Pablo Embon – Harmony Tales

HERE’S WHAT WE DUG MOST…

Opening with, Vintage Lover, a jazzy syth-bass line underpins a playful melody—whose lightheartedness can easily distract a listener away from the complexity of the composition. But, perhaps that’s the point.

OUR FAVORITE TRACK… Nothing Left Behind is nothing short of a 4.5 minute escapade into the luscious, wavy world of Embon’s keys and guitar. Listen carefully, because here we are gifted five separate acts. Act one draws ears in with a smokey and minimalist jazz-lounge melody which oozes into act two around 1:10. Bluesy, electric licks join the ensemble while keys hold the melody, and eventually take the reigns at 2:10. A minimalist and ambient anomaly occurs at 2:45 which sets up the outro where we find ourselves coming full circle, returning to our original melody. As a wise man once said, sometimes visiting places we’ve already been is far more exciting. (Check out the music video below.)

Song Of India is immediately and captivatingly urgent. Here, Pablo expands his expertise with both scales and instruments from foreign lands. By the 1:30 mark we’ve completely moved into an entirely new mood as New Age finds its way home to pure jazz. At 2:45 the dust settles and we return to the composers new-found freedom. It feels like a jazzy outtake from the Lawrence Of Arabia sound-score.

With a tempo and energy which could be argued holds the heart of the album, Taste Of Freedom, is like a tap-dance on keys.

Too Far, Too Close feels like a dance between lovers. Lovers who can’t bear to be apart, but, have not yet found their stride as a couple. Here, Pablo’s guitar pleads and beacons. His piano tempts and demands. It’s an absolutely lovely quarrel. Be sure to hold on for the gorgeously melancholy conclusion.

Our second favorite track, the aptly titled, Midnight Lullaby, flows subtly into your ears. Keys are eventually wrapped in layers of synth with electric licks sprinkled in like raindrops on a sunny day. Hold your lover close and hit play.

Naked piano. Concluding the album is, The Best Of Me, a reworked and improvised version which originally appears on his 2009 album, Back To Source. This beautiful stripped down number allows us to take in the full-extent of the Yamaha LA Custom C7 Grand Piano on which it was performed. It really is the perfect outro for an album of this quality.

IN CONCLUSION…
Profoundly and wonderfully expansive. Warming. Comforting. Uniting. Inclusive. Open-minded. I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but Pablo Embon’s 19th studio album, Harmony Tales, feels like a boundaryless and multi-cultural releasing of great tension; a healing collection of mind-freeing and heart-stirring compositions created by a man who’s mastery has reached a level where the music is now allowed to guide him. Throughout the album, stirring and emotional melodies are constantly juxtaposed by light-hearted and whimsical phrasing, creating a balanced dance of opposites, and a soothing exercise in contrast.

A guitar and piano album, on this project, Pablo gives a bit more of a nod to the latter, and he’s never sounded better. Jazzy melodies. Bluesy riffs, and melancholy moods unite to form a delicious fusion fancy. This is music for dinner with your lover. A glass of wine at sunset. A moment alone after a long week. The entire album is fresh air. Quite frankly, Pablo Embon is the reason we’ve come to love Jazz. Do you understand the significance of this? Please give this album your ear.

WHOSE LOVECHILD…?
Master Bruce Lee meets a piano & guitar…