Night Walk
By Leonardo Barroso
Italy is the new home for Jazz. Everytime you blink, there's a new jazz musician with high caliber improvisation and soul. Quartetto Trevi's new CD works with original songs and brings Max Ionata as a special guest. Recommended.
By Dusty Groove America
The most spiritual session we've heard in this recent great run from the Deja Vu label – a set that's filled with Impulse Records-like energy – including lots of modal moments and spiritual solos! The lineup features Max Ionata on tenor sax – a player we don't know at all, but one who really has a great way of blowing these bold, well-formed lines – certainly with a touch of Coltrane in the mix, but very much his own player too. The great Roberto Tarenzi is on piano – playing these wonderful rhythms that almost top his own album on Deja Vu – and other players include Dario Rosciglione on bass and Marcello Di Leonardo on drums. Titles include "Mental Telepathy", "Greensleeves", "Trevi's Theme", "Boom Jackie Boom Chick", "Bolivia", and "Night Walk".
Renato Sellani meets Gianluca Petrella
There's No Greater Love
By Leonardo Barroso
I've always thought Renato Sellani as a Hank Jones from Italy. He has soft/slow piano touch, that doesn't make me a fan.
But he brought Gianluca Petrella, Italy trombone jazz star, and boosted Sellani's playing, making this CD, my favorite among Renato Sellani Cd's. A must have !!!
By Ken Dryden
Renato Sellani is joined by trombonist Gianluca Petrella during a marathon session which also produced the Philology CD Just Friends. Their explorations of standards from the 1940s and 1950s are enjoyable, particularly the up-tempo quartet arrangements like "Autumn Leaves," and the brash but fun chart of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Sellani's spacious scoring adds to the bittersweet flavor of Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays." Their sassy original, "Blues in B Flat," showcases Petrella's playful mute technique. Less successful is the overly drawn out arrangement of "Laura," which stretches Petrella a bit beyond his capabilities. Like its companion CD, the final selection, "(There is) No Greater Love," is taken from a 2002 duo concert, which finds both musicians in top form. Recommended
Kenny Barron
Live At Fat Tuesdays
By Leonardo Barroso
When I bought this CD there was no mention it was from 1988. Well it was a big surprise. Kenny Barron is one of favorite jazz musicians and at this time he was in very good shape. The only problem for me, is that ther's too much people. A good CD.
By Dusty Groove America
The most spiritual session we've heard in this recent great run from the Deja Vu label – a set that's filled with Impulse Records-like energy – including lots of modal moments and spiritual solos! The lineup features Max Ionata on tenor sax – a player we don't know at all, but one who really has a great way of blowing these bold, well-formed lines – certainly with a touch of Coltrane in the mix, but very much his own player too. The great Roberto Tarenzi is on piano – playing these wonderful rhythms that almost top his own album on Deja Vu – and other players include Dario Rosciglione on bass and Marcello Di Leonardo on drums. Titles include "Mental Telepathy", "Greensleeves", "Trevi's Theme", "Boom Jackie Boom Chick", "Bolivia", and "Night Walk".
Renato Sellani meets Gianluca Petrella
There's No Greater Love
By Leonardo Barroso
I've always thought Renato Sellani as a Hank Jones from Italy. He has soft/slow piano touch, that doesn't make me a fan.
But he brought Gianluca Petrella, Italy trombone jazz star, and boosted Sellani's playing, making this CD, my favorite among Renato Sellani Cd's. A must have !!!
By Ken Dryden
Renato Sellani is joined by trombonist Gianluca Petrella during a marathon session which also produced the Philology CD Just Friends. Their explorations of standards from the 1940s and 1950s are enjoyable, particularly the up-tempo quartet arrangements like "Autumn Leaves," and the brash but fun chart of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Sellani's spacious scoring adds to the bittersweet flavor of Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays." Their sassy original, "Blues in B Flat," showcases Petrella's playful mute technique. Less successful is the overly drawn out arrangement of "Laura," which stretches Petrella a bit beyond his capabilities. Like its companion CD, the final selection, "(There is) No Greater Love," is taken from a 2002 duo concert, which finds both musicians in top form. Recommended
Kenny Barron
Live At Fat Tuesdays
By Leonardo Barroso
When I bought this CD there was no mention it was from 1988. Well it was a big surprise. Kenny Barron is one of favorite jazz musicians and at this time he was in very good shape. The only problem for me, is that ther's too much people. A good CD.
By Ron Wynn
Barron stretches out and plays both flashy and easy, hot and cool, on this 1988 set cut at Fat Tuesday's in New York. Bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Victor Lewis drives the rhythms a bit harder than the Riley/Drummond team, while Eddie Henderson and John Stubblefield on trumpet and tenor sax add some welcome intensity and contrasting solo voices.
Yuri Goloubev
Metafore Semplici
By Leonardo Barroso
A good bass player from Russia, a new great piano from England, sax from Germany and Italy. An european jazz cd. Original compositions and room for everyone to play their best. A good surprise.
By the Jazz Mann/ Ian Mann
The Moscow born double bassist Yuri Goloubev recently appeared on Gwilym Simcock’s excellent double album “Blues Vignette” and performed as part of Simcock’s trio when the pianist played at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock in February 2010. It was here that Yuri was kind enough to give me a copy of his 2009 solo album “Metafore Semplici” for review purposes.
The bassist now lives in Milan and the album is a truly international affair with Goloubev being joined by Simcock on piano, Asaf Sirkis on drums, Italian trumpeter Giovanni Falzone plus German reeds man Klaus Gesing on soprano sax and bass clarinet.
Goloubev has a classical background having been principal bassist for both the Bolshoi Opera and the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra. Since moving to Italy he has concentrated on jazz whilst bringing certain elements of his classical past to his playing. Goloubev and Simcock are kindred spirits in their desire to blur the boundaries between jazz and classical music. Goloubev’s contribution to “Blues Vignette” is immense and his use of the bow on that album almost unparalleled in jazz.
Although “Metafore Semplici” is unquestionably a jazz album it does borrow from classical forms and structures. The album is bookended and divided by a series of jazz adaptations of the classical Chorale form. Goloubev’s informative liner notes explain that these are based on the German “Lied” song form. The brief opening “Chorale IV” is a simple polyphonic melody stated by horns plus arco bass above Simcock’s piano chording and Sirkis’ shimmering cymbals. It’s all very courtly and tightly disciplined with trumpet and bass clarinet shading off into something more abstract as the piece draws to a close.
The lengthy, episodic “Gare De Lyon” is more conventionally jazzy, a cinematic portrayal of the comings and goings at the Gare de Lyon station in Paris. In Goloubev’s words “this piece is a romantic exploration of the stories this building must hold”. Goloubev’s lushly inventive writing frames solos from himself on virtuoso plucked bass and Simcock on limpidly flowing piano followed by Gesing on lyrical then sharply probing soprano. Sirkis drums up a storm as Gesing’s solo builds in intensity during the tune’s latter stages.
“San Gaudenzio” is more impressionistic with some wonderfully resonant bass from the leader sympathetically supported by Simcock and the disciplined but colourful drumming of the excellent Sirkis. The piece was inspired by the San Gaudenzio in the Italian city of Novara. Goloubev seems to find architecture a particularly rich form of inspiration.
Goloubev’s composition “Francesca da Ischia” was inspired by Tchaikowsky’s “Francesca da Rimini.” The piece originally appeared on the 2007 trio album “Intermezzo” led by pianist Glauco Venier and featuring both Goloubev and Sirkis. Here the piece has been expanded to include Gesing’s oboe like soprano. At a little under a minute and a half it’s little more than a brief but beguiling sketch.
Joey Hitchhiker” is a tribute to the great American pianist and composer Joey Calderazzo. Loosely based on Calderazzo’s classic composition “Midnight Voyage” it swings prodigiously and features a delightfully bluesy solo from trumpeter Falzone full of slurs, growls and all the other tricks of the trumpeter’s trade. Goloubev weighs in with a typically nimble plucked solo , there’s some slippery soprano from Gesing and a series of energetic drum breaks from Sirkis. The band sound as if they’re having a great time on this one.
The title track sees a return to more lyrical territory with Gesing’s soprano stating the elegant theme followed by solos from Goloubev and the thoughtful Simcock. Sirkis’ cymbal touch is a particular delight and Gesing’s soprano charmingly lyrical.
“Chorale III” has Falzone’s trumpet “rebelling” against the rest of the group. He conjures an extraordinary range of sounds from his instrument, it laughs, growls and sobs. Interesting.
A rainy day in the French capital provides the inspiration for “Parisian Episode III” with Gesing’s soprano sounding suitably wistful. Simcock’s solo is flowing and lyrical and there are further statements from Gesing, Goloubev and finally Sirkis on this appropriately episodic piece.
“Diaries” begins in similarly yearning fashion before shading off into something more abstract as Gesing’s probing soprano pushes the boundaries. The saxophonist who has recorded albums for ECM with both singer Norma Winstone (“Distances” 2007) and oud player Anouar Brahem (“The Astounding Eyes Of Rita” 2008) is excellent throughout the recording, his playing simultaneously lyrical, pure toned and exploratory.
The playful “Quack Pero” is another vehicle for the trumpet pyrotechnics of Falzone. The piece is playful and quirky and swings mightily once it gets going. Drummer Sirkis and bassist Goloubev also show up strongly on early features and Gesing is dazzling on bass clarinet.
“Vouz-Aimez Brahms” is based on the opening of the third movement of the composer’s Symphony No. 3 in F major, one of Goloubev’s favourite classical works. It’s suitably elegant and lyrical with Falzone this time playing it straight with a beautifully flowing and controlled solo. Simcock is wholly at home in this environment and his solo is both beautiful and inventive and Gesing also makes a telling contribution. It should also be noted that the album as a whole features Sirkis at his most sympathetic.
“Chorale IV” bookend the album with a “reduced” version of the opening piece. “The curtain coming down after the drama” as Goloubev puts it.
“Metafore Semplici” is a beautifully recorded album that does it’s own bit to bridge the worlds between classical and jazz. Goloubev’s writing is imaginative and colourful and everybody plays superbly. The bassist subtly dictates proceedings and allows himself plenty of solo space. Surprisingly given the quality of his work with the bow on Simcock’s album there’s comparatively little arco playing here. On his own records Goloubev clearly prefers to play in the conventional jazz pizzicato manner. Nevertheless this is a fine album that should enhance Goloubev’s growing jazz reputation.
Trisha O'Brien
Out Of A Dream
By Leonardo Barroso
A woman, beautiful, singer, with a great band and great tunes. Well Diana Krall has opened this door, and new singers still come. Trisha has a good voice and no jazz, but you put her up with great jazz musicians, and you get a jazz vocal record. She's young and can develop her jazz. A good cd.
By Michael G. Nastos
Trisha O'Brien is a fresh face and voice on the standardized jazz scene, and presents a program of familiar songs that concentrates on the imagination and what can or is fated to be. They're all love songs with a ray of hope and a smile that implies O'Brien is happy with life in general. Teamed with the always excellent Shelly Berg and his trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, O'Brien has chosen a most professional team to back her. This combo on occasion includes Ken Peplowski for three tracks on tenor sax only (not clarinet,) reprising two-thirds of the group that the acclaimed woodwind master used on his 2010 album Noir Blue. It's a laid-back set of ballads with a few energetic numbers and Berg's rearrangements tossed in for kicks. Uniquely rendered is a light bossa version of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me," Cole Porter's "I Love You," and surprising 5/4 version of "Let's Get Lost". O'Brien specializes in smoky ballads, mixes French and English lyrics on a lone track, sometimes kicks into a slightly higher gear as on a dream medley, or matches Berg's punchy two-handed chords during a Latin-flavored "Let's Face the Music & Dance." While fairly safe and taking few chances, O'Brien's voice is lissome and slight, as the world-class musicians she has chosen give her a bigger swing springboard than she might otherwise be used to. It's a good vocal effort, musically better, in the general scheme of things, with promise for future endeavors.
Barron stretches out and plays both flashy and easy, hot and cool, on this 1988 set cut at Fat Tuesday's in New York. Bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Victor Lewis drives the rhythms a bit harder than the Riley/Drummond team, while Eddie Henderson and John Stubblefield on trumpet and tenor sax add some welcome intensity and contrasting solo voices.
Yuri Goloubev
Metafore Semplici
By Leonardo Barroso
A good bass player from Russia, a new great piano from England, sax from Germany and Italy. An european jazz cd. Original compositions and room for everyone to play their best. A good surprise.
By the Jazz Mann/ Ian Mann
The Moscow born double bassist Yuri Goloubev recently appeared on Gwilym Simcock’s excellent double album “Blues Vignette” and performed as part of Simcock’s trio when the pianist played at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock in February 2010. It was here that Yuri was kind enough to give me a copy of his 2009 solo album “Metafore Semplici” for review purposes.
The bassist now lives in Milan and the album is a truly international affair with Goloubev being joined by Simcock on piano, Asaf Sirkis on drums, Italian trumpeter Giovanni Falzone plus German reeds man Klaus Gesing on soprano sax and bass clarinet.
Goloubev has a classical background having been principal bassist for both the Bolshoi Opera and the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra. Since moving to Italy he has concentrated on jazz whilst bringing certain elements of his classical past to his playing. Goloubev and Simcock are kindred spirits in their desire to blur the boundaries between jazz and classical music. Goloubev’s contribution to “Blues Vignette” is immense and his use of the bow on that album almost unparalleled in jazz.
Although “Metafore Semplici” is unquestionably a jazz album it does borrow from classical forms and structures. The album is bookended and divided by a series of jazz adaptations of the classical Chorale form. Goloubev’s informative liner notes explain that these are based on the German “Lied” song form. The brief opening “Chorale IV” is a simple polyphonic melody stated by horns plus arco bass above Simcock’s piano chording and Sirkis’ shimmering cymbals. It’s all very courtly and tightly disciplined with trumpet and bass clarinet shading off into something more abstract as the piece draws to a close.
The lengthy, episodic “Gare De Lyon” is more conventionally jazzy, a cinematic portrayal of the comings and goings at the Gare de Lyon station in Paris. In Goloubev’s words “this piece is a romantic exploration of the stories this building must hold”. Goloubev’s lushly inventive writing frames solos from himself on virtuoso plucked bass and Simcock on limpidly flowing piano followed by Gesing on lyrical then sharply probing soprano. Sirkis drums up a storm as Gesing’s solo builds in intensity during the tune’s latter stages.
“San Gaudenzio” is more impressionistic with some wonderfully resonant bass from the leader sympathetically supported by Simcock and the disciplined but colourful drumming of the excellent Sirkis. The piece was inspired by the San Gaudenzio in the Italian city of Novara. Goloubev seems to find architecture a particularly rich form of inspiration.
Goloubev’s composition “Francesca da Ischia” was inspired by Tchaikowsky’s “Francesca da Rimini.” The piece originally appeared on the 2007 trio album “Intermezzo” led by pianist Glauco Venier and featuring both Goloubev and Sirkis. Here the piece has been expanded to include Gesing’s oboe like soprano. At a little under a minute and a half it’s little more than a brief but beguiling sketch.
Joey Hitchhiker” is a tribute to the great American pianist and composer Joey Calderazzo. Loosely based on Calderazzo’s classic composition “Midnight Voyage” it swings prodigiously and features a delightfully bluesy solo from trumpeter Falzone full of slurs, growls and all the other tricks of the trumpeter’s trade. Goloubev weighs in with a typically nimble plucked solo , there’s some slippery soprano from Gesing and a series of energetic drum breaks from Sirkis. The band sound as if they’re having a great time on this one.
The title track sees a return to more lyrical territory with Gesing’s soprano stating the elegant theme followed by solos from Goloubev and the thoughtful Simcock. Sirkis’ cymbal touch is a particular delight and Gesing’s soprano charmingly lyrical.
“Chorale III” has Falzone’s trumpet “rebelling” against the rest of the group. He conjures an extraordinary range of sounds from his instrument, it laughs, growls and sobs. Interesting.
A rainy day in the French capital provides the inspiration for “Parisian Episode III” with Gesing’s soprano sounding suitably wistful. Simcock’s solo is flowing and lyrical and there are further statements from Gesing, Goloubev and finally Sirkis on this appropriately episodic piece.
“Diaries” begins in similarly yearning fashion before shading off into something more abstract as Gesing’s probing soprano pushes the boundaries. The saxophonist who has recorded albums for ECM with both singer Norma Winstone (“Distances” 2007) and oud player Anouar Brahem (“The Astounding Eyes Of Rita” 2008) is excellent throughout the recording, his playing simultaneously lyrical, pure toned and exploratory.
The playful “Quack Pero” is another vehicle for the trumpet pyrotechnics of Falzone. The piece is playful and quirky and swings mightily once it gets going. Drummer Sirkis and bassist Goloubev also show up strongly on early features and Gesing is dazzling on bass clarinet.
“Vouz-Aimez Brahms” is based on the opening of the third movement of the composer’s Symphony No. 3 in F major, one of Goloubev’s favourite classical works. It’s suitably elegant and lyrical with Falzone this time playing it straight with a beautifully flowing and controlled solo. Simcock is wholly at home in this environment and his solo is both beautiful and inventive and Gesing also makes a telling contribution. It should also be noted that the album as a whole features Sirkis at his most sympathetic.
“Chorale IV” bookend the album with a “reduced” version of the opening piece. “The curtain coming down after the drama” as Goloubev puts it.
“Metafore Semplici” is a beautifully recorded album that does it’s own bit to bridge the worlds between classical and jazz. Goloubev’s writing is imaginative and colourful and everybody plays superbly. The bassist subtly dictates proceedings and allows himself plenty of solo space. Surprisingly given the quality of his work with the bow on Simcock’s album there’s comparatively little arco playing here. On his own records Goloubev clearly prefers to play in the conventional jazz pizzicato manner. Nevertheless this is a fine album that should enhance Goloubev’s growing jazz reputation.
Trisha O'Brien
Out Of A Dream
By Leonardo Barroso
A woman, beautiful, singer, with a great band and great tunes. Well Diana Krall has opened this door, and new singers still come. Trisha has a good voice and no jazz, but you put her up with great jazz musicians, and you get a jazz vocal record. She's young and can develop her jazz. A good cd.
By Michael G. Nastos
Trisha O'Brien is a fresh face and voice on the standardized jazz scene, and presents a program of familiar songs that concentrates on the imagination and what can or is fated to be. They're all love songs with a ray of hope and a smile that implies O'Brien is happy with life in general. Teamed with the always excellent Shelly Berg and his trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, O'Brien has chosen a most professional team to back her. This combo on occasion includes Ken Peplowski for three tracks on tenor sax only (not clarinet,) reprising two-thirds of the group that the acclaimed woodwind master used on his 2010 album Noir Blue. It's a laid-back set of ballads with a few energetic numbers and Berg's rearrangements tossed in for kicks. Uniquely rendered is a light bossa version of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me," Cole Porter's "I Love You," and surprising 5/4 version of "Let's Get Lost". O'Brien specializes in smoky ballads, mixes French and English lyrics on a lone track, sometimes kicks into a slightly higher gear as on a dream medley, or matches Berg's punchy two-handed chords during a Latin-flavored "Let's Face the Music & Dance." While fairly safe and taking few chances, O'Brien's voice is lissome and slight, as the world-class musicians she has chosen give her a bigger swing springboard than she might otherwise be used to. It's a good vocal effort, musically better, in the general scheme of things, with promise for future endeavors.
1 comment:
Being a Brazilian and living in Brazil, you should introduce to all jazz lovers what we do here in this country (Brazil, of course). I think it would particularly please those from Europe and japan. You own this to them all...
Claudio
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