Microcosmos: Oded Tzúr Quartet

Microcosmos: Oded Tzúr Quartet

A thrilling musical journey that moves beyond labels and genres, starring musicians who have been exploring the unlimited possibilities of sound throughout their career, is taking place at the Lighthouse of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

This year's Microcosmos series is presenting five innovative artists with-at times more obvious and at other times less so-jazz backgrounds, who have stood out in the domestic and international music scene, disrupting forms and boundaries in any and all musical directions: From the "thrilling new saxophone Colossus" Oded Tzúr (Oct. 22) and his quartet, who transform the secrets of the Indian musical tradition into spiritual jazz, to the subversive Berlin pianist Lambert (Nov. 19), who combines diverse aspects of contemporary jazz with electronic and rock elements; and from the domestic duo Jan Van x Fotis Siotas (Jan. 21), who offer a new perspective on the musical tradition of Northern Greece through the project Folk Nowadays, to the domestic trio Mob (Feb. 11), who deconstruct jazz forms by integrating into their compositions elements ranging from post-punk to dance. At the final concert of the series, the British quartet Ruby Rushton (Mar. 31), led by the restless Tenderlonious, take us on a journey to the legacy of legends from the time of John Coltrane.

Oded Tzúr is one of the most notable saxophonists on the international jazz scene. Based in New York City, and boasting remarkable albums in modern discography, it is no wonder he is being likened to icons of the past such as Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. He has been described as "a thrilling new saxophone Colossus" - which is what Rollins was called back in the '50s - or given pride of place in the aesthetic trend of modern spiritual jazz, comparable to the one Coltrane enjoyed in the '60s.

The truth is Oded Tzúr is an innovator. Apart from jazz, he has studied classical Indian music under Hariprasad Chaurasia, a grand maître of the bansuri flute, and has, as a result, not only delved into the secrets and details of this great musical tradition, but also developed a special technique: he renders Indian music's microintervals and microtones on his saxophone, giving its sound a completely distinct character. At times, his sound does not even resemble that of a saxophone; and you will rarely hear him play the "cliché phrases" usually performed by jazz saxophonists.

Furthermore, Oded Tzúr's approach, despite its innovative additions, never strays from the melody and structured narrative - in fact, he places great importance on storytelling, something that is also evident in the relevant quality of his compositions. This melodic narrative that characterizes him and the profound Indian influences detected in it afford him the status of "the protagonist" in spiritual jazz, for which he is already famous.

Having released four noteworthy albums (Like a Great River and Translator's Notes by Enja Records, and Here Be Dragons and Isabela by ECM), Oded Tzúr offers us his great, delightful music, without hesitating to include in it modern standards, such as Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love With You," joined by his outstanding collaborators: Nital Herskovits (piano), Petros Klampanis (double bass) and Jonathan Blake (drums).