Pablo Embon – Sunrises Every Night – Album Review

It’s a distinct pleasure to find new music from the jazz-fusion composer Pablo Embon in our inbox. The Argentinian-born, Israeli-based artist most recently blew us away with his release earlier in 2021, In Your Skin. We found it to be “track after track of bold, moving, and powerful music….with cinematic construction and unquestionably high-quality compositions at the center“.

Now, at the end of this year, Pablo is back with another inventive, inspirational, boundary-pushing work of art. Releasing on December 15th, Sunrises Every Night is a compilation of some of Pablo’s most innovative and expressive work to date.

HERE’S WHAT WE DUG MOST…

The album artwork is full of guitars – perhaps a foreshadow for the driving instrumentation on Sunrises Every Night. The introductory track Get It Together dives headfirst into this element, with strummy, bright guitars making a regular appearance. But it’s the entrance of the keys that reminds us that it is indeed jazz at the heart of this composition. It brings a loose, swinging melodic line that just dances over the modern percussion that joins it, trading off with complex synthesizer riffs over moments of distinct tension and relief. The saxophone that joins the arrangement for a moment towards the track’s end brings a rich layer of soul and ties this upbeat opening number together with its recognizably jazzy flair.

The Meaning of You embraces more of the traditional elements of Pablo’s primary genre, with the trademark traces of his Latin American roots present in the percussion – an element we’ve seen in his music before (Hat Gaya comes to mind). The inclusion of some scat singing from Pablo himself is a warm and welcome addition to this track. Incorporating vocals into his self-produced work is a recent addition for Pablo, and he tells us he found it to be a challenge. But you wouldn’t know it to listen to it – his voice is balanced and expressive, blending wonderfully with the rest of the smooth instrumentation.

Piano-forward, subdued, and subtle at the start, Jacaranda has no fear of embracing the dissonant side of jazz composition. There’s something to be said about the ability to use notes outside of the expected key – an element that is so distinctly jazz – in a way that creates emotion. The feelings of uncertainty and suspense make the resolution back into expectation even sweeter. Another noteworthy element here is the drum solo, serving as a commanding transitional moment between two distinct sections of this work, bringing us effortlessly from a light piano section into a deeper, more hypnotic portion.

The story told in Endless Journey runs in parallel with the track’s name. Starting with a reverberant string arrangement over a trance-like melody from the piano, we descend into sounds of nature, before quickly picking back up with a soft modern jazz theme. At nearly every measure there’s a new development – a dramatic chord shift, a new instrument, a percussive flourish – very much like a journey through the ups and downs of life.

We also love Change for its full feature of Pablo’s vocals. This one feels a bit like a jazz standard, a Sinatra-esque rhythm complete with soft keys and a simple rhythmic base. And Pablo’s voice is quite well suited to the sound – it’s full, nuanced, and dulcet. We get a taste of his lyric writing as well, and we find a message in these lines that complement the theme of the album perfectly, an uncomplicated and digestible telling of overcoming obstacles and finding new purpose:

“Stepping out your comfort zone
Get up and go
Set new goals
I know fear cannot hold me back again
I’ll celebrate this journey“

OUR FAVORITE TRACK…

Pablo tells us that this album is inspired by the idea that people “must find their own daily miracles in life in order to move forward and grow.” One particular track seems to embody the idea of hope and inspiration wholeheartedly, offering something like a summation of the album’s theme in a single moment – A Better Day.

Starting with a lonesome and truly orchestral flute, the mournful melody is quickly replaced by a very modern electronica-style arrangement. There’s an urgency in the percussion, a feeling of driving movement and electric energy. This all builds towards the track’s multiple peaks, featuring an almost otherworldly vocal line from Pablo at multiple moments. Like much of his work, there’s the cinematic structure of movement, each section bringing a different tone or a different rhythm to the forefront, but existing in a way that paints a cohesive picture rather than fractured pieces. And in this track, the messages of growth, of beauty in the unexpected, of optimism and faith – they’re all personified here.

IN CONCLUSION…

Dynamic. Rich. A textured tapestry of both sound and emotion. On this new album it is clear that Pablo Embon is unafraid to take risks, incorporating bold instrument choices and crafting uncommon melodies with both certitude and success. This is a fine example of the high caliber of work that can be found when a composer writes with conviction for themselves alone, acknowledging the rules of tradition and deftly working around them. Sunrises Every Night encompasses genuine artistry in the truest sense of the word. This is music for those who love jazz composition but can embrace the exploratory, transportive, boundary-pushing style of writing on exquisite display in this work.

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BELOW: Check out our full artist interview with Pablo Embon, listen to his album Sunrises Every Night and connect with his website and social media platforms, watch his music video, and find his booking & contact information. Please support Pablo Embon by visiting him online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music, or attending a live show! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!

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