Djabe & Steve Hackett - Life Is A Journey: The Sardinian Tapes (2017)

The album is the result of an improvised session that took place in a church on the island of Sardinia between the musicians from one of Hungary's most acclaimed Jazz groups, Djabe and acclaimed guitarist Steve Hackett. The collaborations between the band and the former Genesis guitarist and acclaimed solo artist began in 2007. Steve Hackett has appeared on the concert stage with Djabe performing both Genesis and Hackett solo material and Djabe compositions. This album is their first collaborative studio album. Djabe guitarist Attila Egerhazi explains: "When I came to my musician pals with the idea of this recording session I had no certain plans with the tapes. However, this was the exact way I always wanted to create my kind of a music, like we did with my band in the 80s. If I have to describe the atmosphere of these recordings, the first word that comes to my mind is tranquillity. All the notes and music were floating out from placidity". Steve Hackett adds: "It was great to play spontaneous music with such a talented group of musicians in the wild, rocky countryside of Sardinia, where we also felt the rich history surrounding us, echoing back to ancient times. Such a magical environment provided fertile ground for inspired ideas and a freedom of spirit". "Life is a Journey - The Sardinia Tapes" also includes a bonus DVD disc featuring a 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the album, along with bonus features "Sardo Moments", an informal video diary of the recording sessions shot by members of Djabe and five tracks recorded at Budapest Jazz Club in June 2017 including interpretations of the Genesis classic "Fly on a Windshield" and the Hackett tour de force "Please Don't Touch" among others. "Life is a Journey" is a splendid, serene musical experience, born out of the surroundings in which it was conceived.