Tevet Sela – Alto Saxophone
John Roney – Piano
Mike Downes – Bass
Mark Kelso – Drums

Since moving to Montreal in 2010, saxophonist and composer Tevet Sela has quickly become a prominent figure in Canada’s vibrant jazz scene. His first seven albums – Tevet Sela (2003), Coming True (2007), Jazz Flute (2010), Lying Sun (2014), The River (2017), Mizmor (2019), and Live at The Rex (2023) – received rave reviews. Sela’s latest album Sweet Tears is a deeply personal and emotional album, one that aims straight for the heart. The album’s rich mosaic of songs address the constantly shifting balance of happiness and sadness in our lives.

For over two decades, Sela has performed at countless international jazz festivals and venues, and was nominated for both the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s TD Grand Jazz Award and the Prix Opus for Jazz Concert of the Year.

The music in Sweet Tears is not of a purist nature. As a musical melting pot, the album weaves together klezmer and middle-eastern scales, rhythms, harmonies, and inflexions, mixing them with sounds from the R&B and Latin jazz traditions.

Songs like Shabbaton and Sweet Tears have lyrical, hymn-like melodies, while the bouncy Omaya is anexpression of liberation; joyous and celebratory. In Naked Soul, Sela’s gorgeous tone evokes the sound of a gospel choir, while Far Yet Close conjures images of a middle-eastern desert landscape.

These meticulously written, melody-driven compositions, performed by some of the most sought-after musicians in Canada, make this album an immediate stand out. Sweet Tears takes the listener on an introspective journey. Its purifying effect will leave you with a long lasting, soulful mark. Let yourself be touched by it and taken by its charms.

tevetsela.com

Release Date: Friday, June 14th 2024