Who's Around?

Who's Around? is guitarist and bassist Tal Mashiach's second album for Anzic, after Tiyul (2022), a solo guitar record made alone in a cabin in northern Israel. This time he draws on his circle in New York's creative music scene, sixteen musicians with roots in Israel, Greece, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Chile, in a set that moves between jazz, Greek zeibekiko, Brazilian samba, flamenco and classical music. His GTO Trio partners, pianist Gadi Lehavi and drummer Ofri Nehemya, are at its core.

Anat Cohen's clarinet leads "Titu" and "Creta," and on "Creta" Panagiotis Andreou (Now Vs Now) sings lyrics he wrote in Greek. "Ajaruli," written during three weeks in Georgia, features Khondzi on saxophone and a Georgian vocal. "Paco" nods to Paco de Lucía, and "Duo" features vocalist Dana Herz, Mashiach's wife. Through it all, often on classical guitar, Mashiach is the thread.