Tel Aviv trumpeter Sefi Zisling releases his sophomore album, Expanse today via Tru Thoughts. Building on his debut LP Beyond The Things I Know, released on Raw Tapes – Tel Aviv’s leading collective, and championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music), Stamp The Wax, Toshio Matsuura (Worldwide FM), NTS, FIP, Radio Nova, Twistedsoul – Expanse is fronted by lead-single “Happy Solar Return ft. Kutiman”, a nine-minute afro-beat voyage and “Flip Mode” a free-funk Sun Ra homage. The project so far has garnered support from Bandcamp Weekly, Cerys Matthews (BBC 6Music), Jazziz, Worldwide FM, Music is My Sanctuary, KCRW, KEXP, Ruth Fisher, Tim Garcia (Jazz FM), Twistedsoul, alongside playlist support from ‘Spotify’s State of Jazz’.
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Inspired by his childhood heroes of John Coltrane, Grant Green and Fred Wesley, Expanse combines the sounds of afro-jazz, psychedelic funk and spiritual jazz to create an album that echoes the great creators of Alice Coltrane, Fela Kuti and Donald Byrd, while paving a new path – all catalysed through the trumpet. Recorded as a collaborative live session with all of Sefi’s close and talented friends, including live members: Omri Shani (bass), Tom Bollig (drums), Noam Havkin (drums) and long-time collaborators Idan Kupferberg (percussion), Uzi Ramirez (guitar), Yair Slutzki (trombone), Expanse captures the essence of the classic jazz sessions, committed to the outcome – mistakes and spontaneous moments included.
“I had to bring the musicians I trust the most and that we feel together like a family,” Sefi explains. “I think that this feeling is very much present in the music.” Talking about the tracks on the album, Sefi elaborates: “There’s a healthy tension between the tight and groovy to the free and the abstract… harmony is achieved by embracing the disharmony in our life, and that darkness and light are equally important”. Sefi’s music acts a dialogue between bright and dark colours, solid grooves and abstract melodies; making Expanse an instant classic, dignified in aesthetic and practice.
Album opener “High Ride” is the perfect introduction to this, blending traditional improvisational jazz elements to create something that feels both classic and contemporary. “The Sky Slings” is the only lyrical track on the record, featuring long-time collaborator Layla Moallem, Layla’s sister Jasmin Moallem, and Karen Dun from Buttering Trio, the song oozes hypnotic astral vocals that float over the swaying psychedelic instrumentation. Tracks such as “Dark Movements” and “Changing Colours” showcases the albums more traditional jazz elements and pure skilled musicianship, while “Ongoing Morning” see’s Sefi enter a slow tapestry of downtempo jazz and trip-hop. “Reverie With You And Me” evolves into prog krautrock anthem, as the record closes with an ambitious “Epilogue”, a sixteen-minute improv jazz finale.
A stable to the Tel Aviv music scene, Sefi first started playing the trumpet at the mere age of 10, later enrolling in the prestigious art school Thelma Yellin. Performing in an array of bands since his early teens, Sefi has performed and recorded sessions with almost every key player of the jazz world in Israel. Mastering the art of trumpeting, Sefi has transcended his role as an instrumentalist on Expanse, evolving and expanding into a composer, producer and creative force to be reckoned with.
