22 January 2020

AL DOUM & THE FARYDS – Spirit Rejoin 2018 (LP/CD Black Sweat Records / Les Disques Bongo Joe)

Al Doum And The Faryds is an interesting Italian combo – ensemble if you wish – based in Milan and at this time of the Season (September 2019) it consists of 7 members playing a mix of New Spiritual Exotic Jazz flirting with Psych and using besides the standard guitar-bass-drums, Fender Rhodes piano, sitar, various percussions and an interesting mix of wind instruments like alto saxophone, clarinet, trombone, and trumpet. They use improvisations in order to give form to their music and create songs. Davide Domenichini is the “head” of the band, he also runs Black Sweat Records. They have released 4 albums so far, all on Black Sweat Records except their self-titled debut which is not on any label. (“Al Doum & The Faryds” 2011, “Positive Force” 2012, “Cosmic Love” 2014 and “Spirit Rejoin” 2018).

“Spirit Rejoin” is their 4^th album and it contains 8 songs, 4 on each side of the LP. The album takes off with “Weed And Love”, a hymn to universal Love, starting with a tribal-like rhythm with a strong summer-hippie feeling under an intense Santana-esque groovy musical landscape with chorus-like vocals, makes you wonder “Are the 60s back?” The wind instruments add a tremendous psychedelicious jazzy exotic vibe and I could be really pleased and satisfied enough if the record just ended there!!! Amazing, isn’t it? The short sax-based improvised interlude of “Jimmy’s Gun” follows and after 50 seconds the band’s Jazz influences are clearly shown up with “Light Up”. Their ‘jazz’ playing is perfectly blending with lots of “Middle East” elements, creating a powerful and unique instrumental soundscape full of musical intrigue! The wordless vocals are adding a mysterious “ancient” veil, flirting with Mother Africa and (for once more) they’re paying their dues to the late 60s West Coast guitar Sound! Not to mention that the ‘Winds’ are on fire too! Side ‘A’ closes with “Solchi”, a tune that starts slowly under mystical folklore and bucolic-like atmosphere, it almost feels like Muses are playing music so Pan can rest his mind… Progressively the tune develops a melancholic funeral-like rhythm that transcends the listener to some memorial service in Frenchmen Street, New Orleans! Soon, the sad horn-section takes control of the tune and literally transforms it into a hallucinogenic lysergic litany! Litaniae Sanctorum!!! On Side ‘B’ the scenery becomes more let-loose (free if you wish) with “Satieva”, there’s an intense Acid Jazz feeling, Free-Form and “controlled” improvised! The Sax is taking the lead but in the background, there’s a prosperous musical orgasm going on! This one is sounding like an LSD-soaked excerpt from “Bitches Brew”! “Unity Is Brotherhood” has an adventurous improvisational beginning with a tribal cool rhythm, full of various percussions, that slowly unfolds its awesome occult “Riders On The Storm” piano melody under an unbelievable dynamic psych-jazzy pattern, the chorus-like vocals repeating the title are adding something ‘Shamanic’ to the sound, making the tune the absolute soundtrack to a Psychedelic Ritual, leading the listener to the desired level of Ecstasy! The track ends under a tribal ecstatic drum-rhythm that continues to the next song, inspiringly entitled “Drums Odyssey”, a delirium of rapturous drumming and jungle sounds that create a weird but exotic atmos, this one is quite experimental! Eventually, the album closes with the self-titled “Spirit Rejoin”, a laid-back acoustic tune with lots of percussion sounds, sitar, light-horns, and chant-like vocals. A Spiritual tune that fills you with Euphoria, making your ‘greedy mind’ to think “I need to play this record again”! A Superb, Delicious and Breath-taking musical creation! An album with unique Healing effects… (TimeLord Michalis)