Oded h. Sarig

Here Be Dragons is the ECM debut of New York based, Tel Aviv born saxophonist Oded Tzur, a strikingly original player and musical storyeller. Tzur’s graceful and fluid tenor sax sound has been influenced by studies with bansuri master Hariprasad Chaurasia, and the concept of raga is subtly embedded in his elegant compositions, played with verve and imagination by his outstanding Israeli-Greek-American jazz group. As DownBeat has observed: “Tzur and his colleagues are definitely on to something.” Recorded in June 2019 at Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, and produced by Manfred Eicher, the album is issued as Tzur embarks on an international tour.

On his second release for ECM New York-based saxophonist Oded Tzur introduces a heightened sense of urgency and a conceptually augmented approach to his distinctive voice, weaving one underlying musical idea through a series of elaborate and impassioned designs. The quartet’s lineup is unchanged from 2020’s Here Be Dragons and the group’s interplay has grown even more expressive in the meantime. Throughout Isabela the saxophonist and his collaborators – pianist Nitai Hershkovits, Petros Klampanis on bass and rhythm conjurer Johnathan Blake – apply their subtle dialect in a more intense space, exploring the nuances and colors of Oded’s self-fashioned raga in a suite-like sequence of quiet meditations and powerful exclamations. The remarkable session was captured in Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo in September 2021 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

A melodic hard rock group from Sweden, H.E.A.T materialized in 2007 with a sound built on a foundation of classic hard rock and late-'80s-inspired commercial heavy metal. They released an eponymous debut in 2008 and found success after a strong showing at the 2009 Melodifestivalen with the hit "1000 Miles." They continued to find favor with melodic rock fans both at home and abroad on subsequent outings like Tearing Down the Walls (2014) and Into the Great Unknown (2017). Three years later the band returned with H.E.A.T II, which marked a return to the heavy melodic rock of their earlier albums.

Following their highly acclaimed studio album "Into The Great Unknown", H.E.A.T. went on an extensive tour to showcase their incredible live performance skills…