EP REVIEW: Ensemble – Zach Tabori

As a multi-instrumentalist, anything released by Zach Tabori was always destined to be a whirlwind blend of genre banding chaos – and his new EP, Ensemble, is no exception. Composed and recorded deep in the Hollywood hills, the producer has employed a touch of the local theatrics into his sophomore release, breaking away from film composition to create an 11-minute piece of eccentricity and surrealism. Dancing largely between rock and jazz, the EP also profits from cabaret and funk. By title and nature, the record truly is an ensemble, combining ambitious attributes with the irreplaceable feeling of a live show.

Opening the EP is Lately It Feels Better Than Alright. Lacking in length as most of the tracks are, it is the first example to show that although short and sweet, the record is a real labour of love. The best description is probably compact, cramming a metric tonne of idea into a small space. It begins with immediate groove, immediately slamming together the aforementioned styles. Colourful guitar riffs wrap around eccentric piano, towering into almost prog rock crescendos and back down into finger clicking funk. It is a whistle-stop tour of Zach Tabori‘s brain, wandering delicately through dense musical passages.

Vocally, Tabori approaches affairs with a hint of wit, but as an entity, he could not have been more serious about the approach. Eleven minutes of music took over a month to record and master, an eye watering length of time. The result is a piece of music without a single pause. The flow continues through Slick into Buy My Shirt, a track which holds even more importance due to one of Zach Tabori‘s heroes Tommy Mars (Frank Zappa keyboardist / vocalist) who provides impeccable piano falsetto. The track is a tongue in cheek homage to the LA music scene, and a real chance for the pair to explore the theatrical.

The EP personifies the feeling of a live show, a trait that Zach Tabori was very keen to include. It is an ethereal piece of music, and certainly one written by (and for) people with an aversion to the peculiar, but most importantly it embodies the character of LA, and the swinging music scene that it possesses.

Rating: 7/10

Ensemble is out now via self-release.

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