“Until saxophonist Gilad Atzmon made a mark with an east-west world-jazz outfit called Orient House Ensemble, the leading local contender in that field was Just East of Jazz, an eclectic outfit led by saxophonist Jeremy Shoham that brought together jazz, klezmer and Balkan music. On this live set in Dorset last year, you get the two for the price of one: Atzmon's fierce saxophone sound makes guest appearances on four tracks, and his fearless imagination puts a fire under the improvisation...
...Some of the material will be familiar to Just East of Jazz followers, such as the shapely and reflective ‘Requiem á Tanier’ (a feature for the group's fine pianist Neil Angilley) and the stomping ‘Blue Mountain Pyre’, with its Keystone Cops jauntiness turning into a bleary blues feel. Just East have always been fond of jump-cut rhythmic changes... the authority and energy of the group has been growing over the years, and they have long been a vivacious proposition live. This set catches that full-on momentum and their bagful of engaging folk-jazz themes pretty well.”
John Fordham Guardian

“Of all the musical fusions glued together under the banner of world music, the mix of American jazz with klezmer and Arab music is one of the most potent. The British foursome Just East of Jazz have been crossing continents since 1993, and the opener on this live recording, ‘Eastbound’, sets the template. A slowly accelerating Eastern dance led by Jeremy Shoham's pirouetting alto sax suddenly switches to a bubbling funk groove. After some energetic soloing we head back to the Orient as the dance returns to reach a giddy climax. Also on hand is Gilad Atzmon, whose take-no-prisoners sax playing adds an edge not always found on the group's studio CDs.”
John Bungey The Times

“Saxist Jeremy Shoham's excellent band have for some years been exploring the odd places where jazz, klezmer and the music of the Balkans intersect.
For their latest, and first live, outing (no that's not the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach - this one's in Poole...) the band becomes a quartet and adds pianist Neil Angilley (who gets to strut his melodic stuff on the piano trio ‘Requiem á Tanier’) to long-term rhythm section Phil Scragg (bass) and Rick Finlay (drums). In doing so they've tightened up their sound considerably, digging deeper on the jazz side, exploring the odd eastern cadences that remain at the root of their music with greater intensity.
The presence of Gilad Atzmon on four tracks to some extent helps define this new direction but the band are more than capable of whipping up a head of steam on their own - as ‘Eastbound’, the first number, amply proves. The clever arrangements at times bring to mind Shorty Rogers' excellent and unheralded exploration of his Jewish roots, ‘My Son the Jazz Drummer’, and at other times there's a hint the band are indeed looking further eastward with a strong Middle Eastern feel.
An excellent record by a young English band going places.”
Mike Gavin Jazz at Ronnie Scott's magazine