Ohisashiburi: Reimagining The Beatles
Author: Robert Shore
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Fabio Accardi |
Label: |
Verterecords |
Magazine Review Date: |
February/2021 |
Media Format: |
CD |
Catalogue Number: |
VR 20004 |
RecordDate: |
October 2019 |
For what it's worth (and that's really either next to nothing or absolutely nothing at all), I should confess that I've never really liked The Beatles. But that hasn't stopped me from enjoying this debut project from Ohisashiburi, a new quartet formed by splendid British pianist (and singer) Jonathan Gee and a trio of musicians from Puglia in southern Italy. Serious Beatle-heads may be even keener. Gee's Fab Four take six Lennon and McCartney originals – ‘And I Love Her’, ‘Michelle’, a few later-period songs – and mix in a trio of their own tunes. Gee's compositions ‘Starfish’ and ‘Silver’ are fine showcases for the group, especially Gaetano Partipilo, who demonstrates serious chops on alto sax; Gee is no slouch at the keys either. ‘Come Together’ careers with rambunctious abandon towards the original's famous percussive opening, gradually emptying itself of sound and fury; a satisfyingly unpredictable reimagining. The closing track, ‘Across the Universe’, begins with Partipilo delivering the melody with a lullabyish swagger and ends with a chorus of ‘Nothing's going to change my world’. Great – but how about doing The Stones next time?
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