Leading British jazz label UbuntuMusic proudly presents the cinematic, meditative, transportive upcoming collaborative release from esteemed Israeli musicians Maya Belsitzman and Uriel Herman. A suite of ten improvised pieces on piano, cello, voice and effects, ‘Pauses in Shades’ is set to release on September 27th.
The pair first met as children on Israel’s Classical music scene, but it was only when the world came to a standstill in 2020 that they were able to reconnect and make music together. Grounded in listening, improvisation, and emotion. Maya and Uriel took to the studio in an effort to pour life into images, offering their listener the opportunity to pause, join and observe moments created in the room and reflect on the outside.
The record sees the duo explore the timbral capabilities of their instruments, weaving melodies, dense harmony and improvisation together across naturally evolving spontaneity with inclinations towards song-like structures.
From delicate tranquillity with Middle Eastern folk influences, to frantic explorations of tension chaos with a free-jazz edge, each piece is built around an intimate duo performance, developed through the use of overdubs, spacious reverberated cello harmonics, filtered field recordings, synths, and delays.
Internationally recognised for his remarkable blend of classical piano, improvisation and Middle Eastern rhythms, Uriel Herman has captured the hearts of audiences all over the world, with notable performance highlights including at the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), Ronnie Scott’s, Bimhuis Amsterdam, and leading jazz festivals all over Europe. His last album ‘Different Eyes’ was selected by the Guardian as one of 2023’s top 10 jazz releases.
Maya Belsitzman is a classically educated cellist whose career has seen her perform with internationally acclaimed artists including Avishai Cohen (Trumpet), Barbara Streisand, Ehud Banai and more. In addition to her work as a performing cellist, Belsitzman regularly composes, produces and arranges original scores for theatre, modern dance, short films and documentary movies.
We are releasing this album now in the hope that it will shed a bit of light during this dark period we are experiencing in Israel. – Maya & Uriel
Line up
Maya Belsitzman | Cello
Uriel Herman | Piano
Track Listing
Dew (Tal)
Homage to Chopin
On a Boat
First Step (Nur)
The Naked Streets
Dance of The Blinds
Not Alone
Echo of Regrets
Sandbox
Shades