dell’etichetta newyorchese.

Il disco si sviluppa senza risparmiarsi nelle contaminazioni e nelle citazioni, come indicano le stesse note di copertina tra le fonti d’ispirazione ci sono persino Jeff Beck, Curtis Mayfield, gli Eagles: ma sono sol spunti, il disco è un disco fortemente sperimentale, come si addice alle produzioni Moonjune, e se nella terza suite eponima del disco emergono richiami a certo soul/blues, se in Lovely Place ci sono echi del mai dimenticato Hotel California, soprattutto da parte della chitarra di Reuter, il resto è all’insegna dell’avanguardia, tutto sorretto dal drumming robusto del titolare.

Le quattro lunghe suite sommate insieme raggiungono e superano da sole i quaranta minuti, l’ultima, la più lunga passa addirittura il quarto d’ora, all’insegna di certe atmosfere che richiamano l’elettronica di Ned Lagin, ma qui gli strumenti sono veri.

From Germany, on Bad Alchemy, Rigobert Dittmann wrote about The Sound of the Earth

The drummer XAVI REIJA (* 1972, Barcelona) could be called “Resolution” (2014) and”Random Abstract” (2015), both with the Serbian guitarist Dušan Jevtovič and both hold on Moonjune, for one heir of the Catalan prog rock era. The Sound of the Earth (MJR094) goes much fiercer, but then again spaceward,with Tony Levin on basses & Chapmanstick and Markus Reuters Touch Guitar. Jevtović, with whom the Catalan is as XaDu to you, has his own Moonjune merits with “Am I
Walking Wrong? “(2013) and, with Asaf Sirkis on drums,” No Answer “(2017) Reuter, the crimson touch guitarist, has a lot of fun with Moonjune mastermind Leonardo Pavkovic hatched, with Mark Wingfield and also Sirkis (“The Stone House”, “Light House”), with Stephan Thelen from Sonar (“Fractal Guitar”, 2018) and of course with Old Master Levin and the Stick Men (“Roppongi”, 2017). ‘Deep Ocean’, by ‘Random Abstract “, gives the thrust or better diving direction of the quartet: deep and oceanic. This and the other stations ‘From Darkness’, ‘Serenity’, ‘Lovely Place’ and ‘Take A Walk’ breaks down the four-part, collectively created Soundscape ‘The Sound of the Earth I-IV ‘. Reija’s Crashes and Levin’s bass are dynamic and straightforward at the same time booming in a current that runs centripetally with Jevtovič’s virtuoso train to the core leads. Or, with sublime drone waves and hovering sounds, moonward, around the Blue Planet as part of a universal mobile. Held by spherical Threads which Levin tugs and lets reuters humming, oblivious to time and spacenightly peaceful, if not the guitar begins to swarm with longing. To 5/8 pulse Jevtovič and Reuter double-helix with evolutionary drive from the dark on the second sound level, Reija trolls double bass and the guitars purr and twitch in long drawn, in tremolierenden vibrations. Good 12 minutes long to ‘Serenity’, where the paxified planet Miranda is not the last word about the future seems. Bassgroovy raises ‘III’, downtempo, but strengthened by the thick condensed soulfulness and with a bluesy, weather-beaten guitar. ‘Lovely Place’ looks like a guitarist veiled reminder of naive Eloi, Pax and ‘Hotel California’ illusions before ‘IV’ whole dives to knead the room with bass fingers over 16 ½ min and fine webs to condense a new timeline, instead of just crawling forward linearly rearing enthusiastically and rocking. A great attempt, not its failure  keeps stubbornly pecking the strings for the earthy kick of ‘Take A Walk’ until also the ‘earthly’ frayed. But because of that and against it there is such great music

From Hungary on www.jazzma.hu review by Horváth László

The Catalan drummer Xavi Reija may be familiar with the progressive rock jazz rock lovers, mostly in these genres, and his latest album released in 2018 follows. Non-ordinary musicians were attracted to this disc. They have been playing with Serbian-born guitarist Dusan Jevtović, who has been born in Serbia for a long time, but in Spain (more precisely, in Catalan, Barcelona). In addition, two members of the “Stick Men” formation, guitarist Markus Reuter and bassist Tony Levin joined them, creating this quartet.

As soon as I put the disc and listened to the first one or two, I immediately felt like listening to some King Crimson album from unpublished songs. At that time I didn’t really look at the list of musicians. I was already in the middle of the CD when I started to see where Tony Levin’s name was so familiar, and see a miracle: the bass player played in many bands, including King Crimson for years. There are a lot of names in the rock music list among his “references”, and this style is perfectly suited to his character, his play.

On the inside of the cover there is some criticism that seems to me somewhat bumpy, but it highlights how well the music handles the theme: the sounds of the Earth are really ahead of us; storm, rain, sun. What’s interesting is that this is not only handed over with guitars, pedals, effects, but Xavi Reija plays perfectly with the dynamics, and what I really like about drum play is to use cymbals, broom, and all the technical delicacies wisely. to the mood of songs.

Markus Reuter (touch guitar) and Dusan Jevtović’s two are also good at guitars, mainly with extended tones, heavily distorted background chords, and the use of different effects to play guitar. Tony Levin plays with his versatility on bass and electric bass, and it is worth mentioning that they have tuned the various vocals and instruments very nicely. Obviously, post-production has helped a lot, but it’s not always easy, and it doesn’t always work well for albums of this genre.

All in all, this album has become a very mature, mature concept album, serving a supergroup who will all add to the music world, and build the songs so consciously and organize them to give the CD a whole picture.

First of all, I recommend it to jazz-rock fans, but who is open to the genre and wonders for the sounds of the Earth in the performance of four great musicians will certainly be delighted.

From Germany, New review on www.musikreviews.de by Thoralf Koss

It’s been a rock-solid fact for years that all the music projects a TONY LEVIN plays with his masterful bass playing release good to great albums. This exceptional musician, who has contributed to KING CRIMSON, PETER GABRIEL, YES, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, STICK MEN and many other and, of course, soloistically fascinating recordings, also remains true to his line and supports much less in the world music business in Europe well-known musical masters, such as DEWA BUDJANA or now the Spanish drummer XAVI REIJA, who presents with “The Sound Of The Earth” a fascinating progressive jazz-rock album, which in every sense of the word is washed with all the water and as colorful as our mother earth and their sound world, which is what this concept album is all about!

Of course, in the progressive jazz rock on “The Sound Of The Earth” many sinister sounds and threatening rhythms appear, because as the cover already promises, dark clouds over us and the landscape, for which we should be responsible, the but we threaten more and more with our selfish behavior.

XAVI REIJA now contributes with “The Sound Of The Earth” his own contribution in dealing with Mother Earth, giving her a very special sound on “The Sound Of The Earth”, the time of free jazz improvisations, then again of harmonious, sensitive ambient sounds that are particularly evident in the four corners of the album and live from MARKUS REUTER’s Touch Guitar.

A heavy endeavor for Reja is also that he as a drummer here often holds back significantly, even if he subtly slow, but more and more in the foreground seems the sound drifting in front of him. Often, who is surprised at the participation of LEVIN & REUTER – KING CRIMSON, especially their “The Talking Drum” of “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” or “The Sailor’s Tale” of “Islands” and quite especially “The Devil’s Triangle” from “In The Wake Of Poseidon” greet.

In this sense, the real strength of the album is that the composing drummer does not try to put his instrument in the foreground in his compositions, but instead opens so many open spaces to the well-known musicians accompanying him, that a small sound universe emerges, which is the result of this Psychedelic, space, jazz and progressive rock leaves a lot of space, which in the end always results in a crimsonesque atmosphere.

CONCLUSION: On the MoonJune label is basically reliable and what comes out of their home, need never hide in the wide range of varieties between prog and jazz. The best current example of this is “The Sound Of The Earth” by Spanish drummer XAVI REIJA, who presents an impressive album with a great TONI LEVIN on bass as well as two guitarists MARKUS REUTER and DUSAN JEVTOVIC. more oriented shots of KING CRIMSON is a real find.

From Mexico, New review on #progarchives by Guillermo H. Urdapilleta

When you see a combo like this one you already know it can’t go wrong. It is great to see how musicians from the Moonjune family have been connecting with the years, at the point of helping each other in different records. This time, amazing Spanish drummer Xavi Reija joined forces once again with wonderful guitar maestro Dusan Jevtovic, along with legendary bass god Tony Levin and the insatiable and prolific genius Markus Reuter, creating a four-piece band of experts on their instruments, working together in a full album for the very first time.

The meeting took place back in 2016, and the result has given us this colorful album entitled ‘The Sound of The Earth’, which allows the listener’s senses to float almost all the time, making connections with countless atmospheres that are eventually inducted in our body and soul. The musical experience here is wonderful, but it is needed that you have enough time to listen to it carefully and let the music take you to its different paths.

We could say the introduction is abrupt; it might take us for surprise, but ‘Deep Ocean’ is the first of the multiple musical and sensorial experiences this album offers. Its first minutes are heavy, chaotic and maybe complicated, but the calm comes after the storm. Then the musicians begin to play (in both senses) and their freedom allow them to give different solos here and there, until all fades out and then the first part returns in an even more chaotic tune.

The name of the album is also the name of some songs, all of them full of soundscapes that ease our souls. It can be proved in ‘The Sound of The Earth 1’, the atmosphere is quite relaxing, dreamy and spacey, the presence of Reuter has provided Reija and the band with such wonderful textures, colors and nuances, and even if our minds mention the name of King Crimson, I believe Reuter has created himself a very own sound. Of course, the help of that delicious Levin’s bass first, the cadence of Xavi’s drums and later the very touching Jevtovic’s notes, give as a result a musical and sensorial masterpiece.

After the calm, chaos returns. But not in a pejorative sense. The experimentation is something these four musicians like to do and know how to do, so here we witness how a composition can squeeze the best out of them, how every of the four play their instruments with freedom and never harm each other’s sound. ‘The Sound of The Earth 2′ starts with an addictive and even danceable rhythm created by drums and bass, while guitars appear with a tense sound that increases little by little, creating a much darker atmosphere than in the previous songs. The sensorial journey continues here, I love how these guys’ music represents a passage of a simple man’s life, a passage of time, an experience. This is the sound of oneself, and in the end, the sound of the earth.

‘Serenity’ brings what the title suggests at least in the first three minutes. Atmospheric background while a repetitive drum hypnotizes us, and while strings create different figures and noises that appear like thoughts of an anxious person. The calm all of a sudden becomes chaos once again, the music explodes emulating a person’s real experience, I mean, when someone explodes, he/she hits and hurts, damage is done, but later, the calm comebacks in order to bring a moment of introspection. ‘The Sound of The Earth 3’ let Dusan Jevtovic’s guitar shine, I was truly attracted by it, but in a second and third listen I could appreciate the equal value of all the instruments in this track. You see, the four members have a different point of view in these compositions, all four attack with their weapons from their different corners, but in the end, all the bullets converge in the central point.

‘Lovely Place’ is a shorter track. Again it was Jevtovic who caught my attention first, but later Reuter and his touch guitar take its share and delight us with a great solo while Tony and Xavi’s intensity increase. ‘The Sound of The Earth 4’ is the longest track here. A 17-minute trip to different landscapes. The band explores their lands and trespass all the possible boundaries in a very intuitive way, but with the vital element of previously knowing each other, so we, as listeners, are co-responsible of the path we choose and the instrument that leads us in every different passage. Spacey music, experimental tunes, calm and tension, light and darkness, countless atmospheres and figures that will apprehend our senses.

This great album finishes with ‘Take A Walk’, a short rocky experimental piece in which Jevtovic’s guitar is the guide, but Reija’s drumming also show a contagious sense of power. In the end, here we can appreciate four monsters acting in total freedom and with the confidence of sharing studio with capable musicians and better human beings.

Enjoy it!

New review from Italy about The Sound of the Earth on traccedijazz.com

German guitarist Markus Reuter is featured on the Xavi Reija album in the company of the ancient faith bassist King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin and the Serbian guitarist Dusan Jevtovic for a work ideally dedicated to the sound of the earth. A primordial and raw hard rock riff introduces the album with “Deep Ocean”, to represent the violence of the forces of nature at work in the creation phase, guitars and beaten skins to simulate the sound of breaking waves and shaping the coasts rocky. Soon after, the first of the four parts of “The sound of the earth” could stage the gradual awakening of the world after an imaginary apocalypse. It continues for over seventy minutes between convulsive moments, saturated improvisations of electricity in which the instrument of the leader ensures a constant and essential pulsation, and phases of environmental stasis, with the alternation of the fluid and atmospheric guitar of Reuter to the more coriaceous of Jevtovic , following kraut suggestions and references to the King Crimson. And the association with a life phase of the earth is left to the listener’s imagination. Some excess dilatation and an intermittent sense of incompleteness do not jeopardize the overall suggestion of a work that does not lack (brutal) originality.

From Germany new review on the #musikansich website by Ingo Andruschkewitsch

The Spanish drummer Xavi Reija is certainly no stranger to the circles of progressive musicians and supporters of crimsoneskem Progressive Rock. The Sound Of The Earth is already his fourth solo album for which he is reinforcing Tony Levin (bass) and Markus Reuter (touch guitar) (both part of King Crimson or from the environment of the band) and Dusan Jevtovic (including No Answer) has brought. All three belong to the absolute world class and let expect before the first hearing that The Sound Of The Earth turned out above average.

Fortunately, this expectation is already confirmed in the opener “Deep Ocean”. There is no doubt about the quality of the music and the arrangements. The heavy riff (with accentuated cymbals of the drums), which sounds almost a bit reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix and the voluminous, partly distorted bass sound of Tony Levin are just fun. The core of the album, however, is the four-part title track “The Sound Of The Earth”, which is not presented in one go, but is divided by other tracks. The structure is reminiscent of a classic suite or symphony. “The Sound Of The Earth I” is more ambient than rock, even if Xavi Reija develops a rocking beat. Markus Reuter delivers rather flat surfaces while Dusan Jevtovic and Tony Levin convince with soloistic inserts. “The Sound of the Earth II” is completely different. Bass and drums set a loose groove on which the guitarists shine and rise to ever new climaxes. The sound of The Earth III is a blues in the basic system, which is characterized by the fantastic sound of the touch guitar and the inspiring game by Markus Reuter. Dusan Jevtovic also puts his stamp on the piece. This is likely to be heavy food for a lover of traditional blues and blues rock, because the structures are repeatedly dismembered and reassembled. A highlight of the CD. “The Sound Of The Earth IV” starts quietly again, gradually increasing over 16 minutes. Here are significant borrowings to hear King Crimson in the guitar work (as well as the final “Take A Walk”).

All four musicians are on the road again and again, sometimes all four at the same time. That certainly does not always make it easy to follow the music. Here you should take a lot of time and not after the first listening to put the disc aside. It pays off, because one increasingly discovers the subtleties that characterizes this music and makes it a first-rate listening pleasure. Well, you should bring along a certain soft spot for progressive rock, then the sun could rise when listening. Highly recommended!

From Japan the #kakereco magazine says about my The Sound of the Earth that it is a “wonderful show”. Read the full review.

He is a quartet of 18 years with the leader of the Spanish drummer. Tony Levin and Marcus Reuters are familiar with the mast men, and the intelligent vanguard · the jazz rock that includes the implementation is a wonderful spectacle.

From Greece review on Diskoryxeion.blogspot by PHONTAS TROUSSAS

For a previous album of Xavi Reija, the Xavi Reija, “Resolution” [MoonJune, 2014], we had written very good words, very good words, here at the subcooler, while we had good words about the album “Random Abstract” [MoonJune , 2015] of XADU, which consisted of XAvi Reija drums and DUšan Jevtovic guitars.
Now, a new album by Reija turns to the player, an album in which Jevtovic is again involved, like Tony Levin’s electric bass, double bass, stick and Markus Reuter touch guitar. As you obviously see an album like “The Sound of the Earth” [MoonJune, 2018] and even with such a line-up (with terrible and terrible Tony Levin in between), and such a setting can not but be electrified, fusion-progressive environments.

In the classical style of New York MoonJune, “The Sound of the Earth” is a robust and electrically foggy CD that sows powerful fusion vibes in a paranormal phase with obvious references to the whole body of experimental fusion (which can start from the Mahavishnu Orchestra and stretching to the edges of modern Canterbury sound). “The sound of the Earth II” (fourth in a series, composed of all four) shows and demonstrates the (obvious) virtuosity of the members of the group, and of course their ability to improvise as if composing, creating superlatives cosmic, cosmic, situations, taking advantage of every possibility of their stringed instruments, every pedal and every patent.
With songs of medium, long and very long duration (like the powerful 17-minute “The sound of the Earth IV”), Reija, Levin, Reuter and Jevtovic propose a CD with a very clear and clear mark. And above all a strong professional profile and aesthetically very high.

FROM HOLLAND review on www.moorsmagazine.com by Holly Moors

Xavi Reija is a Catalan drummer and bandleader who guarantees extremely exciting and intelligent, somewhat unruly jazz rock. For this he has once again trumped together a superior band – the Serbian guitarist Dusan Jevtovic, the German touch guitarist Markus Reuter and the American bass player and keyboard player Tony Levin.

Reija composed some of the songs on this album, such as the great opener Deep Ocean, but the long songs that received the titles The sound of the Earth I to IV are all group improvisations, with the fourth, with its seventeen minutes, earlier would have taken up a complete LPD side. Unstoppable, I said, but the four musicians are mainly interested in each other, and constantly keep each other sharp, not only with the violence, but also with the soft parts.

What you especially feel when listening to this album is the pleasure these men had in making music together – fun and energy splashed on all sides. Here, music is pure adventure again – looking for boundaries, challenging each other, making it exciting. And for the listener that means more than an hour of pure enjoyment.

Drummer Xavi Reija teams up with King Crimson member Tony Levin/eb-stick, Markus Reuter/touch-guitar and Dusan Jevtovic/eg for a mix of space journeys and rock excursions. The team thunders and thrashes on the heavy metal “Deep Ocean” while Reija takes the band through an angular rocker on “From Darkness.” The four part title track goes from moody and mystical chords on “I” to elliptical bass and guitar lines on “II” to a trudging blues on “III” until Reija slowly walks the band through thick marshes up to its electronic and dramatic climax on the crashing “IV.” The progression of progressives.

There is a haunting darkness which carries through Xavi Reija’s 2018 release, “The Sound of the Earth.” Echoing elements of free form electric jazz underpinned by fusion and post rock. The quartet of outstanding musicians stroll through multiple landscapes providing grooves and chaos along the way, led by the dynamic drum work of Reija.

Legendary bassist and stickman Tony Levin solidly fills the lows in perfect sync, while Markus Reuter adds his special blend on the touch guitar and Dusan Jevtovic pulls out all the stops on his guitar. Not only is the album filled with stellar musicians, the music truly sets a new standard for electrified journeys, and it has been recorded and released in high resolution stereo by MoonJune Records. Available as a download from Reija’s BandCamp page, along with a compact disc version for your music library.

Taking a trip back to the “Deep Ocean,” a song previously recorded by Reija and Jevtovic, cymbals crash across the stereo field emulating waves on a rocky shore, carried by Jevtovic’s grinding guitar and underpinned by the groove of Levin’s growling bass. It is immediately apparent that the main advantage of a high-resolution stereo 44.1k/24-bit lossless file is in extending the extreme lows exuded by the stick. Even the slap of the snare is rich and sets back into the mix as guitars echo across the channels.

Reuter’s touch guitar takes center stage on the first part of the title track “The Sound of the Earth I,” an ambient instrumental that extends the range of works previously done by Robert Fripp and Terje Rypdal. However, while his touch guitar may be the central force, it spreads widely beyond the stereo field, allowing for bass, drums and guitars to directly fall into the center. My appreciation for hi-res once again is wonderfully evident with slowly evolving dynamics that touch on the lightest of cymbal hits to the power of the bass.

Dynamics elevate as we step out “From Darkness” finding Levin’s minimalistic bass work syncing with the 5/8 drumming which lay the path for Jevtovic and Reuter’s riffing. Other than the purposefully distorted frantic guitars, the album emanates pure clear audio which was recorded at Club House Studio, Rhineback, NY, USA by Paul Antonell. The extremely well balanced mix was subsequently created by engineer Jesus Rovira at La Casa Murada Studio, Banyeres del Penedés, Spain, who has also recorded several other albums for the MoonJune label.

The theme of the album title is stretched out over four parts throughout the release. The joyous brushwork and a throbbing bass groove distinctly become the canvas for the tattered guitar tones, running up and down canyons, exploding and slipping back down. The edge and smoothness are immediate, providing extreme detail to the aural palette.

The sonic character of the mix is brilliant and offers some extremely nice ear candy for fans who revel in a widely spread soundscape. The nearly 17 minutes long fourth incarnation titled, “The Sound of the Earth IV,” contains plenty of spirited interplay with no part becoming lost among the others.

An aspect that is lovely about this recording is you can truly hear the room and its physical space along with the emotional connection between these gifted musicians. Both add life to the album, and I absolutely feel that these are truly the Sounds of the Earth presented by an intuitive musical unit.

Although much of this music isn’t served up for easy consumption, the reward is the ensatiable desire to taste it again with another listen. I found myself nearly dancing across the floor, embarking on a trail of aural delight. Strongly recommended for fans of fusion jazz, free-form electric jazz, ambient, and post-rock elements. Likewise, this is a must have for collectors of any of these four fine musicians, and a very worthy listen for high resolution audio enthusiasts.

5 STAR REVIEW ON JAZZ MUSIC ARCHIVES BY Kev Rowland

Consummate drummer Xavi Reija is back with his fourth solo album, and as with the wonderful ‘Resolution’ from 2014, he has been joined by guitarist Dusan Jevtović. However, this time he has brought in two Stick Men with Tony Levin providing bass, upright bass and stick and Markus Reuter on touch guitar. This means that between them there are four more sounds and potential interactions on show than would be possible with any “normal” quartet. Recorded in just one day, the album is a cacophony of sounds and notes being brought together by four musicians who are consistently bouncing ideas off each other. Reuter and Levin are touring together a great deal, so know each other’s styles intimately, while Reija and Jevtović have a long history together as well, and the two pairs combine to make an album of exciting and invigorating music.

One of the joys of this album is the sheer variety, with all four playing lead (all at the same time), although it is often left to Levin and Reuter to attempt to maintain some sort of stable foundation for the others to play against. The four lengthy songs are parts I-IV of the title cut, composed by all four, as they bounce the ideas off each other and see where the music takes them. The second of these commences with Xavi shuffling on drums, Tony providing some beautifully warm upright bass, Markus creating the soundscape as only he can, before Dusan makes his entrance. It is an incredibly intense album, with so much going on at all times, yet it never overloads the senses as it continues to make music sense throughout. Putting these four into a room together, turning on the tapes and then just letting them play, was truly inspired. When it comes to fusion, bringing together jazz, progressive rock and improvisation, then it is hard to find a stronger group of players. This is an incredible album, totally essential to anyone who enjoys this style of challenging and almost avant garde music.

CÉSAR INCA MENDOZA DE LOYOLA, autopoetican.blogspot, Lima, Perú

The Sound of The Earth

‘Deep Ocean’, con sus casi 6 ¾ minutos de duración, pone inicios a las cosas con un despliegue de vigor expresionista que sabe medir bien los desarrollos y expansiones de su vigor esencial sobre un groove contenido. Así, los filudos golpes de la batería y los no menos entretejidos de guitarra y Touch Guitar instauran una magia robusta  y absorbente que permite al contrabajo de Levin abrirse espacios para la adición de inspirados colores adicionales. Con parsimoniosa majestuosidad, semejante a la que sería propia de un RAY RUSSELL transfigurado a través de un trance Zeppeliano-Hendrixiano, esta pieza construye montes y abre surcos fluviales en el valle del yo interior del oyente. El segundo tema del disco es la primera de las cuatro extensas entregas en las que se reparte el concepto homónimo del disco: ‘The Sound Of The Earth I’, que ocupa un espacio poco menor de 10 minutos, se caracteriza por ostentar un aura permanente de meditabunda solemnidad. Así las cosas, el cuarteto hace gala de su cautelosa astucia común para dejarse guiar por el continuo ascenso de sus estrategias de intensidad expresionista mientras las cosas van fluyendo. En los dos últimos minutos la pieza halla el norte sonoro que buscaba con elegante ahínco, focalizando con nervio decisivo el broche deseado. ‘From Darkness’, por su parte y en contraste con el ítem inmediatamente precedente, es frontalmente punzante en su despliegue de gráciles densidades prog-psicodélicas sobre un compás de 5/8. Nos hallamos ahora en territorio afín al paradigma Crimsoniano con poderosas sazones procedentes del cosmos de los STICK MEN y el mundo musical del propio Jevtovič en su faceta más aguerrida (autor del tema en cuestión, dicho sea de paso). Si ‘The Sound Of The Earth I’ fue una demostración de cauces de aire, entonces los puntos culminantes exhibidos en ‘Deep Ocean’ y ‘From Darkness’ fueron, respectivamente, un muestrario de oleajes señoriales y un escenario de hogueras galácticas.

‘The Sound Of The Earth II’, en comparación con la primera parte, exhibe un dinamismo más extrovertido sobre un groove más rotundo, lo cual le permite recibir los legado de aire y fuego de los dos temas precedentes con enérgica soltura. El exuberante y grandilocuente hermanamiento entre Reuter y Jevtovič en las capas, fraseos y exigentes bases armónicas que emanan de sus instrumentos hallan el soporte perfecto en la dupla rítmica, la cual decide aumentar su punche por un rato a poco de pasada la frontera del cuarto minuto y medio, dándose así un breve clímax dentro del jam en curso. Pocos instantes de llegar a la barrera del octavo minuto, el cuarteto vira hacia un swing un poco más agudo, lo cual permite que las exploraciones psicodélicas en curso adquieran una intensidad más penetrante, aunque el grupo decide elaborar la antesala de un remanso ulterior durante el último minuto. ‘Serenity’ empieza  como una afirmación sonora de su propio título, exhibiendo un motif envolventemente sereno a partir de un esquema melódico muy lacónico y una pauta rítmica calmada. Es como si aquí estuviese concretándose el espacio de remanso que se anunciaba en las instancias finales de la pieza precedente mientras las capas del transfondo completan los ornamentos requeridos. Pero, en la segunda mitad de este viaje musical, las guitarras elaboran un crescendo situado entre lo rabioso y lo melancólico. Cuando llega la tercera entrega de ‘The Sound Of The Earth’, el ensamble explora un ejercicio de vitalista parsimonia (por paradójica que suene la expresión) por vía de una sinergia autoconstreñida que los músicos utilizan, desde la individualidad de cada uno, para unirse en un ejercicio de contemplación colectiva. Los instrumentos simplemente hacen un paisaje sonoro de lo que sucede en cada una de las cuatro contemplaciones simultáneas dentro de un bien definido esquema  de trabajo. ‘Lovely Place’ es la pieza más lírica del álbum: como ha pasado otras veces en el repertorio precedente, comienza con una actitud calmada y notoriamente sobria para luego derivar hacia algo más explícitamente intenso. El virtuosismo de los actores juega a favor del carácter cautivador del croquis melódico en curso, terminando todo en un regreso a la calma originaria. 

Durando más de 16 ½ minutos, ‘The Sound Of The Earth IV’ resulta ser el ítem más prolongado del disco. El núcleo drásticamente etéreo en torno al cual giran los libres diálogos y reenecuentros entre los cuatro participantes se extiende a través de una vasta dimensionalidad de mantos flotantes en medio de una ambientación free-jazzera, casi al modo de una remodelación krautrockera de la faceta más misteriosa de los WEATHER REPORT en sus dos primeros años. Por un momento, a poco de pasada la frontera del octavo minuto y medio, parece que se va a armar un groove definido, pero en realidad se trata de un espejismo, un breve oasis de estructura que se diluye en la mágica lógica de libres efluvios que va reinando de principio a fin. Los músicos se ponen a retratar el modo en que la tierra se rehace por vía de varias conmociones indeterminadas sucesivas… pero es en los últimos cuatro minutos donde la tierra parece ya totalmente segura de cómo quiere que se afiance su reestructuración. El desarrollo del jam final exhibe un nuevo trance de incandescente vigor dentro del álbum, cerrándose todo con un epílogo onírico e inquietante. El broche del disco llega con el arribo de ‘Take A Walk’, un ejercicio de ingeniería Crimsoniana dentro de un contexto progresivo que tiene algo de sombrío, aunque también emana algunos retazos de luminosidad juguetona. En total, hemos disfrutado de 77 minutos de grandilocuentes y enérgicos viajes sonoros donde las Musas de la música jazz-progresiva han iluminado las facetas más musculares del maestro XAVI REIJA y sus magistrales compañeros de aventuras. “The Sound Of The Earth” es un disco poderoso y fabuloso que está repleto de magia telúrica donde el ideal artístico jazz-progresivo queda vigorosamente revitalizado. Esta asociación de XAVI REIJA con sus ilustrísimos socios Tony Levin, Markus Reuter y Dušan Jevtovič ha gestado un disco muy especial y muy recomendable.

From Corea, a Che Dragon Review

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GUY STUCKENS, The Sound of the Earth on Radio Air Libre, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

J’ai déjà eu l’occasion de vous parler du batteur catalan Xavi Reija (e.a. à l’occasion de la sortie de son album “Resolution”, en 2014). Pour son nouvel album, “The sound of the earth”, il s’est entouré de 3 musiciens prestigieux : Tony Levin (basses et stick), Markus Reuter (touch guitar) et Dusan Jevtovic(guitare électrique). L’album nous propose les 4 parties de la composition qui lui donne son nom, entrecoupées d’autres compositions des membres du quartet. Un ensemble éclectique, du jazz-rock, avec parfois des accents à la Pink Floyd ou même Deep Purple …

Progressiverockcentral.com Ángel Romero, Durham USA

Xavi Reija featuring Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, Dusan Jevtovic – The Sound Of The Earth (Moonjune Records, 2018)

The Sound Of The Earth is an album by a sort of western progressive music all-stars associated with the Moonjune label. Xavi Reija demonstrates his formidable skill as a drummer, along with some of the biggest names in the improvisatory progressive rock scene: Tony Levin, Markus Reuter and Dusan Jevtovic.

The album features high energy pieces with creative drumming, distorted guitars and outstanding bass work. The four musicians also delve into tranquil territory, with the guitarists developing exquisite ambient soundscapes supported by lightly touched drumming and imaginative basslines.

The lineup includes Xavi Reija on drums; Tony Levin on electric bass, upright bass, and stick: Markus Reuter on touch guitar; and Dusan Jevtovic on guitar.

DAN BURKE, liner notes.NEW JERSEY, NY

First heard on Xavi and Dusan’s inspired 2014 album, “Random Abstract” by XaDu, “Deep Ocean” starts things off with a fanfare of muscular guitar and cymbals crashing like waves on the rocky coast, carving out the beach and unearthing a primal groove with growling bass and jittering spectral figures. “The Sound of the Earth I” brings to mind David Sylvian’s post-Japan near ambient instrumental excursions where space and pause became as integral to the “composition as place” as his trusty Prophet 5. Once this world is created, and with a decidedly Beckian vibe (Jeff, that is), Dusan wrings from the neck of his guitar, some of the most emotive broken phrases and edited soulful voicings.

“From Darkness” finds Tony’s minimalist bass pulse in 5/8 with snare/kick serving as the groundwork for Dusan and Markus’ spiraling moebius strip guitar riffery. There is a slightly frenzied insistence to this track which serves as a great counterpoint to the more atmospheric work.

Leading off with playful skipping brushwork and a rich and supple Levin bass groove, then painted with Reuter’s ominous stained and weathered guitar tones, “The Sound of the Earth II” is a dark canvas of shifting clouds of color. Dusan’s skittery clipped chords and abbreviated lead lines bring necessary tension for the fluid guitar phrasings which seem to erupt and then run down the face of this 12 minute tone painting. “Serenity” is an inspired atmospheric piece which features an abstracted melodic lead buoyed by an insistent tamboura-like repeated wavering note. There is enough creativity and inspiration in this one track to feed a whole album’s worth of music.

Beginning with a deep space Curtis Mayfield vibe, “The Sound of the Earth III” unfolds slowly with a practiced teasing restraint that allows the music to bloom naturally. “Lovely Place” finds the notes of Dusan’s guitar projected, like light, into a prism and coming back as a myriad of shimmering colors. Reuter’s stellar fluid guitar solo has a heroic and almost “Hotel California” build and break before returning to Dusan’s delicate finger work.

At nearly 17 minutes long, “The Sound of the Earth IV” would feel right at home on side 3 of a double Kosmiche Musik LP from 1969. This is heady stuff with lots of room for some really spirited interplay. Markus inspires this kind of creativity with his willingness to step way outside of the comfort zone. The musicians feel as though they’ve played together for years. In “Take a Walk” Dusan knits a lean triplet argeggiated guitar riff into a tight braid to give structure while a swaggering monster groove builds and builds, all the while tugging mercilessly at the yarn of his guitar until it temporarily unravels into a series of more tentative notes and slightly bent chords.

You can feel the room in this recording and, by that, I mean you can sense both the physical space and the emotional space between these four gifted players. There is a level of trust and comfort here that puts the listener at ease and ready to take the ride. Band leader and Catalan drummer, Xavi Reija and Serbian-born guitarist Dusan Jevtovic have worked together on numerous projects these past few years and have become an intuitive musical unit. Born in Boston, Tony Levin, with his impeccable pedigree from Herbie Mann and Chuck Mangione to Peter Gabriel and King Crimson as well as his own 10- year ongoing project Stick Men, along with fellow Stick Men, Crimson ProjeKCt and Centrozoon member German-born Markus Reuter, have likewise developed a common language communicating through music.

Such heartfelt and enthusiastic playing is in short supply these days. This is not music pigeon-holed for easy consumption, rather, it challenges and rewards more and more with each listening. So put down your phone, lower the lights and prepare to experience the gift of this inspired recording.

PLANET DRUM MAGAZINE, ROME, ITALY

The Sound Of The Earth Notes by Dan Burke
First heard on Xavi and Dusan’s inspired 2014 album, “Random Abstract” by XaDu, “Deep Ocean” starts things off with a fanfare of muscular guitar and cymbals crashing like waves on the rocky coast, carving out the beach and unearthing a primal groove with growling bass and jittering spectral figures. “The Sound of the Earth I” brings to mind David Sylvian’s post-Japan near ambient instrumental excursions where space and pause became as integral to the “composition as place” as his trusty Prophet 5. Once this world is created, and with a decidedly Beckian vibe (Jeff, that is), Dusan wrings from the neck of his guitar, some of the most emotive broken phrases and edited soulful voicings.

“From Darkness” finds Tony’s minimalist bass pulse in 5/8 with snare/kick serving as the groundwork for Dusan and Markus’ spiraling moebius strip guitar riffery. There is a slightly frenzied insistence to this track which serves as a great counterpoint to the more atmospheric work.

Leading off with playful skipping brushwork and a rich and supple Levin bass groove, then painted with Reuter’s ominous stained and weathered guitar tones, “The Sound of the Earth II” is a dark canvas of shifting clouds of color. Dusan’s skittery clipped chords and abbreviated lead lines bring necessary tension for the fluid guitar phrasings which seem to erupt and then run down the face of this 12 minute tone painting. “Serenity” is an inspired atmospheric piece which features an abstracted melodic lead buoyed by an insistent tamboura-like repeated wavering note. There is enough creativity and inspiration in this one track to feed a whole album’s worth of music.

Beginning with a deep space Curtis Mayfield vibe, “The Sound of the Earth III” unfolds slowly with a practiced teasing restraint that allows the music to bloom naturally. “Lovely Place” finds the notes of Dusan’s guitar projected, like light, into a prism and coming back as a myriad of shimmering colors. Reuter’s stellar fluid guitar solo has a heroic and almost “Hotel California” build and break before returning to Dusan’s delicate finger work.

At nearly 17 minutes long, “The Sound of the Earth IV” would feel right at home on side 3 of a double Kosmiche Musik LP from 1969. This is heady stuff with lots of room for some really spirited interplay. Markus inspires this kind of creativity with his willingness to step way outside of the comfort zone. The musicians feel as though they’ve played together for years. In “Take a Walk” Dusan knits a lean triplet argeggiated guitar riff into a tight braid to give structure while a swaggering monster groove builds and builds, all the while tugging mercilessly at the yarn of his guitar until it temporarily unravels into a series of more tentative notes and slightly bent chords.

You can feel the room in this recording and, by that, I mean you can sense both the physical space and the emotional space between these four gifted players. There is a level of trust and comfort here that puts the listener at ease and ready to take the ride. Band leader and Catalan drummer, Xavi Reija and Serbian-born guitarist Dusan Jevtovic have worked together on numerous projects these past few years and have become an intuitive musical unit. Born in Boston, Tony Levin, with his impeccable pedigree from Herbie Mann and Chuck Mangione to Peter Gabriel and King Crimson as well as his own 10- year ongoing project Stick Men, along with fellow Stick Men, Crimson ProjeKCt and Centrozoon member German-born Markus Reuter, have likewise developed a common language communicating through music.

Such heartfelt and enthusiastic playing is in short supply these days. This is not music pigeon-holed for easy consumption, rather, it challenges and rewards more and more with each listening. So put down your phone, lower the lights and prepare to experience the gift of this inspired recording.

“The Sound Of The Earth” was recorded at Club House Studio, Rhineback, NY, USA by Paul Antonell in August 2016. Mixed by Jesus Rovira at La Casa Murada Studio, Banyeres del Penedés, Catalonia, Spain in 2018. Mastered by Álvaro Balañá at Impact Mastering Lab, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Produced by Xavi Reija. Executive producers Leonardo Pavkovic and Xavi Reija.

FROM GERMANY ABOUT “RANDOM ABSTRACT” XADU by BABY BLAUE PROG REVIEWS

Xadu is the name of a (approximately) founded in 2014 duo, consisting of Xavi Reija (drums) and Dusan
Jevtovic (guitars). Both have been active musicians for many years, both living in Barcelona. All especially the musical experience is visible on the website of the drummer, where countless bands, festivals and drum seminars are listed.
In May 2015, the first “Random / Abstract” CD of the duo was released. Four of the nine pieces were from the drummer thought up four, the guitarist was responsible and one should have written together. The repetitive guitar figures and the chords of “Secrets” may have been composed by the drummer
but it was probably left to the guitarist, so different in his guitar contributions. Areas such as jazz and Jimi Hendrix-influenced noisige wall-of-sound strip.
It is reported that the bass-like riffs of some pieces of a specially tuned six-string guitar come. This is also the case in the slightly swinging “Random Abstract”, which was sparsely distributed in the first place Sounds, feedback effects and sinister chords (and in my view, the question of how could
Hendrix plays today if he wanted to be avant-prog rocker) dedicates. For “Decaying Sky”, the drummer has devised incisive bass reef to just such guitar motifs, which I think together with the comparatively reserved guitar parts for a kind prog fusion piece.
In its lightness, “New Pop” demonstratively lives up to its title, albeit a few sinister ones
Guitar loops at the end some space was granted.
“Something in Between” wanders between jazzy lightness and the dark-noisy guitar outbursts, while in “Deep Ocean” Bluesrockriffs celebrates repeatedly to an avant-garde colored jazz prog scenery become. “Place with a view” is really just a jazzy break in front of a nice view, while “Workplace”
me with a dry riff and Spartan arrangements actually to an (in this case musical)

“RANDOM ABSTRACT” XADU. PORTAL EZQUIZOFRENIA REVIEW by Cesar Inca Mendoza

XaDu es el resultado de la asociación de dos genios del jazz-rock contemporáneo: el baterista catalán Xavi Reija y el guitarrista serbio Dušan Jevtović (afincado en Cataluña). El producto fonográfico de esta asociación se titula “Random Abstract” y llega a nosotros por vía del sello MoonJune Records (responsable también de publicar trabajos solistas de ambos). La estrategia de Reija y Jevtović es la de sacar provecho de la parca arquitectura sónica propia del formato de dúo para focalizarse en crear texturas y atmósferas, dando vueltas en torno a ellas y generando variantes de turno a fin de dar vida a las ideas musicales que se suceden a lo largo del repertorio del álbum. Usando recursos de la psicodelia, el postrock y, el dúo gesta un esquema sonoro jazz-progresivo que sabe instaurar su propia luminiscencia a contrapelo del rigorismo espartano que predomina en la germinación de las ideas musicales que se van sucediendo. Repasemos ahora los detalles de este disco grabado en dos sesiones separadas que tuvieron lugar en los estudios La Casa Murada de Barcelona, mayo del 2014 y febrero del 2015, respectivamente. El disco vio la luz del día el 20 de abril: el repertorio del mismo fue compuesto equitativamente por los dos integrantes del dúo, creando Reija las tres primeras pieza y la sexta mientras que Jevtović creó otras cuatro, siendo la octava (‘Workplace’) una creación conjunta.

Durando poco más de 6 ó minutos, ‘Secrets’ abre el álbum con un sobrio aire de sigilosa auto-constricción desde el que el dúo trabaja con un motivo sencillo reiterado con sutil ingenio; con la creación de un crescendo en el clímax intermedio, el dúo concreta una parcial resolución del empuje expresivo que, por lo general, queda ingeniosamente sublimado. Luego sigue la pieza homónima, la cual vira hacia una expresividad robusta que echa raíces simultáneas en la tradición space-rockera y en el paradigma Crimsoniano, logrando activar un electrizante jam generosamente alimentado de vibraciones abstractas. ‘Decaying Sky’ ocupa un espacio de casi 8 minutos y lo hace trabajando el dinamismo especial del tempo de 7/8; en este contexto, el dúo trabaja una expresividad más patente y exultante que nos hace evocar por igual la magia luminosa de un HOLDSWORTH y la ingeniería serenamente autoafirmativa de un WINGFIELD. Mención especial merecen las exhibiciones de sofisticación estructural en los grooves que crea Reija desde su asiento de baterista. ‘New Pop’ es la primera composición de Jevtović con la que nos topamos: en base a un esquema de tendencia jazzpop, el dúo se embarca en un ejercicio de llamativa gracilidad que no niega espacios a la inclusión de recursos psicodélicos y despliegues de vigor rockero. Con el tipo de cénit que se había implantado a lo largo de la secuencia de ‘Random Abstract’ y ‘Decaying Sky’, la actitud de ‘New Pop’ conlleva una interesante variación para la persistente extroversión. Cuando llega el turno de ‘Something In Between’, el ensamble se dispone a explorar áreas de misterio y densidad donde se da rienda suelta a los juegos de contrastes multi-temáticos propios del género progresivo e interacciones osadas que coquetean abiertamente con el legado de la avanzada jazzera de los 60s y 70s. Si alguna vez alguien imaginaba cómo sonaría un híbrido entre el KING CRIMSON de la etapa 73-74, el primer MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA y MASSACRE, pues esta pieza es la mágica respuesta a esa hipótesis melómana.

Con ‘Deep Ocean’, el dúo explora más a fondo la densidad dominante en el tema anterior y la lleva hacia un universo sónico de arrolladores inquietudes y tensas dinámicas: una vez más brota el factor Crimsoniano en la armazón general de la pieza, pero esta vez con una oscuridad apabullante que se acerca sugerentemente al paradigma del rock-in-opposition de PRESENT así como a las aventuras lisérgicas del krautrock guitarracéntrico. La secuencia de los tres últimos temas, ‘Place With A View’, ‘Workplace’ y ‘No Hope’, completa la atmósfera general del álbum con solvente creatividad. ‘Place With A View’ porta el encanto de un ensueño que flota en el inconsciente en medio de extraños aromas relajantes, mientras que ‘Workplace’ se mete de lleno en la vivacidad incandescente de unas vibraciones jazz-rockeras donde la fuerza de carácter se viste con prendas finísimas. En fin, ‘No Hope’ cierra el telón con un aura post-rockera que aparenta ser amable inicialmente, pero que incluye también algunos efectivos trucos disonantes que nos toman de sorpresa. Todo esto fue el repertorio de “Random Abstract”, una hermosa ofrenda jazz-progresiva con la que el dúo XADU se dispone a estimular el deleite del público preocupado por entender lo que pasa en la vanguardiajazz-rockera europea del momento. Qué bueno es constatar que los genios individuales de Xavi Reija y Dušan Jevtović se han amalgamado en una mente bipartita bien integrada en sí misma.

RANDOM ABSTRACT- XADU. Review on Gapplegate guitar and bass blog by Grego Applegate

In the realm of guitar-based fusion, all of course depends on the quality of the improvisations and the freshness of the compositions. We get both with the band XADU and their album Random Abstractions. It showcases the electric guitar excellence of Dusan Jevtovic and the fine drumming of Xavi Reija. They have two previous albums that were covered on these pages (type in the search box above for the reviews): Dusan with Am I Walking Wrong and Xavi with Dusan and bassist Bernat Hernandez on Resolution. Both albums were very good.As the duet XADU they have moved a step further. This is metal jazz if you like, with compositions that enliven things considerably and excellent musicianship. Dusan reminds ever so slightly of Terje Rypdal in his advanced harmonic- melodic ingenuity. Xavi drums with fervor and imagination, rocking freely with a pulse that is less tied to bar lines than it is additive and subtractive, which frees up the time and gives Dusan a flexibility in phrasing that allows him literally to take off. The tunes are the opposite of formulaic. Dusan’s “New Pop” has a chord progression that stays in your head uniquely. That may be the high point but it all has substance and innovative qualities. This is an album that needs to be heard. Guitarists will have much to hear on this one, but everyone who responds to fusion will find something different and very much directionally ahead.

Highly recommended!

FROM GERMANY REVIEW ON MOORS MAG. ABOUT XADU’S RANDOM ABSTRACT

The Catalan drummer and the Serbian guitarist already worked together before, but then they were another trio. For Random / Abstract they decided with his to make an album under the name XaDu. It delivers extremely exciting music, with the drummer four compositions, the guitarist four, and they together the ninth wrote, while they arranged together, that is improvised.
Xavi Reija Dušan Jevtovic There are soundscapes that leave in an amazing way hear how drums and electric guitar can complement each other and being able to talk to each other. The music sounds at the same time spontaneous and intelligent, and bewilderingly full and complete. Adventurous avant-garde, from two virtuoso musicians who dared to be adventurous with the two of them to enter a journey where you as a listener only with open mouth of admiration to listen. Recommended.

FROM GERMANY REVIEW ON ROCKTIMES BY Wolfgang Giese ABOUT XADU’S RANDOM ABSTRACT

The drummer and percussionist Xavi Reija had me with his release from the 2014, Resolution, tempted to call this record very successful! Now he is back here again with the guitarist Dusan Jevtovic as a partner, but the two have the first two letters of their first names chosen to form the band name XADU. What has changed, except that the trio has shrunk to a duo format and the Bassist was left out before? Insofar not much, because merger is also for two. The record starts with a hovering and reverberating sound of the guitar, from gentle to powerful drums … and it flows, very atmospheric and slow Developing. The ideas build on this, the two musicians seem to each other here to inspire. The following title song then demands more from the listener. It’s energetic Parts – partly free, partly rocking and the music is literally on top. Other songs shine in that the music seems to bounce there. Often there are square and edgy parts in the Foreground, which does not necessarily facilitate access, at least to all those who Music is not so common. For Fusion fans, however, it should be a pleasure to follow here, After all, a lot of different ingredients have been used to make the soup tasty do. “New Pop”, so the title of the fourth piece – but it is by no means pop, although it interesting charts could emerge if new pop developed in that direction. But that is unfortunately more in the field of science fiction settled. Different moods alternate – seemingly clear structures with very free flowing. Then again, it’s straining energy, restlessness, anger, and aggression that I do can associate emotionally. But it is also romantic and playful, listen once “Place With A View” – a sentimental looking outlook, immediately with the “Workplace” and its intricate rhythm is replaced, combined with restlessness. The last Song, on the other hand, is a relatively accessible song that could be used to make a blues song. For those who have difficulty with the rest of the record, it should, contrary to the song title there is still hope that they will have access to the music of the two. For all This is out of the question for others, because it is merger of high standard, except for a few Room for improvement in the design. It seems that themes are created that are taken apart within the pieces be resolved into individual topics and fan out, to reunite at the end. In between is a lot of vitality – sometimes you are torn down into an apparent Maelstrom, Sometimes one drifts with his thoughts analogously to music into unknown territories, then again becomes
you just shake it until everything finally narrows down. Waves, very tender symbolized with the cymbals of the drums, up to wild rides on the spray meter meter high Waves that break on the beach, then spread very fine in the sand, even more to take away everything that lies there. This music is true head cinema. It almost seems as though Metal and Jazz would make an exciting fusion.

FROM CROATIA REVIEW ON THE SOUNDGUARDIAN BY LJUBISA PRICA

From the experimental laboratory Leonard Pavković, publishing house MoonJune, produced a new project XaDu, a band that is, as I myself am, an acronym
hints, produced by a pure fusion of two exceptionally talented musicians,guitarist Dusan Jevtovic and drummer Xavier Rey. The two of them already had
They played together on Xavi’s critically acclaimed studio album LAST RECESSED Resolution (2014), which undoubtedly left a positive impact on their
mutual musical communication. The ultimate creative product is more than an interesting instrumental work of experimental and explosive character
which contains elements of alternative and garage rock, noise, avant-garde jazz and math metal.Random Abstract is not as random as the title of the album suggests. The compositions have elements of structure, melody and methodical thoughts, but at the same time these elements appear to be a fuel for
abstract improvisational research and experimentation. Already difficult, fierce and dirty jazz-rock sound of the album, due to the absence of bass and others the instruments leave an even cheery and cooler impression. But it is primordial limitation on guitar and drums at the same time makes it both artistic and interesting,
especially in the context of film art and the recent success of Iñárrituova Birdman (2014) featuring Antoni Sánchez’s drum jazz improvisation
they have an important function in creating an atmosphere. Although straight, raw and fierce, the band leads to a monstrous and stormy silence
in a great and probably the best composition, “Deep Ocean”, so it’s possible Imagine as a substitute for the “Treat Me Like Your Mother” spot (The
Dead Weather), the album is also at times both contemplative and even pop nature. Exactly such two compositions with obvious pop elements, “New Pop” and
No Hope “, function like a contrapunkt to the wild, uncontrollable and a fragmented aspect of XaDu’s work, and at the same time express themselves
intelligent transgressiveness. Namely, while the first, obviously symbolically called “New Pop”, somewhere in the middle suddenly decaying into avant-garde jazz, the other is such as the mildly shy of the Radiohead’s “Creep” joke partially decaying into dissonance. Ultimately, there is no doubt that this is a bold, challenging and full-blooded one a mysterious album with some emotional aspects. The only thing that worries me is the question if perhaps the beautiful sonic violence of XaDua will not work listeners like cryogenic experiments by Dr. Xadoo from comics about Superman who killed a lot of his patients.

FROM FRANCE REVIEW ON CHROMATIQUE.NET BY MALCOM

Nouveau venu sur une scène expérimentale et minimaliste dont on peine parfois à évoquer les codes ou les frontières (la formule « jazz/ math/ drone/ noise/ rock/ ambient » est-elle en effet encore très pertinente ?), XaDu présente avec Random Abstract son premier essai discographique. Au programme, neuf pièces instrumentales tortueuses, engendrées par la collaboration musicale de Dusan Jevtovic (batterie) et Xavi Reija (guitare électrique).En faisant le choix d’une production sans fioritures, XaDu assume d’emblée la relative nudité de sa formule instrumentale. Même si l’utilisation d’un looper permet quelques enrichissements (ajout d’ostinatos de basse sur quelques morceaux), le rendu de l’ensemble se montre parfois proche d’une longue improvisation, avec les limites que la formule duo apporte nécessairement. En dépit de ces contraintes qui sont le postulatinitial du projet, les musiciens réussissent à maintenir l’attention par l’emploi d’une large palette d’intentions et un vocabulaire artistique qui dénote une certaine expérience dans ce registre. Disséminés au gré des morceaux, plusieurs éclairs de virtuosité instrumentale illuminent les compositions et constituent, avec le soin apporté aux textures des guitares en son clair, les points forts indéniables de cet album. Dans cette perspective, on pourrait d’ailleurs regretter que le duo n’explore pas davantage les facettes atmosphériques ou mélodiques qu’il propose pourtant avec une pertinence qui le démarque de formations similaires. Random Abstract reste un disque de qualité, à classer davantage chez les enfants terribles du jazz, qu’au sein d’un microcosme math-rock dans lequel on pourrait hâtivement le répertorier.

FROM GERMANY REVIEW ON RAGAZZI BLOG ABOUT XADU’S RANDOM ABSTRACT

Xavi Reija (dr) and Dusan Jevtovic (g)
published under Xavi’s name
MoonJune Records “Resolution” in trio with Bernat Hernandez (b). Before that was 2013 “Am I Walking Wrong” was created.
Here, on the 56:19 minutes ongoing “Random Abstract” work the drummer and the Guitarist as a duo together. Everyone brought in four compositions, in addition
is there a community composition. The most intuitive, intimate pieces on “Random Abstract” are improvisational, as if they were in common jams originated, free and in a very personal Embossing developed. Stylistically, this is maybe as an electric jazz avant-garde too understand, without, however, historical To match jazz structures. There are Traces of the jazzpop of the 1980s, like Miles Davis for Marcus Miller sounded but without the pop, without the catchiness, only in the aural aesthetics and the ‘meager’ compositional depth. There is no such thing as compositional depth either. The duo strives for improvisational fulfillment, uses
minimalist patterns and marginal compositional pillars, between which the illustrious arches be set. The drum game Xasi Reijas is the jazz-stressed part, the highly complex and intensely intensifies the structure on which the thoughtful one plays in a free, playful infatuation Dusan Jevtovic puts his blatant, dark accents. The harmonic language is rough, the melodic gloomy, so probably first friends of the Avant-garde jazz to listen to this scratchy lyric. The minimalist vein and The scant compositional framework wants to be conquered, fusion and jazz rock fans are to asked. Not a lightweight album, “Random Abstract” is an interesting  challenge for music freaks who outgrown all deadlocked styles. Real “Freak” work!

REVIEW ON MUSIC ARCHIVES JAZZ ABOUT RANDOM ABSTRACT – XADU

XADU “Random Abstract” – Pushing the minimalist approach way beyond all established bounds,XaDu is a power duo featuring Xavi Reija (drums) and Dusan Jevtovic (guitar) joyfully discards the rule book favor of pursuing new forms of expression.

Review on Improvijazzation Nation Blog about “Random Abstract” Xadu

XaDu – RANDOM ABSTRACT: The “builds” on this duo’s set of tunes take a bit to develop, but once they arrive, they will catapult you into thenether regions! Xavi Reija does drums and Dusan Jevtovic plays guitar, and tunes like the opener, “Secrets“, you’ll be aware of their intimate construction ofmusic that stays in your brain for the long-term. For something a little closer to the edge, you’ll enjoy “Decaying Sky“… they are still totally tight on the rhythms, but the pace is escalated by an order of ten (or so). If you’re not completely entranced by their music, you’re either not listening very carefully, or your mind is on something else altogether. That’s especially true on tunes like my personal favorite of the nine offered up, “Workplace“… though it’s one of the shorter tracks, it will make you realize that you’re in the presence of musical genius. I give Xavi & Dusan a MOST

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient)

rating of 4.98 for this great release.

From Belgium François Becquart on Music in Belgium Blog

XaDu – RANDOM ABSTRACT: The “builds” on this duo’s set of tunes take a bit to develop, but once they arrive, they will catapult you into the nether regions! Xavi Reija does drums and Dusan Jevtovic plays guitar, and tunes like the opener, “Secrets“, you’ll be aware of their intimate construction of music that stays in your brain for the long-term. For something a little closer to the edge, you’ll enjoy “Decaying Sky“… they are still totally tight on the rhythms, but the pace is escalated by an order of ten (or so). If you’re not completely entranced by their music, you’re either not listening very carefully, or your mind is on something else altogether. That’s especially true on tunes like my personal favorite of the nine offered up, “Workplace“… though it’s one of the shorter tracks, it will make you realize that you’re in the presence of musical genius. I give Xavi & Dusan a MOST

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient)

rating of 4.98 for this great release.

NEW PROG. REALISE BLOG

…“Deep Ocean” starts things off with a fanfare of muscular guitar and cymbals crashing like waves on the rocky coast, carving out the beach and unearthing a primal groove with growling bass and jittering spectral figures. “The Sound of the Earth I” brings to mind David Sylvian’s post-Japan near ambient instrumental excursions where space and pause became as integral to the “composition as place” as his trusty Prophet 5. Once this world is created, and with a decidedly Beckian vibe (Jeff, that is), Dusan wrings from the neck of his guitar, some of the most emotive broken phrases and edited soulful voicings.  

On pastures unplugged, Catalan paragon of percussion ponders upon inner peace.

Maybe it’s a sign of maturity: a logical role from the edgy, electrically driven “Resolution” to this acoustic album which is no less charged on an emotional level. Waving goodbye to fusion and drifting toward refined jazz tropes, Xavi Reija and his new sidekicks – contrabassist Pau Lligadas and piano player Nitai Hershkovits – opt for very nuanced performances now, and if some dynamics get flattened in the process, the ultimate reward is a transfer of well-patterned placidity from the trio to the listener.

Light yet majestic, the baroque-tinctured “Serenity” and the title tracks – two of them, one marked as “Long Trip” – perfectly encapsulate a pastel hue of it all, while it’s “Ausencia” that is the key to the whole picture, to this barely-there shift of sounds. Starting with “Martina” where anxious friskiness transpires from elegiac strokes and ending with the splashes of “Thy Remembrance” for a bittersweet aftertaste to last long, the record has romance painted over every note, blue and otherwise. But if “Capella (We Still Dance)” offers a frivolous surge of rhythm and melody, the piece’s echoes in its non-subtitled, rather a dry namesake and the sprightly “We Keep Walking” create alternately ruminative and exuberant swirls of aural color.

A space for thought, “Reflections” doesn’t mirror the listener’s feeling, though, but there’s a delicately-driven direction for one’s pondering to flow freely, and such guidance is impossible to resist.

Spanish drummer Xavier Reija‘s previous trio was a fusion outfit with guitarist Dusan Jevtovic and bass guitarist Bernat Hernandez, as heard on Resolution (MoonJune Records, 2016) and Live at RZZ Barcelona (MoonJune Records, 2016). He turns to a traditional acoustic piano trio here, with pianist Nitai Hershkovits and bassist Pau Lligadas. There’s a different kind of energy in this band, but there is energy aplenty.

That energy is especially audible on a track like “Capella (we still dance),” with its insistent, propulsive rhythm—it really does have a dance feeling, and bassist Lligadas turns in a fine solo. But even when Reija is using brushes, as he does right from the beginning on opener “Martina,” as well as “Childhood Dream” and the ballad “Thy Remembrance,” there is always a firm rhythmic push driving the music forward, often with a double-time feel bubbling under the surface of the music. He does not especially compose like a drummer (whatever that means); in a blindfold test, the natural inclination would be to assume that the pianist is the leader. The drumming isn’t overly busy, it’s just present to a greater than usual extent in a piano trio setting.

Both the paired tracks, “Capella (we still dance)” with closer “Capella” and “Reflections” with “Reflections (long trip)” share a common feel without being variations of each other. The acoustic setting places composing, drumming and band-leading into greater focus (without minimizing the tremendous contributions of his band mates). Anyone thinking of Reija as a fusion drummer will likely be pleasantly surprised. In a landscape littered with piano trio recordings, this one stands out for equal parts of lyricism and a special rhythmic drive.

The previous album from Spanish drummer Xavi Reija was one in which he excelled in jazz and free-form songs. On his new album, he works with New Yorker Nitai Hershkovits on piano and Pau Lligadas on upright bass. And while they both may be young, they already have an impressive curriculum. The result is an album that quite surprised me! And the first hint is that the 11 songs on the disk clock in at just under 40 minutes. Which in comparison to previous output is fairly short.

Now, when you start reading the inside text it reads that this is a recording of dance music. Though definitely not in a regular sense. But when you listen to the CD, it becomes clear that there is a certain lightness on offer here. Restrained elegance as it is so aptly described. While there are still parts that remind us we are dealing with virtuoso players who like to experiment and improvise, there is no denying that these songs speakeasy to (at least) my ears.
So, while a drummer, bassist, and pianist are reasonable Commons in jazz land, this trio have managed to come up with a rather delightful album. Joyous and emotionally charged, living and breathing music performed by authentic musicians.

If anything, this proves that music from the heart always reaches out and touches anyone who will listen. Wonderful album.

From drummer Xavi Reija we have a thoroughly musical outing of himself and his trio (with Nitai Hershkovits on piano and Pau Lligadas on acoustic bass) doing a set of Reija originals. Reflections (self-released) captures contemporary piano trio jazz in exemplary form. The tunes are harmonically rich, changes oriented and both lyrical and driving, depending.

Hershkovits has a style that is out of Corea, post-Jarrett, Hancockian, and beyond to today. It’s up-to-the-minute fresh, with excellent technique and a singing protectiveness. Lligadas keeps the forward momentum grounded in the changes and helps keep that horizontal movement nicely structured. Xavi’s drumming is driving, rhythmically creative, well-conceived and in its own way a very important, critical contribution to the trio’s melodic-propulsive brilliance.
And Xavi writes some very nice tunes that are as fresh as the trio’s realization of them.
The more I play this one, the better it sounds to me. This is a trio that deserves wider exposure. They are firmly in the “art” realm of piano trio creating. Hear this.

HOLA, AMIGOS DE AUTOPOIETICAN, LES SALUDA CÉSAR INCA.

Hoy nos metemos en el mundo musical del híper-talentoso baterista y compositor catalán XAVI REIJA… y lo hacemos un poco tardíamente, valgan verdades. Es una pena que no nos hayamos dado abasto antes para abrir un espacio a las más recientes novedades de XAVI REIJA en este blog, pero bueno, más vale tarde que nunca. hoy  es el día para centrar nuestros oídos y nuestras mentes en su disco publicado en línea durante la segunda mitad del pasado año 2016, el cual se titula “Reflections”. Estructurado en torno al formato de trío que se completa con el pianista Nitai Hershkovits y el contrabajista Pau Lligadas, REIJA da rienda suelta a las aristas más introspectivas de su ecléctico cosmos jazzero contemporáneo. Claro está, cada una de estas aristas cuenta en sí misma con una versatilidad propia a la cual el trío deja explayarse dentro de un encuadre bien definido: así, la combinación dialéctica de libertad de expresión y claridad conceptual da bellísimos resultados a lo largo del repertorio de “Reflections”. Las jornadas de grabación para este material tuvieron lugar en sesiones sueltas de junio y julio del 2016, en el 44.1 Studio de Girona, para que en los siguientes meses de agosto y setiembre se realizaran las correspondientes labores de producción y masterización en el estudio Impact Mastering Lab.

‘Martina’ inicia el repertorio marcando un estupendo candor melódico, arrebatador pero sujeto a un refinamiento que exige mesura a la conmovedora reflexividad que inspira al motif. Los elegantes efluvios del piano son bien sustentados por la meticulosa dupla rítmica: algo que resulta más que suficiente para atrapar nuestra atención desde el punto de partida. A continuación sigue la pieza homónima, la cual está iluminada por un aura de exquisita sobriedad que no logra y no quiere ocultar el impacto emotivo inherente a su desarrollo temático central. En todo caso, el solo de contrabajo que emerge en alguna instancia del camino resulta crucial a la hora de realzar la susodicha sobriedad general de la pieza. ‘Capella (We Still Dance)’ cumple con la misión de abrirse a campos de expresividad extrovertida sobre un compás particularmente complejo: aires latinos se hacen notar en la estructuración de la amalgama instrumental en curso, los mismos que garantizan la persistencia de una luminosidad cautivadora. El cuarto tema se titula ‘Reflections (Long Trip)’ y su misión es la de revisar el cuerpo central de la pieza homónima con un groove más animado inspirado en el Latin jazz de raigambre bossa novero, siendo así que esta actitud más animada se perpetúa acto seguido con la emergencia de ‘Childhood Dream’, pieza que nos muestra otro genial ejemplo de la habilidad del trío para gestar un ambiente de jolgorio musical sobre un compás sofisticado y con un señorial empleo de la improvisación dentro de un lenguaje metódicamente respetuoso de la melodía en curso. Podríamos aventurarnos a adelantar que en esta última tríada disponemos de un estupendo cénit para el repertorio del álbum, pero lo que aún queda por escuchar no es nada desdeñable en lo absoluto. En efecto, la bella pieza ‘Ausencia’ surge para obsequiarnos un conmovedor paisaje sonoro de la melancolía en un espacio de poco menos de 5 minutos. Las líneas melódicas y variaciones correspondientes del piano brillan a su antojo.

Abre la segunda mitad del álbum ‘We Keep Walking’ y lo hace impulsando un espléndido híbrido de la claridad melódica de las dos primeras piezas del álbum con la extroversión mágica que signó a las tres piezas que siguieron después. La aureola de magnificencia intelectual y espiritual se hace patente en cada compás y cada nota empleados en este tema que instaura otro cénit creativo dentro del repertorio. En este estimulante zigzag evocativo que estamos disfrutando llega la hora para otro momento de introspección, y éste llega de la mano de ‘Thy Remembrance’, mientras que poco después, ‘Serenity’ honra sabiamente a su propio título con una placidez que se siente genuinamente poderosa a despecho de su patente autoconstricción. En medio de estas dos excelentes muestras de distinguida apacibilidad, ‘Letter From The Aegean’ se explaya en un exultante jolgorio sonoro donde el solaz es el rey ingeniero que dirige la vitalidad vigente. También tenemos un retorno del motif central de ‘Capella’ para el tema que se titula simplemente así, el cual reconstruye con una algarabía nueva el espíritu lúdico que se nos mostró en el tercer tema del repertorio. Cabe señalar que ‘Thy Remembrance’ cierra el repertorio seleccionado para la versión física de “Reflections”, pero en lo que concierne al repertorio virtual disponible en la página web de REIJA todavía tenemos unas cuantas piezas más: ‘Something More For You’, un tema no muy extenso que se centra en un jam vivazmente sustentado sobre un compás complejo, algo muy útil para realzar la gracilidad reinante; ‘Lost In Thought’, que es un jam construido en base al diálogo alegre entre la batería y el contrabajo, siendo así que el piano cumple con la función de aportar un colorido mesurado al asunto.

Tal como admitimos en nuestra autoinculpación del primer párrafo de la presente reseña, ésta es bastante tardía, pero el mensaje de fondo es que “Reflections” es un disco bellísimo cuya máxima fortaleza está en las sutilezas y gráciles auras sonoras que predominan tanto en la articulación de las composiciones básicas como en las interacciones performativas de los músicos involucrados. XAVI REIJA es un personaje destacado dentro de la avanzada jazzera europea del momento y merece que le sigamos la pista a cada momento. Solo valen elogios para lo concerniente a “Reflections”.

Muestras de “Reflections”.-

We Keep Walking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Toe5cB–I

Reflections (Long Trip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiHbq4acuNQ

El eclecticismo es una cualidad que define a la creación progresiva, quizá la que le confiere el mayor vuelo ya que involucra distintos elementos amalgamando tendencias y formas para lograr el resultado deseado, colorida y de definiciones surrealistas en el arte plástico, y en lo referente a la música de una sonoridad que también se asocia al color y la forma en la imaginación de la mente melómana, como tal entonces me gusta acompañar en este blog ese lado ecléctico del músico creador con la investigación y divulgación de estas obras tan particulares, por ello esta entrada está dedicada a un brillante músico catalán, Xavi Reija, baterista, compositor y escritor de libros técnicos, que tiene una amplia trayectoria didáctica y profesional dentro del jazz de fusiones progresivas contando con tres discos editados dentro del estilo, y su último editado en el año 2016, “Reflections”, que es al que me voy a referir.

“Reflections” es una obra para cuya realización sumó a dos músicos profesionales conformando un trío compuesto por Nitai Hershkovits en piano, Pau Lligadas en bajo y lógicamente Xavi Reija en batería, producción y composición, con la participación de los tres músicos en los arreglos. Consta de temas relativamente cortos acomodados en un orden armonioso, motivados cada uno en su concepto derivado de los distintos sentimientos humanos, dentro de un clima de jazz sobrio, intimista, fresco y cálido que va directo al corazón, logrando a través de los tres instrumentos una nivelación de las químicas en la integración de la homogeneidad sonora, siendo el piano el protagonista destacado al momento de remontar las melodías, el bajo aportando la sólida base rítmica o brillando discretamente al momento de los solos fraseados y la batería que en momentos es etérea y sutil, y en otros ajusta las energías exactas en los tramos que las requieren.

Notable cambio estilístico y de registro el que supone para el batería catalán Xavi Reija este ‘Reflections’.

Tras sus inicios con el ‘Electric Quintet’ y sus trabajos junto al guitarrista Dusan Jevtovic del 2013 y 2015 ahora nos aparece con este trio acústico completamente diferente.

‘Reflections’ parece marcar el inicio de una nueva etapa mas madura en la carrera de Xavi que para ello se ha rodeado del contrabajista Pau Igadas y del pianista israelita Nitai Hershkovits, vaya amor por los compañeros con apellidos difíciles, un colaborador habitual del conocido contrabajista Avishai Cohen.

En esta grabación Xavi vuelve a demostrarnos sus calidades como compositor aportando todos los temas de lo que el llama musica de baile, no en el sentido literal de lo que normalmente entendemos, sino como intercambio alegre entre tres musicos que disfrutan con lo que hacen y buscan compartirlo con los demás.

Creo que al final lo consiguen, ya sea por el nervio siempre presente de un batería como Xavi que sabe buscar su sitio y apoyar el trabajo del imaginativo y lírico Nitai y, por que no decirlo, la sólida presencia de un Pau Igadas recio en su labor como contrabajista.

Los once temas de este ‘Reflections’ reúnen muchos de los sentimientos que puedes albergar a lo largo de una vida. Asi lo da a entender el propio Xavi en el interior del disco.

Honestidad, contemplación, reflexión, tristeza, pérdida, alegría o simple amistad cuando hace falta todo esta reflejado en este disco. Nada sobra en esta grabación que supone un agradable descubrimiento para los que seguíamos la carrera de este baterista.

Poco sabíamos de esta faceta mas reposada y madura que no desmerece para nada la anterior y que confió tenga un buen recibimiento entre los que ya le conocían y suponga un acercamiento a nuevos públicos para el futuro.

Taking it to the limit that’s not there, theater of rhythm creates an imitation of life.

It’s often a drummer thing to drive controversy as a means of contrast, and Xavi Reija is a master of this art. 2014’s “Resolution” had a deliciously raw edge to it, but on-stage its material – delivered around the time of the record’s release – acquires unexpected gloss, so this document can be seen as that album’s alternative amalgam. It’s an intense, trance-like experience drawn between “Dreamer” and “Dreamland” – a piece from the artist’s past which matches his new repertoire’s context – where grooves range from disco delirium to freaky fusion, as Bernat Hernandez’s bass and Dusan Jevtovic’s guitar rage and caress the beats in equal measure.

There’s relentless, crazy-blues buzz in “Unfinished Love” contrasting the lively elegy of “Shadow Dance” yet “Abyss” distils emotions to a march of sorts, and “John’s Song” resolves into a motorik rally in front of the audience. In the moment, “Flying To Nowhere” is turned into a shimmering nightmare possessed of weird romantic magnetism, while “Macroscope” is bent into smoldering, meandering funk wig out where cymbals shuffle to lock into snare action. All but static, this performance is a great snapshot of Reija and his compadres in their element.

El objetivo clave de estas composiciones parece ser expresar honesta (y humanamente) esperanza y ambición, contemplación y reflexión, tristeza y pérdida, y el simple disfrute del amor y la compañía.

First and foremost, this is a recording of dance music, though definitely not in the way one would normally think of that genre. Rather, this is a joyous and emotionally charged exchange between three gifted musicians whose creation lives at the heart of what makes dancing so special – and that is the ability to surrender to both the vulnerability of emotion and the vitality of rhythm.

There is a restrained elegance at work here. Paired with musically simpatico pianist Nitai Hershkovits and bassist Pau Lligada, Xavi Reija’s new jazz trio channels strong and varied emotive content throughout the eleven compact (mostly under four minute) tracks on “Reflections”. Explore the 10th track “Serenity” and you will see what I mean; the slow breathing rhythmic structure serves as safe haven for Nitai to convey the namesake serenity which, when combined with the eggshell fragility of his phrasing, note selection, and song duration, serve to make this one of the most beautiful, and human, compositions I’ve heard in years.

With the playful feel of late 70’s Zawinul, or a more recent Tigran composition, “Martina” opens the album. The beautiful piano melody drifts atop the slippery rhythm section in a measured dance between the two before developing into a conversation. “Reflections ” and “Reflections (Long Trip)” both possess an introspective quality through a combined use of relaxed tempo, spare piano phrasings and Pau’s emotive almost scat-like bass playing . A bubbling stream of rolling watery piano and intricate hihat in 7/4 introduce “Capella (We Still Dance)”, whose hesitant and stuttering piano melody works against the playful dancing drums and bass to create a joyful sense of celebration and almost joyous abandon.

With a wash of cymbals over piano, the appropriately named “Childhood’s Dream” opens (and closes) like a book of memories. Conveyed within this brief time capsule is, at first, a sense of looking forward with youthful wonderment and yearning for things as yet unknown. As the song develops and matures in strength and confidence, there is a sense of looking back at the life lived thus far and the remainder of the journey that still lies ahead. “Ausencia”, the longest track on the record, begins with a spatially relaxed solo piano prequel coaxing out the melodic structure of the tune. After just over one minute, Xavi’s breathy brushwork and the thoughtful bass notes of Pau Lligadas come in to reinforce and further develop the main theme into one truly memorable experience. “We Keep Walking” begins with piano, soon joined by cymbals, bass and then eventually a skipping and subdued yet funky dancing snare. The song gets going with single notes over stabbed fragmented chords, until it finds its way into one glorious mother of a riff that would do Robert Glasper proud. Walking surely gives way to dancing with arms outstretched as this song explodes into a joy that can barely be contained. Contrasted against this, “Thy Remembrance” expresses at first a bittersweet melody of loss with the bass calling out in an almost human voice. As the song develops, the piano offers light, hope and grace for the future. “Letter From the Aegean” comes on strong with a great walking bassline and a more rhythmically straight ahead jazz approach. The pianowork on this track just sings, and the interplay with Xavi’s musical approach to tom work, is magical. “Capella” possesses the single strongest “modern jazz trio” vibe and is a great closing track in the way it showcases the players’ musical skills and comping to great effect. The key goal of these compositions seems to me to honestly (and humanly) express hope and aspiration, contemplation and reflection, sadness and loss, and the simple joy of love and companionship. Nitai, Pau and Xavi really bring an honest emotional intensity to this most personal (and danceable) of recordings. And, to quote Saint Max Roach, when it comes to Xavi’s feel for the kit and his ability to organically interact with the other players, ‘the drum also waltzes’.

(56:17, CD, Moonjune / Cargo, 2015)
“Random Abstract” is the debut album released in 2015 by the instrumental band XaDu, a project by Xavi Reija (drums) and Dušan Jevtović (guitar), which makes the initially somewhat strange band name suddenly meaningful. The two have already played in numerous projects and are now devoting themselves to their two-man combo. Only with guitar and drums do they create a “big” sound and do not boredom. Especially the guitar: Jevtović plays clean, sometimes he distorts with countless effects, sometimes he makes a hard rock, sometimes jazz – the whole always atmospheric.

Reija supports him congenially and exciting. The talent of the two influences their musical duels, one almost never misses the rest of a band. Even if you could imagine that “only” two musicians could sometimes sound dull or not full enough: this is not so “Random Abstract”.

Most of the songs begin with a main melody, which is then dismembered and always differently blurred, as is often heard in jazz. Especially the apparently improvised passages stand out positively. Jevtović is able to replace a number of fellow musicians with his guitar loops. Also the Songtitel are always chosen appropriately: ‘Decaying Sky’, ‘New Pop’, ‘Deep Ocean’ and ‘New Hope’ are only a few self-explanatory examples.

Everything seems spontaneous, jazzy, and if you want to look at the progright, perhaps most likely Prog-fusion-like. It seems as if you listened to the two musicians live, rather than a studio recording. It remains to be seen whether the concept will continue to work on other albums or become boring. Until now it is full!

Xavi Reija, músico, baterista y compositor catalán, creador de música en un estilo de fusiones de jazz-rock con variantes eclécticas, esta última característica permite la liberación de los rótulos limitantes, tal es así que ha editado un hermoso álbum de jazz de carácter intimista y emocional, “Reflections”, una obra que para la realización de la misma sumó a dos músicos profesionales para la conformación de un maravilloso trío compuesto por Nitai Hershkovits en piano, Pau Lligadas en bajo y lógicamente Xavi Reija en batería, producción y composición, con la participación de los tres músicos en los arreglos.

La obra consta de temas relativamente cortos acomodados en un orden armonioso, motivados cada uno en su concepto en los distintos sentimientos humanos, dentro de un clima de jazz sobrio y cálido que va directo al corazón, logrando a través de los tres instrumentos una nivelación de las químicas en la integración de la homogeneidad sonora, siendo el piano el protagonista destacado al momento de remontar las melodías, el bajo aportando la sólida base rítmica o brillando discretamente al momento de los solos fraseados y la batería que en momentos es etérea y sutil, y en otros ajusta las energías exactas en los tramos que las requieren.

Las atmósferas de los temas son distintas de acuerdo a la temática de cada uno, encontramos como ejemplos, en “Reflections” -en sus dos tramos- la melodía en el piano, bellamente melancólica aportando la variante con el solo del bajo, el swing en las dos formas sonoras de “Capella”, el gracioso ritmo infantil en “Childhood dream”, la lenta y hermosa nostalgia que transmiten los teclados dentro de una base etérea a la que transporta el profundo sentir de “Ausencia”, la contagiante rítmica del jazz en la energía de “We keep walking”, el cepillado rítmico que arrastra a un piano delicadamente melancólico acompañado del fraseo del bajo en la suave melodía de ”Thy remembrance”, o “Serenity”, igualmente sereno y delicado con una dinámica en bases y melodía que crece y despliega energía para luego diluirla hasta el redondeo final, contrastando con el ágil tramo de potente base rítmica de “Letter from de Aegean”.

El hermoso artwork de portada es una foto de una composición acorde con el contenido sonoro de la obra realizada por Joan Abella Escuer, una imagen de difusas luces y sombras jugando con la lluvia que completa la armonización integral de la obra.

Catalan drummer Xavi Reija’s fifth recording and his first with MoonJune Records is a highly charged affair that draws from rock, jazz and the shifting ground between. Reija’s hard-edged polyrhythms, bassist Bernat Hernandez’ thundering bass lines and guitarist Dusan Jevtovic’s raw, fuzz-toned electric guitar combine to stir up a storm that evokes memories of drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime and mid-seventies King Crimson.

That, however, is only half the story, for a meditative, slow-burning quality reigns at times while ambient loops and effects lend a psychedelic hue to music that waxes and wanes.Reija and Jetovic’s collaboration goes back a decade in the drummer’s electric quintet, which Hernandez has also been a member of since Ritual (Indi Records, 2008) so it’s no surprise that the trio here is so tight and yet also plays with unabashed freedom.

A generous hour and fifteen minutes is divided between longer tracks—weighing in around the ten-minute mark—of coiled tension and explosive release and shorter, punchier fare that goes straight for the jugula. Reija’s balladic sensibility comes forth on the lovely, brushes-led “Land of the Sirenians”—the most overtly jazz-influenced track and an island of repose in the middle of all the cut and thrust.The trio lays down an impressive marker on the opening track, “Flying to Nowhere”; a strong melodic head introduces a ruminative passage, which simmers slowly before erupting into flowing interplay, returning full circle to the opening motif with Reija on hand percussion.

Hernandez swings between the fluid melodicism of bassist Gary Willis and the more visceral rock aesthetic of former Crimson bassist John Wetton. His bubbling bass funk on “Macroscope” has shades of Weather Report, though the noise-cum-feedback mid-section and the scratchy guitar psychadelia of the finale—beneath propulsive drumming—highlight the trio’s modern, urbane underbelly.An underlying lyricism pervades the music, even at its rawest, and greater emphasis is placed on textures than exhibitionism.

There are flashes of the distorted, flaming guitar improvisations that peppered Jevtovic’s excellent Am I walking Wrong? (MoonJune Records, 2013), for example on the slower, highly melodic “Shadow Dance” and on the rocking “John’s Song,” but in the main the guitarist applies broad, impressionistic strokes on the canvas in the form of drone-like sustain, coruscating fuzzy feedback and loop-filtered effects, as on the powerful avant-rocker “Dreamer,” or light, jazzy lines on the groove-heavy “Gravity.” He also deals in some terrifically nasty power chords and greasy riffs on the dub-rock scorcher “Abyss.”Fans of guitar-driven Indie rock will lap up the pulsating “Unfinished Love,” which features nimble drum work and the brooding rhythms of the bass-heavy “John’s Song.” Both those tracks veer temporarily into ambient territory, whereas longer compositions like “Resolution” and the noodling, somewhat fractured “Welcome to the End” are largely structured around ambient-groove explorations that eschew exclamative dynamics.

Resolution‘s strengths lie in Reija’s ability to fuse raw power and lyricism, dissonance and melody. The playing is first rate throughout and one comes away wondering just how much more powerful this music would surely be on stage. Whether it’s avant-jazz or alt-rock hardly matters. What does matter is that this absorbing performance signals the arrival of a sophisticated power trio like few others.

XADU, ce n’est pas pour la blague ou pour faire bizarre. C’est la première syllabe de Xavi REIJA associée à la première de Dusan JEVTOVIC. Mais il faut dire qui sont ces deux musiciens qui ont fusionné leurs prénoms et à partir de là leurs talents, énormes. Xavi REIJA, excellent batteur devant l’Eternel, a été l’auteur de l’album Resolution sorti en 2014 tandis que Dusan JEVTOVIC, incroyable guitariste de profession, a été l’artisan de l’opus Am i walking wrong ? paru en 2013.

Les galettes ayant été éditées par Moonjune Records, il était normal que XADU soit aussi au catalogue de la même maison de disques. Qui a ajouté là un véritable joyau à sa collection déjà exceptionnelle. Car Xavi REIJA et Dusan JEVTOVIC ensemble, ce n’est pas une simple addition mais une multiplication généreuse des savoir-faire dont le résultat laisse pantois de splendeur.

Il faut dire que les deux musiciens magiciens ont pris leur temps pour concocter leur album commun. En effet, une première session d’enregistrement a lieu le 6 mai 2014 en Catalogne aux studios de la Casa Murada sous la direction du producteur Jesus ROVIRA et une seconde session s’est déroulée le 2 février 2015 à Banyeres Del Penedes, toujours en Catalogne. Le mixage final s’est effectué en mars 2015 à Buenos Aires sous la férule de Juan Pablo ALCARO, un expert en la matière. Il devait bien falloir tout ça pour accoucher des neuf morceaux somptueux qui composent Random Abstract, neuf morceaux tous basés sur l’improvisation et équitablement répartis entre les deux musiciens au niveau de l’écriture, quatre pour JEVTOVIC, quatre pour REIJA et un morceau partagé.

Le résultat varie entre le caressant, avec Secrets, le musclé, avec Random Abstract, l’imposant, avec Something in between, et le bondissant avec Decaying sky. Tout au long de ce magnifique album, Duvan JEVTOVIC n’en finit pas forcer notre admiration avec ses solos titanesques et ses harmonies subtiles. Quant à Xavi REIJA, il en impose magistralement de par sa frappe aussi massive que précise, multistylée et classieuse.

Bref, avec XADU et son Abstract Random, Moonjune Records a encore mis dans le mille.

The Catalan drummer Xavi Reija previously worked with a quintet, but he has the keyboard player and saxophonist knocked out and remained a trio. Guitarist and bassist Dusan Jevtovic Bernat Hernandez do with Rija jazzrock who miraculously combines intelligence and subtlety with raw passion and indomitable energy.

“Less is more” is certainly in this case, because a lot of intensive music here you will not hear soon. Exciting, adventurous, with strange dissonances that are perfectly correct, with tempo changes completely in balance and tension only make exciting, interplay and interaction that constantly sit on the cutting edge, balancing between rock and jazz, between atmospheric soundscapes and funky hardrock.

And all the while you sit listening to the virtuoso interplay with open mouth – one moment surprised by the player who does things that you had not thought possible, then you can hear the guitarist with bewildering patterns emerge, and then know the drummer again subtly send.’s number one side Resolution is a great musical adventure. Three brilliant virtuosos especially to convince. Trio as a coherent An absolute must.