| Jazz |
A Worldly Soundtrack: Mattan Klein and Ezequiel Hezi Jait’s “Countryside Motorways” Offers a Panoramic Jazz Journey.
Composer and flutist Mattan Klein, a man of many cultures and wide musical reach, is the creative force behind ZurHub, a genre-defying collective of musicians that draws from far more than its Israeli roots. Co-founded in 2017 with guitarist Ezequiel Hezi Jait, the ensemble is the fruit of years of collaboration, and it stands as a testament to the unclassifiable, global nature of modern jazz-fusion.
Israeli folklore provides only a foundation. From there, ZurHub constructs something much more expansive: a mosaic of global rhythms and textures that resists categorization. The group’s music flows like a multilingual conversation, steeped in jazz tradition but unafraid to speak in Brazilian, Balkan, or West African accents.
Klein’s musical journey is as international as his sound. In 2022 alone, he headlined the Cambridge Jazz Festival in England, graced the main stage of Serbia’s Nisville Jazz Festival, appeared at the Klaipeda International Jazz Festival in Lithuania, and performed at Tel Aviv’s Summertime Jazz Festival. His accolades include the top prize at the 2018 7 Virtual Jazz Club Web Community Award. Appearances at the Tirana International Jazz Festival (2019) and the New Orleans-based Jazz Education Network Festival (2017 and 2020) have only solidified his reputation as a global jazz ambassador.
While less is publicly known about guitarist Ezequiel Hezi Jait, his musical presence on Countryside Motorways speaks volumes. A co-founder of the Israeli Jazz Workshops and a seasoned guitar instructor, Jait proves himself here as a quiet powerhouse. His playing weaves effortlessly through styles with a fluidity and emotional nuance that feel both intimate and profound.
The album itself reads like a travel diary, each track a sonic snapshot, scribbled down like notes on a napkin at a roadside café, only to be later transformed into rich musical landscapes. Klein and Jait are not shy about their influences; subtle nods to other artists appear like Easter eggs, tucked into the album’s meticulous arrangements. The result is a record that rewards attentive listening, where every detail serves a purpose.
Even the album cover, a winding road, suggestive of journeys both physical and imagined—echoes the project’s core intent. It evokes highways traversed in distant states and unfamiliar countries, inviting the listener into a shared space of wanderlust and musical exploration. Nowhere is this clearer than in the drumming, which provides not just rhythm but direction, guiding the listener through the album’s many detours and destinations.
For jazz aficionados, Countryside Motorways may feel familiar, its structure and language draw from established traditions. Yet it also serves as an excellent entry point for newcomers, offering an accessible, flavorful take on contemporary jazz. The album’s most compelling moments are those that stretch beyond the expected, pushing at the edges of form to deliver something refreshing and emotionally resonant.
And timed for release in the heart of summer, the album lands just right, an ideal companion for anyone inclined to follow the road wherever it may lead.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, July 25th 2025
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ZURHUB is:
Mattan Klein – flute
Ezequiel Hezi Jait – guitar
Itay Simhovich – piano and Fender Rhodes
Assaf Hakimi – bass
Dani Benedikt – drums and percussion
Tracklist :
1 Social Trust 6:16
2 Outdoors Week 6:06
3 Overlooked 6:27
4 Forget About It 4:13
5 Feliz 7:06
6 Departures and Arrivals 6:50
7 Do Me a Favel 6:30
8 Countryside Motorway 3:51
9 Bat Ya’am 3:54
10 April is Totally a Blur 4:16
11 Making Tidal Waves 6:54
12 Lick Your Toad 7:37
1, 2, 4, 8 by Ezequiel Hezi Jait (ACUM)
3, 5, 6 by Mattan Klein & Ezequiel Hezi Jait (ACUM)
7, 9, 10, 11, 12 by Mattan Klein (ACUM)
Produced by Mattan Klein and Ezequiel Hezi Jait
Recorded by Bill Tsur at Haogen Studios, Haogen, Israel
October 31 – November 1, 2024
Mixed & mastered by Bill Tsur at Bliss Studio, Ness Ziona, Israel
Band photo by Ami Vardi
Cover design & layout by John Bishop