Acūstica

Uriah Witztum is a guitarist from Jerusalem who records his own instrumental compositions using the name YUZ. The 11 pieces included on his third album under this moniker have an elusive, pan-national feel, as if they exist in an imaginary utopia where cultures from the Mediterranean, North Africa and beyond share and learn from each other in a spirit of peaceful brotherhood. There’s an immense amount of virtuosity in Witztum’s playing, with flamenco flourishes, Greek rebetiko and Arabic scales whirling together with jaunty energy – and his pieces are brought to life by a wide palette of acoustic instruments including bağlama, accordion, double bass, clarinet, hand percussion and more, played with sprightly, infectious verve. But there’s wistful melancholy here too. ‘Sindiana’ employs a brooding trumpet, and ‘Portrait’ has a lachrymose violin swooping towards microtonal mystery. These pieces are like miniature movies for the ear, suggesting far-off places and times, ripe for discovery.