The Platina
Formed in 1971 by Roman Kunsman and Aaron Kaminsky when Israel's famous singer Arik Einstein called Kaminsky to ask about starting a new band. This group accompanied Einstein in his live concerts. Kunsman and Kaminsky were joined by another famous guitarist played in this formation of the group, Itzhak (Churchil) Klepter, and the American bass player Paul Silver was brought in. Einstein suggested the name The Platina for the group. When Einstein left to work with the Churchill's, The Platina moved into jazz music and away from the jazz-rock they made with Einstein. During The Platina’s existence from 1971 to 1976, Kaminsky and Kunsman formed the core of the group; other musicians came and went...
To name a few: Yakov Nagar, Alona Torel, Alon Olearchik (later with Kaveret), Lev Zabeginsky, Itzhak (Churchil) Klepter (Churchill's, Apocalypse, Kaveret), Haim Kario (Churchill's), Riki Manor.
During those years, The Platina was the official representative jazz group from Israel. They toured Israel during this period, and made four albums, only two of which were released officially: "Live at Barbarim" and "Freedom". Kunsman, who also served as the band’s manager, wrote the majority of The Platina’s music.
The band opened for B.B. King in the early ‘70s, which resulted in King’s manager helping them get into the NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL, where they played with the biggest names in the jazz scene of 1974.
Their recordings aired frequently in Israel, Europe and "Voice of America", the most popular jazz program in the world, did a special show on the group.
The band also accompanied well-known singers like Hava Alberstein, Tiki Dayan, Ester
Ofarim, Edna Goren and the American blues singer Memphis Slim. The band made numerous appearances on television, including the famous shows made in the early 1970s by
Uri Zohar.
Before the band disbanded, they recorded their 3rd studio album "The Girl With the Flaxen Hair”, but it was never released. This album is by far their best effort, but unfortunately the master tapes were lost and only about twenty-minute portion was duped from the masters.
The other part of the CD is a
live performance in 1976 with Bernie Senensky, a Canadian pianist and a live 15
minutes piece which was also planned for the album who's studio's masters are
missing.
Kaminski played with various jazz groups in Israel and abroad. As a teacher, he raised a new generation of young drummers. Appeared and recorded with Israel’s best-known singers. In 1979, he played with “Manhatan transfer” in two of the group’s tours in Europe & the USA. In 1991 he won with his group first prize for Israeli bands in “The Red Sea Jazz Festival”. On Israel’s independence day of 1997 he received the performing artist prize for a lifetime’s work.
Roman Kunsman went to the US in 1978 where he recorded one solo album. Since then he recorded numerous recordings for “klezmer” music.
Text taken from here
German
info taken from here
1976 begaben sich The Platina ins Studio um ihre dritte LP aufzunehmen, die "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" heißen sollte (nach einem Prelude von Debussy). Die Aufnahmen wurden auch beendet, doch gingen die Tonbänder auf irgendeine Art und Weise verloren. Nur rund 20 Minuten des fertig abgemischten Material kamen bei Co-Bandleader Aaron Kaminsky an (so steht es zumindest im Booklet der hier zu besprechenden CD). Die Folge war natürlich, daß die geplante LP nicht erschienen ist. Erst 25 Jahre später wurden diese 20 Minuten von MIO Records auf CD veröffentlicht, zusammen mit Live-Aufnahmen, welche zum Teil Versionen des verlorengegangenen Materials beinhalten.
Sehr eleganten und entspannten Jazzrock gibt es hier zu hören, dominiert von Kunsmans Flöten- und Saxspiel und vergleichbar mit Bands wie Perigeo, Napoli Centrale oder den zeitgleichen Aufnahmen von Embryo und Missus Beastly. Die Flöte ist das vorherrschende Instrument, und in den ersten drei Tracks gibt es auch noch ruhigen, textlosen Gesang von Riki Manor. Stück zwei beruht, wie schon angemerkt, auf dem Prelude No. 8 aus dem ersten Buch der Preludes von Claude Debussy ("The Girl with the Flaxen Hair "), Stück drei dagegen auf der vierten Nummer aus Debussys "Children's Corner" (The Snow Is Dancing"). E-Gitarre und Keyboards (E-Piano) sorgen für die jazzrockige Begleitung - das klingt dann nach Mahavishnu Orchestra oder Return To Forever - und Bass und Schlagzeug für die filigrane Rhythmusarbeit. Klasse kommt das fetzige Spiel von Gitarrist Kario im letzten Stück ("Hope"), in dem die in den ersten drei Nummern vorherrschende Beschaulichkeit ganz verschwunden ist.
Das eben Geschriebene gilt eigentlich nur für die Tracks 1-3 und 8, in denen die ganze Band zum Einsatz kommt. Die übrigen Live-Aufnahmen stammen dagegen von dem Trio Kunsman, Kaminsky, Zabeginsky und dem Gastpianisten Bernie Senesky, und bieten reinen, flötenlastigen, allerdings durchaus hochklassigen Acoustic-Jazz ("Doxy" stammt übrigens im Original von Sonny Rollins).
Wer mit den schon genannten Vergleichsbands etwas anfangen kann, aber auch die Nach-Third-Phase von Soft Machine mag und eher ruhigeren Jazz ganz allgemein, dem sei "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" durchaus empfohlen!
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