Gilad Chatsav Trio

Somewhere in the greyer area of Tel Aviv, there is a street. On that small, disregarded street, there is a bar. Within that modest bar, at least on every Tuesday night, there is jazz. Good, solid, classic jazz. The kind of jazz that reminds you why you fell in love with that first track of Miles Davis’s ‘Kind of Blue’ to begin with; the kind that immediately reverts you to the nostalgia of the genre that, against all odds of modern music, has retained its class and sophistication.

Last night, pianist and composer Gilad Chatsav and his ensemble played from their hearts to an intimate and dedicated audience of foot-tappers and head-nodders. The cozy atmosphere, coupled with the repose of Chatsav’s beautifully executed tributes to jazz’s most revered artists, made the evening an unprecedented success.

Joined by guest tenor saxophonist Jonathan Greenstein, the ensemble opened with a quintessential Davis favourite, allowing the tempo to soak in before breaking out of the mold and into an elegant improvisation – a classic amalgamation of the age-old and the insightfully original. The trio’s striking fluidity, musical chemistry and discernable serenity transcended into our small audience.

Concluding the evening with two Ella Fitzgerald cover songs by guest singer Xenia Course, the ensemble demonstrated a performance of experience, aptitude, and insistence on the undeniable debonair of jazz.

The first time I attended the trio’s performance at the Dancing Camel, I remember commenting on what a shame it was that the bar (also a brewery) was in such an uninviting location. Yet last night Gilad said something whimsical that I felt perfectly characterized both his musical conscientiousness and the genre itself: “Jazz is sort of about being the outsider, of staying away from the spotlight of mainstream culture. It continues to exist because of those who truly, truly, love it.” To love the music is to succumb to it, and if that means dragging myself out to the Dancing Camel every Tuesday night, I’m there.

Chatsav’s trio is composed of Donovan Bullen on the contrabass and Avi Barak on the drums. They play every Tuesday night at 21:30 at the Dancing Camel, Hataasiya 12, Tel Aviv. For more information about concerts, visit www.giladmusic.com.