Once again, the groove is catchy, the way of shaping melodies utterly distinctive; these aspects define the sound of Shalosh. And once again, the trio is incredibly tight – after all, the band’s name does mean ‘three’ in Hebrew. “An Israeli power trio. Heavy jazz!” declared Rolling Stone magazine; The critic from the Times found them “full of promise.” At Deutschlandfunk, there was talk of “jazz in the fast lane,” once again reaching “young jazz fans all over Europe.” The three musicians, who live close to each other in Tel Aviv, each contribute their musical predilections – jazz, classical music, grunge, rock, techno or folk – into the common organism, in which all these elements are rendered into an exciting mixture. And through their inspirational concerts around the globe, there has been constant further refinement. They take audiences with them by challenging them: this is music which aims to appeal to the heart, engage the intellect and get straight through to the dancing feet. ‘Tales of Utopia’ documents a search for poise and peacefulness. Gadi and Matan have recently become fathers. This positive energy has flowed in. “Art makes the world better” is the way they describe their intentions. “We want to bring beauty into the world and create a feeling that people can be happy in themselves. They have to re-learn that, and also place themselves in relation to the constant flood of information so that more and more doesn’t actually mean less and less. Our children were the best teachers in this because they are fascinated by small things. That’s how you can over-come the destructive.” There is more going on here than mere everyday pragmatism. This is exciting music, a panoply of colours and timbres. It invites the listener to be enchanted and to focus on its sheer beauty. It also has deep humanity: rather than striving for perfection, it bristles with energy and vitality.