2 Sem 2012 - Part Six

Alexis Tcholakian Trio

Poetic Memory: Live @ The Sunside

Alexis Tcholakian unveils its new album "POETIC MEMORY" he guides us on the notes of major works from the classical repertoire of Bach, Chopin, Schubert, contemporaries as Baden Powell, Petrucciani, until his subtle compositions. This "Poetic Memory" enlightens us on his romantic shimmering wire timeless themes.
Alexis Tcholakian - piano ; Claude Mouton - doublebass ; Thierry Tardieu – drums.


Lorenzo Tucci Quartet

Sweet Revelation

01. Adam’s apple
02. Sweet revelation
03. In the wee small hours of the morning
04. Dede’s mood
05. Fee-fi-fo-fum
06. Ghost
07. Tita’s song
08. My heart belongs to daddy
Etichetta: Philology
Formazione: Lorenzo Tucci (dm) Daniele Scannapieco (sax) Pietro Lussu (p) Dario Rosciglione (cb)

Giovanni Mazzarino Quartet

In Sicilia Una Suite

By Francesco Martinelli per Jazzitalia 
Giovanni Mazzarino, è stato già notato, non gode della considerazione che dovrebbe avere come uno dei nostri maggiori pianisti. Purtroppo nel jazz – come nelle altre arti – a volte la notorietà è inversamente proporzionale alla qualità della proposta musicale, e Mazzarino oltre ad essere schivo di carattere è anche profondamente legato alla sua Sicilia, lontano in qualche modo da tutti i centri dell'informazione e dell'industria musicale. Ma fate il suo nome a qualche musicista che ha avuto il privilegio di suonare con lui – a me è capitato in Turchia, dove Giovanni ha tenuto parecchie residenze all'Istanbul Jazz Center di Ortakoy – e non riceverete altro che lodi, complimenti ed espressioni di meraviglia. Conoscitore del pianoforte classico e della tradizione jazz, raffinato e solido accompagnatore di vocalist – impressionante la lista delle sue collaborazioni - uomo dalla conversazione ricca e interessante, si infervora parlando della difesa e della valorizzazione delle tradizioni culturali siciliane e soprattutto di Piazza Armerina – uno dei più importanti centri archeologici del Mediterraneo – dove da tempo sviluppa e dirige un progetto estivo ad ampio raggio, Piazzajazz, che sperabilmente culminerà con eventi dedicati alla riapertura – dopo restauro e nuovi scavi - della celebre Villa Romana del Casale.
Questa sua ultima fatica da leader si inserisce a pieno titolo in questo "lavoro culturale": una suite dedicata a colori e profumi dell'isola, sintetizzata dalla frase di Goethe che non si può che sottoscrivere: "L'Italia, senza la Sicilia, non lascia alcuna immagine nell'anima. Qui è la chiave di tutto". Non sono necessari commenti in rapporto alla temperie di violenta ignoranza in cui viviamo.
La produzione è preziosa: oltre al lavoro di studio di Stefano Amerio e del suo Artesuono, ormai una firma di garanzia a livello europeo e mondiale, il Cd è accompagnato da un libretto di foto di Pino Ninfa dedicate alla Sicilia e ai musicisti. Malgrado il piccolo formato la qualità della riproduzione e la forza delle immagini sono tali da indurre l'ascoltatore a riprendere in mano il libretto, assaporando le foto in rapporto alla musica e situandole nella cartina inserita – una geografia dell'anima con solide basi concrete, che porta in luoghi celebri e in altri sconosciuti.
E' davvero un caso in cui limitarsi ad ascoltare in cuffia degli appiattiti mp3 priva dell'esperienza vera del progetto...
Per realizzare quest'idea Mazzarino ha riunito una delle formazioni più classiche del jazz post 1960, il quartetto con sax, invitando Rosario Bonaccorso al basso, uno dei più apprezzati bassisti italiani per la grande esperienza e la capacità di propellere tutto il gruppo, che qui si conferma ai massimi livelli; il giovane ma già autorevole batterista abruzzese Nicola Angelucci, e il sassofonista Max Ionata, che negli ultimi anni ha vertiginosamente accresciuto maturità e ricchezza espressiva.
Tutti segnali della passione con cui è stato realizzato il disco, ma il cuore di tutto alla fine sono la musica e le idee di Mazzarino: anche se amplissimo è lo spazio lasciato agli altri musicisti – infatti non si tratta affatto di un pianoforte "accompagnato" da altri ma di un sound collettivo - tutto è alla fine profondamente suo, nutrito dall'ampiezza dei suoi riferimenti. Non si pensi a un disco elegiaco, irenico: come nella storia della terra cui è dedicata in questa musica ci sono fratture, dramma e grido – particolarmente espressivo il sax di Ionata in diversi passaggi – che si accompagnano a melodie colorate dall'amore per il jazz, per la tradizione europea del pianoforte e per le tradizioni musicali siciliane, cui si fa riferimento in maniera non Oleografica. Le risorse del gruppo sono sfruttate con intelligente duttilità, e passaggi arrangiati in modo sorprendente si alternano a improvvisazioni collettive di grande impatto o quiete meditazioni solistiche, e nessun brano obbedisce a regole "standard" di durata o struttura dettate da considerazioni esterne: si va dai due minuti di Taormina, con il brillante pianismo dell'introduzione e il nervoso tema, ai nove dell'esplosivo Stromboli, con la crescente tensione generata da sax, basso e batteria, cui segue Marzamemi, reso ancora più efficace dal drammatico cambio di atmosfera: un arpeggio pianistico colorato da uno svolazzo arabescato che introduce una sinuosa melodia impreziosita dal timbro brunito di Ionata, sviluppandosi poi in passaggi dall'elastico swing. Non a caso al centro dell'album sta Piazza, una meditazione sospesa e incantata, notturna ed evocativa come la foto di copertina dell'album: il brano in qualche modo raccoglie e sintetizza gli umori di tutto il lavoro, mettendo in evidenza l'originale pianismo del leader, le contromelodie di Bonaccorso, la misura di Angelucci e ancora Ionata, questa volta in una vocale predicazione al soprano.
Ma il lettore è caldamente invitato a raccogliere direttamente le proprie impressioni seguendo in prima persona passo passo questo viaggio in Sicilia con la guida d'eccezione di Giovanni Mazzarino.


Tracks:
1. Muorica
2. Ibla
3. Milo
4. Stromboli
5. Marzamemi
6. Rosa di Jonia
7. I ceri e i devoti
8. Piazza
9. Ganzirri
10. Noto
11. Scicli
12. Morgantina
13. Ortigia
14. Taormina
15. Scoglitti

Giovanni Mazzarino - piano
Max Ionata - saxes
Rosario Bonaccorso - bass
Nicola Angelucci - drums
Fotografie - Pino Ninfa



John Taylor

Giulia's Thursdays

By CamJazz
What a wonderfully curious and receptive musician John Taylor is. An artist perpetually searching; through his piano playing he is able to give new life to all that passes through his hands.
And this time with a trio especially dear to him, with whom he had already published for CAM Jazz the beautiful "Requiem For A Dreamer" (which also saw the participation of saxophonist Julian Argüelles). The focus falls on the music by Italian composer Carlo Rustichelli. A heartfelt tribute by Taylor to the music composed by Rustichelli for film and television signed by directors Nanni Loy and Pietro Germi.
"Giulia’s Thursdays" becomes a necessary passage on the contemporary scene in order to understand the evolution of the piano trio. Palle Danielsson on bass is powerful and melodic, a valuable reference within the themes written by the pianist with rare elegance given by drummer Martin France. A rapport of the three, whose common denominator is recognizable in the melody. The lyricism of the instruments reaches unparalleled peaks, and the sensitivity of Taylor returns to us the precious lyrical soundtracks like those of Divorce Italian Style, The Thief of Bagdad or Giulia’s Thursdays.
Recorded and mixed in Ludwigsburg on 20, 21, 22 October 2006 at Bauer Studios
Recording & mixing engineer Johannes Wohlleben

By Cormac Larkin
Often underrated – and frequently a harmonic foil for others, in particular trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, for whom he has been a regular sideman – Manchester-born pianist John Taylor is, in his own quiet way, the finest jazz pianist Britain has produced since George Shearing. A rare combination of melodic lyricism and rhythmic adventure, his playing is virtuosic but never verbose, and he has an uncanny ability to get under the skin of a tune. Though he has recorded in many formats over the years, he returns again and again to the trio, and his current trio, with the great Palle Danielsson on bass and heavyweight English drummer Martin France, is a finely honed unit. Giulia’s Thursdays is a collection of melodies by the prolific Italian film composer Carlo Rustichelli which the trio have reconfigured like a suite, the composer’s charmingly romantic themes setting up some taut group interplay from three masters of the art.


Ulf Wakenius
Vagabond





By Ian Patterson
Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius is perhaps best known for his ten year stint in pianist Oscar Peterson's trio, following in the footsteps of guitarists Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis and Joe Pass. Wakenius clocked up enough road miles with Peterson to have traveled to the moon and back, and he also toured extensively and recorded with bassists Ray Brown and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. These heavyweight associations have tended to overshadow his own projects as leader, which date back more than two decades to his group with drummer Jack DeJohnette, saxophonist Bill Evans, trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist Niels Lan Doky and bassist Lars Danielsson.
Since signing to ACT Music in the mid-2000s, Wakenius has paid singular tribute to two of the most influential pianists of the last forty years, Keith Jarrett on Notes from the Heart (ACT Music, 2005) and the late, sorely lamented Esbjorn Svensson on Love is Real (ACT Music, 2008). In the process, Wakenius has demonstrated his proclivity for interpreting a tune with originality and respect. The acoustic Vagabond is a halfway house between original material and covers, and explores a wide range of stylistic and emotional terrain. English guitarist John McLaughlin once wrote that Wakenius sounded as if he was born with a guitar in his hands, and in truth he has never sounded better.
Wakenius' virtuosity is a given, though his lightening fast runs which pepper the set could slacken the jaws of the most jaded guitar aficionados. However, even his most fluid lines, on pianist Lyle Mays's lovely "Chorinho" or Attila Zoller's infectious "Birds and Bees, (a duet with son Eric), have tremendous melodic narrative. Wakenius demonstrates subtlety and lyricism on a beautiful interpretation of Jarrett's "Encore" and on the self-penned "Song for Japan," where damped strings create the sound of a Japanese lute, on this moving ode.
Wakenius conjures the troubled Middle East on the dramatic "Breakfast in Baghdad." Danielsson's bass brings powerful counterpoint to the guitarist's darting lines, while accordionist Vincent Peirani reprises the role singer Youn Sun Nah performed with Wakenius on her own Same Girl (ACT, 2010). Wakenius and Nah have formed a striking partnership in recent years and she lends her seductive vocals to a beautifully simple but affecting take on The Police classic "Message in a Bottle," with guitarist Nguyên Lê adding wavy, singing lines. Peirani and Danielsson make significant contributions throughout; the accordionist weaves delightful French, Argentinean and Arab textures—his playing on the dramatic title track is exceptional— while the bassist lends two striking compositions in the form of the blues-tinged nostalgia of "Psalmen" and the gentle, Iberian-flavored "Praying."
Wakenius pays personal tribute to saxophonist Jim Pepper on "Witchi-Tai-To," complete with memorable Native American chants. Wakenius' star shines brightly on these 11 cuts, though it is the space he allows for all the voices on Vagabond which ultimately makes it such a resounding success. Uniformly strong compositions and wonderful, empathetic playing from all mark this recording out as one of the guitarist's finest efforts. One more time to the moon and back, please.
Track Listing:

Vagabond; Message in a Bottle; Bretagne; Psalmen; Breakfast in Baghdad; Song for Japan; Birds and Bees; Praying; Chorinho; Witchi-Tai-To; Encore.
Personnel:

Ulf Wakenius: acoustic guitars, oud, chant; Vincent Peirani: accordion, accordina, voice; Lars Danielsson: bass, cello; Eric Wakenius: acoustic steel string guitar; Michael Dahlvid: darbuka, cajon; Youn Sun Nah: vocals (2); Nguyen Le: electric guitar (2).

Shai Maestro, Ziv Ravitz, Jorge Roeder




By John Fordham
Israeli-born pianist Shai Maestro is familiar to UK audiences through his often thrilling work with bassist/composer Avishai Cohen. He's now confirming that promise in his own group, with sometime Lee Konitz drummer Ziv Ravitz and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder, on an all-original repertoire except for the wistfully dignified traditional song Kalimankou Denkou. Cohen's swaying, romantically intense and cinematic music is immediately evoked in the alternately rippling and thunderous Confession, while the jaunty Brave Ones sounds like a country-rock ballad (but develops with a catchily EST-like balance of freedom and certainty), and the meditative Painting is a reverie under which arco bass murmurs and intensifying cymbal splashes steadily swell. Maestro's classical touch retains an expressive delicacy whatever the mood. Occasionally he restricts himself to fragmentary phrases inserted into remorseless drum-hooks and Roeder's luxurious basslines, and The Flying Shepherd is a childlike dance that develops as a rhythm-stretching game. The Avishai Cohen dedication One for AC could have come straight out of the repertoire of this gifted young pianist's famous mentor. Maestro's solo career is going to be one to watch.

2 Sem 2012 - Part Five

David Kikoski

Consequences

By Criss Cross

On his ninth Criss Cross date as a leader (and 22nd label appearance overall), pianist David Kikoski convenes an extraordinary trio with two famed and longstanding allies, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts.
It's no stretch to say that a lineup like this is guaranteed to swing - and it does, on a set of finely wrought Kikoski originals, including the two-part title track Consequences. Watts' own uptempo Mr. JJ and slow-grooving Blue Tain round out the set, and Kikoski ends with a poetic solo-piano take of Never Let Me Go.
Complex, elegant and bluesy, Consequences is an essential item in Kikoski's growing oeuvre.

1. Blutain (Jeff 'Tain' Watts)
2. Russian Roulette (David Kikoski)
3. Drama (David Kikoski)
4. Placidity (David Kikoski)
5. Mr. JJ (Jeff 'Tain' Watts)
6. (Still) A Glimmer Of Hope (David Kikoski)
7. Consequences Part I (David Kikoski)
8. Consequences Part II (David Kikoski)
9. Never Let Me Go (Ray Evans / Jay Livingston)
Total Time: 62:54

Recorded February 1, 2012 in Brooklyn, NY, USA by Michael Marciano


Jasper Somsen
Dreams, Thoughts & Poetry: The Music Of Enrico Pieranunzi

By Challenge
Jasper Somsen and his ensemble play the music of Enrico Pieranunzi and they do this with their own vision of Pieranunzi's music in a heartfelt and profoundly musical way. The interpretations and improvisations succeed beautifully in conveying the “dreams” and “thoughts” ánd "poetry".
Jasper Somsen: "When the music is really great, styles doesn't matter. Most important is that the music (whether improvised or composed) is straight from the heart!"
"The best music is created the moment you're truly listening and anticipating, during the interaction with your fellow musicians. If you do exactly the same whilst playing your solo(s), you get the best out of yourself. You're focused outward. Your concentration is centred 'in between' the phrases. This space is 'the silence' between the one right phrase and the (yet to be played) next right phrase. It's the ultimate spot where music is breathing; where inspiration, intuition, knowledge and technique show you the right musical path to be taken." (Jasper Somsen, inspired by Kenny Werner's book "Effortless Mastery")

Tracks:
1 Ein Li Milin (No More Words)
2 Don’t Forget The Poet
3 Dream Book
4 Mio Caro Dottor Gräsler
5 The Night Gone By
6 Dee Song
7 Je Ne Sais Quoi
8 Si Peu De Temps
9 The Middle Way


Tom Harrell

Number Five




By RBSProds

Five ENJOYABLE Stars!!

Exceptionally-talented musicians in a superb jazz quintet led by award-winning composer/arranger/trumpet legend Tom Harrell. This is one of the year's best jazz recordings from the long-running group which is as tight as they come, featuring co-producer Wayne Escoffery on reeds, Danny Grissett on keyboards, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums. Varying the musical fare considerably on their fifth group recording, Harrell has added some marvelous lineup 'change ups' to the mix to spotlight the participant's talents, while giving a ton of solo space to everyone. The quintet 'post-bops' it with the unison-headed theme and solos of the hot-cool "GT" (with awesome Grissett, Okegwo, and Blake solos), and the sizzling "Melody in B-Flat" (fiery Blake solo). "Preludium" has a stark, angular beauty. This time around it's also wonderfully rewarding to hear Harrell play unaccompanied, highly-inventive flugelhorn on the de Paul/Rae jazz standard "Star Eyes" and on the gorgeous rendition of Tadd Dameron's "A Blue Time". Harrell forms an unaccompanied duo with drummer Johnathan Blake on a blazing version of Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue 'n' Boogie" and then another fruitful 'duo-only' with Danny Grissett on the soaring "Journey to the Stars" over an insistently developing vamp. The wistful "Right as Rain" is a beautifully arranged and played ballad. And perhaps best of all, "No. 5" with brilliant solos from all hands, especially Harrell, Escoffery, and Blake's 'boiler-works' in-tempo drum solo. This is marvelous jazz from Mr Harrell and company and gets my Highest Recommendation. Five SWINGING Stars! (11 tracks, Time: 61m7s)

Stefano Sabatini Trio

Heart & Soul

By Gerlando Gatto

E’ da molto che seguo Stefano Sabatini con interesse e curiosità; già alla fine degli anni ’90, recensendo un suo album, ebbi modo di esprimere valutazioni assai positive sulla statura complessiva dell’artista.
Ovviamente gli anni non passano invano ed ecco quindi Sabatini riproporsi al pubblico degli appassionati con questo nuovo album ( il settimo da leader ) che rappresenta, probabilmente, il punto più elevato della sua maturazione di uomo e jazzista a tutto tondo. Senza alcun problema o falso pudore a svelare la sua anima, Stefano propone un repertorio che la dice lunga sul suo modo di vedere ed intendere la musica: degli otto pezzi presenti nel CD, Stefano ne ha composti ben sei cui ha aggiunto uno straordinario evergreen Bill Evans, “Turn out the Stars” e un pezzo tratto dal pop italiano, “L’arcobaleno” riveduto e corretto con grande sensibilità.
Comunque, se si vuole avere un’idea precisa di quella che è l’attuale cifra stilistica di Sabatini, basta ascoltare con attenzione il brano che dà il titolo all’intero album. Si tratta di una ballad, “Heart & Soul” in cui appare evidente il desiderio di ricercare la bellezza della linea melodica, e questo desiderio, questo obiettivo lo si riscontra in tutte le composizioni e anche nei due arrangiamenti.
Insomma, andando contro una certa corrente che sembra rifuggire da qualsivoglia ricerca melodica, Sabatini compie un’operazione esattamente opposta: bandisce dal suo pianismo ogni tentazione virtuosistica fine a se stessa ( pur avendone i mezzi ) e si gioca la partita soprattutto sul lato della valenza compositiva, potendo contare su una tecnica sopraffina che gli consente di sorvolare su inutili ghirigori. Ed in effetti molto curata appare l’esecuzione.
Il trio, che può contare ormai su una eccellente intesa cementata da tanti anni di fattiva collaborazione, si muove all’unisono, l’uno perfettamente conscio di ciò che l’altro sta sentendo e suonando. Di qui un flusso sonoro straordinariamente omogeneo in cui gli strumenti si integrano alla perfezione all’interno di un jazz moderno ma caratterizzato da indubbia eleganza, un jazz a tratti grintoso, a tratti lirico se non addirittura onirico, che riesce, comunque a trasmettere al pubblico le emozioni degli interpreti. In tale contesto Luca Pirozzi alle volte fa letteralmente” cantare” il suo basso che dialoga alla pari con il pianoforte mentre il sostegno ritmico di Pietro Iodice è puntuale, preciso, trascinante senza essere invadente….insomma una vera lezione di batteria.
Dal canto suo Sabatini, come si accennava, evidenzia una maturità ormai consolidata. I suoi brani sono tutti ben costruiti, con un solido senso architettonico, una ricercata linea melodica e impreziositi, sul piano degli arrangiamenti, da soluzioni armoniche tutt’altro che banali.
Dal punto di vista esecutivo, il suo pianismo si caratterizza per la modernità del linguaggio pur legato alla migliore tradizione jazzistica, per il fraseggio quanto mai fluido, per l’assoluta padronanza delle dinamiche, per un tocco che sa essere, alla bisogna, energico o leggero e per l’estrema facilità improvvisativa che gli consente un perfetto equilibrio tra parte scritta ed improvvisata.


Orrin Evans's Captain Black
Big Band




By Dan Bilawsky
The Posi-Tone label has positioned itself as a prime purveyor of small group jazz, with artists like pianist Orrin Evans leading the way, and both parties are breaking new ground with the release of The Captain Black Big Band. After putting out dozens of small group sessions, the label has taken a bold step in a bigger direction by releasing the debut big band recording from one of jazz's rising stars. Evans' prior output for the label—his own Faith In Action (Posi-Tone, 2010) and the audacious collective efforts on Tarbaby's The End Of Fear (Posi-Tone 2010)—present an artist possessing a keen sense of balance between inside and outside ideals, and this same approach can be felt throughout this record.
The first three numbers spotlight three different composers and arrangers, which demonstrating the full breadth and depth of what this band can do. The full weight of the ensemble is used sparingly on Todd Bashore's arrangement of Ralph Peterson's "The Art Of War," and the focus really falls on Rob Landham's helium-infused alto saxophone work. The band touches on Latin grooves with Gianluca Renzi's "Here's The Captain," which features some explosive piano work from Evans, and Todd Marcus' arrangement of his own "Inheritance" demonstrates a more melodically centered form of big band writing. His bass clarinet work adds a new dimension to the sound of the band, and trumpeter Walter White injects some humor into the proceedings with a "Hallelujah" quote from Handel's Messiah.
The last four tracks are penned by Evans, giving the music a certain sense of continuity, but the pieces themselves come from different points in Evans' compositional evolution, and three different arrangers put their own unique stamp on his work. Bashore arranges a pair of tunes from Captain Black (Criss Cross, 1998)—the title track, and "Big Jimmy," an album highlight where the saxophonist uses measured dissonance in the introduction and, once things start swinging, White's brawny trumpet work is as beautifully boisterous as it gets. Marcus tackles the title track from Easy Now (Criss Cross, 2005), underscoring some high-to-low voice contrasts at the outset with some rumbling drums, as the music eventually takes on a down-tempo, loose swing vibe.
Evans' own arrangement of his "Jena 6," from the Tarbaby album, is the recording's most adventurous ride. Neil Podgurski's drama-filled piano prelude, with certain disjunct sensibilities, gives way to a woozy and ominous atmosphere. Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw becomes the focal point, as the rhythm section coalesces into a free bop machine and the icing on the cake comes in the form of Shaw's coarse-as-can-be coda, which boils over with energy.
The Captain Black Big Band has easily earned its stripes with this self-titled debut, demonstrating another side of Evans' endlessly fascinating musical personality.
Track Listing:
Art Of War; Here's The Captain; Inheritance; Big Jimmy; Captain Black; Easy Now; Jena 6.
Personnel:
Orrin Evans: piano; Jim Holton: piano; Neil Podgurski: piano; Luke Brandon: trumpet; Daud EL-Bakara: trumpet; Josh Evans: trumpet; Tatum Greenblatt: trumpet; Leon Jordan Jr.: trumpet; Brian Kilpatrick: trumpet; Curtis Taylor: trumpet; Tim Thompson: trumpet; Jack Walraith: trumpet; Walter White: trumpet; Stafford Hunter: trombone; Frank Lacy: trombone; Joe McDonough: trombon; Ernest Stuart: trombone; Brent White: trombone; Mike Boone: bass (1); Luques Curtis: bass; Mark Przybylowski: bass; Mark Allen: bass clarinet; Todd Marcus: bass clarinet; Donald Edwards: drums (7); Gene Jackson: drums (2, 6); Anwar Marshall: drums; Mark Allen: saxophone; Chelsea Baratz: saxophone; Todd Bashore: saxophone; Ralph Bowen: saxophone; Wade Dean: saxophone: Doug DeHays: saxophone; Wayne Escoffery: saxophone; Tia Fuller: saxophone; Rob Landham: saxophone; Victor North: saxophone; Jaleel Shaw: saxophone; Tim Warfield: saxophone; Darryl Yokley: saxophone.

Orrin Evans

Freedom

By Bruce Lindsay
Orrin Evans' first three Posi-Tone releases formed a diverse but high-quality trilogy: the piano trio (Faith In Action, 2010); the freer, more left-field small band (Tarbaby's End Of Fear, 2010); and the hard-blowing and exciting big band (Captain Black Big Band, 2011). Hot on their heels comes Freedom, Evans' fourth album in less than two years. The quality remains high.
Freedom harks back to the lineup and style of Faith In Action. Evans' home town of Philadelphia looms large, with all of the band and most of the composers hailing from the city. If anything, the album's accent is more strongly on melody, its emotional tone more romantic and less frenetic than Faith In Action, although the trio's take on Chris Beck's "Hodge Podge" shows that it can crank up the tempo and the tension whenever it wants.
Charles Fambrough's "One For Honor" showcases bassist Dwayne Burno's rich, fat-toned sound and the skittering, dynamic percussion of the impressive young drummer Anwar Marshall. Burno's own "Gray's Ferry" is a slinky blues, with a gently seductive swing courtesy of  Byron Landham, who was also featured on Evans' first recording, 1994's self produced The Trio. Veteran saxophonist Larry McKenna adds a confident solo to this tune, while on Jule Styne's "Time After Time" he takes the lead role, playing the melody line with warmth before kicking things into a higher tempo.
Evan's own "Dita," is a slow ballad characterized by his spacious and considered piano and Landham's inventive percussion. Evans' solo performance of Herbie Hancock's "Just Enough" is a beautiful valediction, a delicate and controlled approach that draws out the tune's romance and lyricism.
Evans' body of recorded work is both extensive and impressive. His previous three Posi-Tone albums are among his most mature and rewarding works, with a breadth of imagination that few other contemporary jazz musicians can muster. Freedom is a beautiful creation, a work of great strength and musical perception.
Track Listing:
One for Honor; Gray's Ferry; Shades of Green; Dita; Time After Time; Hodge Podge; Oasis; As Is; Just Enough.
Personnel:
Orrin Evans: piano; Dwayne Burno: bass; Byron Landham: drums, percussion; Anwar Marshall: drums (1, 6, 7); Larry McKenna: tenor saxophone (2, 5).

Radio Universitaria FM on Bill Evans

Hoje Dia 25/07 ( próxima quarta-feira ) as 21:00h estarei como convidado no programa "Encontro com o Jazz" do grande Mauricio Matos, ao lado do meu amigo Marcilio Xavier Adjafre. Apresentando uma hora sobre a vida e obra do imortal Bill Evans. Puro Eargasm !

Checar o site da Radio Universitaria FM 107,9 de Fortaleza/CE:http://radiouniversitariafm.com.br/ 

Today Wednesday July, 25th at 09:00 pm ( Brasilia/Brazil Local Time ). I'll be Co-Hosting the radio-program " Encontro com o Jazz " ( Meeting with Jazz ), with the great jazz host Mauricio Matos and my jazz friend Dr. Marcilio Adjafre, to talk about the life and music of Bill Evans. Pure Eargasm ! 

The Radio Universitaria  FM 107,9 from Fortaleza-Ceará website:

http://radiouniversitariafm.com.br 

Leonardo Barroso N Gondim at 

http://worldjazz.blogspot.com 

http://billevansjazz.blogspot.com

2 Sem 2012 - Part Four

Mary Talbot Fee 

Midwinter Night's Dream




By HBH
Mary Talbot Fee studied jazz with Kevyn Lettau and others well-respected. After years of rumination and planning she finally released her debut album Midwinter Night's Dream (2009). Upholding the flag of classic jazz style Mary is a glorious fighter for the idols of the past.
Keyboardist Rob Whitlock (Jazz Crusaders, Eddie Harris), bassist Trey Henry (Tierney Sutton), drummer Cliff Almond (Michele Camillo), guitarist Pat Kelley (George Benson), percussionist Luis Conte (James Taylor), violinist Charlie Bisharat (John Tesh) and flutist John Rekevics (Checkfield) along with a talented cast of singers that included Amber Whitlock (Max Bennett) and Kleber Jorge (Sergio Mendes) are supporting Mary on the instrumental and vocal side.
Midwinter Night's Dream is a superb collection of jazz standards, international songs and contemporary compositions. Mary comments: “Winter’s dream enters my slumber, stills my thoughts, and encourages me to rest, renew and restore for the coming year’s journey. I don’t fall into the role that people would consider traditional, but I can’t let that stop me now. I don’t know where my recording will travel, but I know that I did the right thing taking this risk in trying. It’s my turn to express myself fully and I have a lot to express!”
The first song If I Had You was originally sung by Ted Shapiro in 1928 and heavily covered by legends like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Les Paul and many more. Mary beautifully captured the charm of the 20's by using the original interpretation and instrumental choice.
Guitarist Django Reinhardt, the innovator of the Gypsy Jazz technique, created the jazz classic Nuages (Clouds). Mary transfers the song into a samba, placed in a Parisian bistro or a "bal musette" nightclub. Eh voila! My gratitude to violinist Charlie Bisharat. Stephane Grappelli couldn't do it better.
The famous Anema E Core was composed by Salve D'Esposito. Grazie a Mary for this Italian rendition. Visit the gulf of Sorrento. It's a fabulous place and don't forget to visit the awesome Amalfi Coast.
Winter Snow Ballet, a composition by Mary Talbot Fee, is a picture of her Winter memories. Flutist John Rekevics lets the notes drop like snowflakes. Cozy and heartfelt.
Norwegian Wood is a song by the Beatles, released on their album Rubber Soul (1965). The most important impact of the song was the use of a sitar by George Harrison creating the Indian style in European and American music. On Mary's rendition the sitar is substituted by Charlie Bisharat's violin. The tune has now a great folk music/jazz appeal.
Henry Mancini composed Moment To Moment for his album A Warm Shade Of Ivory (1969) showcasing his skills as a pianist. Mary Talbot Fee's interpretation is a dark ballade with Latin feelings.
River is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. This famous tune is a modern Christmas standard and newly interpreted by Mary in her own way. Taccani's On An Evening In Roma was very popular by Dean Martin's version. Mary fetches back this ancient song with the flair of the 50's.
Although written by Christina Rossetti before 1872, In The Bleak Midwinter was published posthumously in Rossetti's Poetic Works in 1904 and became a Christmas carol after it appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906 with a setting by Holst. While Mary keeps her song as a carol, one can hear some jazzy undertones of the other musicians.
Stevie Wonder's Knocks Me Off My Feet received a great rendition by the late Luther Vandross. Mary slows down the tempo to a lush jazz ballade. Back to Brazil with Inverno Di Gielo featuring singer Kleber Jorge. This is Copa Cabana.
Midwinter Night's Dream is a collaboration of Rob Witlock and Mary. Rob is a much sought after Hammond B3 organist, who also plays piano and keyboards in addition to producing, writing and arranging. Angela from Antonio Carlos Jobim's album Urubu (1976) is a song with tristresse and melancholy.
I Will Wait For You is a song from the French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). Composed by Michel Legrand and written by Jacques Demy Mary reveals one more time her affection for the ancient time. Stevie Wonder's Bird Of Beauty is perfectly set in scene.
Midwinter Night's Dream is for all jazz aficionados and lovers of jazz ballades.

Tracks:

01 If I Had You [3:05]
02 Nuages [4:51]
03 Anema E Core [4:22]
04 Winter Snow Ballet [5:24]
05 Norwegian Wood (Intro) [1:14]
06 Norwegian Wood [3:32]
07 Moment To Moment [4:47]
08 River [5:04]
09 On An Evening In Roma [2:45]
10 In The Bleak Midwinter [5:28]
11 Knocks Me Off My Feet [4:26]
12 Inverno Di Gielo [5:24]
13 Midwinter Night's Dream [6:47]
14 Angela [3:54]
15 I Will Wait For You (Intro) [0:34]
16 I Will Wait For You [5:57]
17 Bird Of Beauty [6:01]


Randy Porter Trio

Thristy Soul

Piano trio renditions of Kern, Corea, Rogers, McCartney, Berlin, Wonder and Mandel among others, as well as Randy’s originals. Features the Bay area’s masterful John Wiitala, and amazing drumming by both Reinhardt Melz and Todd Strait. Also includes DVD footage of alternate takes, outtakes and rehearsing. Released in 2008.

Track Listing :

hi wire
it never entered my mind
signed, sealed, delivered
thirsty soul
memoria
along came betty
boomer-angst
cheek to cheek
hey there
i will
it don’t mean a thing
the shadow of your smile
art lets a light by

Holly Cole

Steal The Night

By Christopher Loudon at JazzTimes

Throughout most of the ’90s, vocalist Holly Cole and her trio mates, pianist Aaron Davis and bassist David Piltch, could be counted on for a new album every year. But during the new millennium their output became more erratic, ceasing altogether after their ninth studio release, 2007’s Holly Cole. Finally, late last year, the über-tight trio (augmented by drummer-percussionist Davide DiRenzo, Piltch’s guitarist brother Robert and John Johnson on multiple horns and percussion) reunited for this live date, captured at Toronto’s acoustically sublime Glenn Gould Studio.

The reward for such a long wait between albums is a Cole not so much refreshed or reinvented as fully ripened. The mannered style that defined much of her earlier work has been significantly diminished, replaced by a deeper, richer sound and a generally cooler, shrewder sensibility. Much of the playlist (nine tracks on CD, 11 on the accompanying DVD) is plucked from earlier albums, including Cole’s signature of sorts, “I Can See Clearly Now,” and the clever, Cole Porter-esque list song “Larger Than Life” that she wrote and recorded for the 2007 album. New to the mix—perhaps fodder for the 10th studio album the trio just completed, due out this spring—are a touchingly woebegone “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues,” a superbly variegated “Smile,” a blistering rollercoaster ride through Tom Waits’ “Down, Down, Down” and the sly, slinking Cole original “You’ve Got a Secret” that suggests a simultaneous channeling of Billie Holiday and Eartha Kitt. 

Holly Cole’s first live concert CD/DVD, Steal the Night: Live At The Glenn Gould Studio.
Filmed in Toronto on August 11, 2011, the performance was recorded in high definition and mixed in 5.1 surround sound. The DVD is accompanied by a nine-song audio CD and lots of bonus material.
This performance marks the reformation of the original Holly Cole Trio lineup with Aaron Davis on piano and bassist David Piltch, in addition to John Johnson (horns), Rob Piltch (guitars) and Davide DiRenzo (drums).
The CD/DVD release is the beginning of a very busy year for Cole. In the fall, she will release her tenth studio recording, followed by Canadian and international touring beginning in the Summer, straight through to Winter 2012/2013. Hear the brand new original track “You’ve Got a Secret” as well as “I Can See Clearly Now”


Dario Carnovale Trio

Pensieri Notturni: Live In S. Vito

Dario Carnovale (p)
Simone Serafini (b)
Luca Colussi (ds)

Recorded at Teatro G. Arrigoni in San Vito al Tagliamento, Perdenone Italy, on January 24, 2007
Recording engineer : Luca Brunetti - Creativa Recording Studio, Udine Italy
Mixing & Nastering engineer : Stefano Amerio - Artesuono Studio, Cavalicco Udine

Track List :
Song for Elena (Dario Carnovale)
Pensieri Notturni (Dario Carnovale)
Monk Light (Yuri Goloubev)
Your Lovely Smile - dedicated to my grandfather Pino (Dario Carnovale)
Rava's Tango (Dario Carnovale)
Darius (Dario Carnovale)
Bonagia (Dario Carnovale)

Larisa Dolina & Igor Butman's Big Band

Carnival Of Jazz 2 - CD/DVD

Larisa Dolina - vocal,
Igor Butman - tenor-, soprano- saxophone,
Denis Shvytov - saxophone,
Leonid Sendersky - saxophone,
Dmitry Mospan - saxophone,
Alexander Dovgopoly - saxophone,
Pavel Zhulin - trumpet,
Salman Abuev - trumpet,
Alexander Berenson - trumpet, flugelhorn,
Vadim Eilenkrig - trumpet, flugelhorn,
Alexander Ageyev - trombone,
Ilya Vilkov - trombone,
Pavel Ovchinnikov - trombone,
Nikolay Shevnin - bass-trombone,
Anton Baronin - piano,
Vitaly Solomonov - bass,
Eduard Zizak – drums

Track list:
CD1
St. Louis Blues
Too close for comfort
I can't give you anything but love
Windmills of your mind
I get the blues
Fever
You are my good old wagon
Georgia on my mind
Cabaret

CD2
Water ski
Just the two of us
How high the moon
Mercy, mercy, mercy
Mr. Paganini
Summertime
Swinging at the Blue Moon Bar & Grille
New York, New York
S'est Si bon

Giacomo Gates
The Revolution Will Be Jazz: The Songs Of Gil Scott-Heron

By James Nadal 
An omnipresent cloud persistently hangs over any tribute album—that the music will be compared to the original. Even though this might seem unfair, it's a fact. Knowing this, jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates dares to venture into the distinctive songbook of Gil Scott-Heron with The Revolution Will Be Jazz, and comes out the other side with a remarkable record.
Gates cautiously handpicked the songs from Scott-Heron's repertoire, and wisely does not attempt an imitation or duplication, but performs collective interpretations with his own characteristic baritone styling and phrasing.
The record opens with the swinging "Show Bizness," where Gates displays a confidence which permeates throughout the record. This vocal attitude is highlighted on the classic "Lady Day and John Coltrane," given a laidback treatment with room to set the proper mood, allowing the band to stretch out. The humorous and satirical tracks, "Legend in his Own Mind" and "Madison Avenue," work well with Gates, who delivers as if in a live setting, with ease and comfort.
Gates mentions in the liner notes that the songs "Gun" and "Winter In America," realistic views on modern social problems, are just as pertinent and relevant today as when first released. He takes on these two with a vengeance and maintains the vitality of the message, a key element in Scott-Heron's writing. The sincerity in "New York City," with its autobiographical connotations, might just be the pivotal song on the record where Gates really shines, crooning the subtle intent of the lyrics.
It took a lot of courage to decide to perform an entire record of songs by Scott- Heron, a genuine visionary and revolutionary figure in music. Gates was approached by producer Mark Ruffin for this project, based on his ability to convey the songs with authenticity, originality, and due respect to this legend of a songwriter. The Revolution Will Be Jazz displays all of these requirements and is a verification of just how important this music is.
Track Listing:

Show Bizness; This Is A Prayer For Everybody to Be Free; Lady Day and John Coltrane; Legend In His Own Mind; Madison Avenue; Gun; Winter In America; Is That Jazz; New York City; It's Your World.
Personnel:

Giacomo Gates: vocals; John DiMartino: piano; Tony Lombardozzi: guitar; Lonnie Plaxico: bass; Vincent Ector: drums; Claire Daly: baritone sax (2), flute (7).

2 Sem 2012 - Part Three

Matej Benko Trio
Universality



By CdMusicCz
distant relative (matej benko) 7:37
absence (matej benko) 6:23
fairytale about caroline (matej benko) 7:16
loro (egberto gismonti) 5:38
granny's room (matej benko) 5:53
smoke gets in your eyes (jerome kern) 8:26
all fool's day (matej benko) 7:10
universality piano intro (matej benko) 2:24
universality (matej benko) 7:54
chan chan (francisco repilado) 5:57
All songs published by ARTA Music except loro, smoke gets in your eyes, chan chan

Matej Benko Trio:
Matej Benko - piano
Jan Greifoner - double bass
Branko Krizek - drums

Six years ago, a trumpet player from Trutnov, Jan Pribil, founded a group called No Borders, working with drummer Branko Krizek and doublebassist Jan Greifoner, his collaborators from earlier projects. The pianist was a young Slovak who was in his first year of studies in Prague at that time, Matej Benko. The group made its mark on the domestic jazz scene with interpretations of works by contemporary jazz artists. The band continued as a quartet until its founder left for health reasons. The remaining three members sought other soloists for long-term collaboration, but after some time they realized that the trio line-up was most suitable for them. The next three years saw them performing as a trio as well as backing up Eva Emingerova (CD "Sophisticated Lady"), Jana Koubkova and other artists. Individually, the trio members also worked on other projects (Benko in the Vit Svec Trio - CD "Keporkak", Krizek with Elena Suchankova, Greifoner with J.J.Jazzmen, etc.)
2006 marks the release of their first trio recording as well as a change in name; the former No Borders is now named after the trio's leader.
Arta Records (2006)

Ahmad Jamal

Blue Moon: The New York Sessions



by Jon O'Brien
Still going strong at the age of 81, legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal's love letter to his favorite Broadway, Hollywood, and Great American Songbook classics, Blue Moon, is arguably one of his most accomplished efforts since his Chess/Impulse! heyday. The Pittsburgh virtuoso, once credited by Miles Davis as a major influence on his career, shows that age is no barrier to invention with six exquisite reworkings of postwar standards, from a romantic orchestral take on the title track to Otto Preminger's 1944 film Laura to a delicately whimsical interpretation of Charlie Parker's "Gypsy." Jamal's improvised cluster of chords remains as expressive and sprightly as ever, but it's when drummer Herlin Riley, who along with bassist Reginald Veal (Wynton Marsalis) and percussionist Manolo Badrena (Weather Report) form the backbone of the record, is allowed to let loose that they really spring to life, from the syncopated grooves of the epic 13-minute adaptation of A Life of Her Own's "Invitation," to the Latin rhythms on the title track and Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody'n You," to the surprisingly contemporary R&B beats of Golden Boy show tune "This Is the Life." The simmering lounge pop of "Autumn Rain," the delicate "Morning Mist," and the tender solo "I Remember Italy," a Debussy-esque number inspired by his many travels, all of which are original compositions, are equally majestic. But it's his interpretative skills that ensure Blue Moon will go down as one of Jamal's modern greats.

Daerr / Sieverts / Jutte

Celebrating Ralph Siegel: Germany 12 points




Tracks:
1. Du kannst nicht immer 17 sein - 05:44 (Siegel, Ralph)
2. Dschingis Khan (blue) - 06:03 (Siegel, Ralph)
3. Griechischer Wein - 03:12 (Jürgens, Udo)
4. Ein bisschen Frieden I - 05:40 (Siegel, Ralph)
5. Dschingis Khan (swing) - 03:15 (Siegel, Ralph)
6. Do you speak English - 03:20 (Siegel, Ralph)
7. Theater - 04:06 (Siegel, Ralph)
8. Dann heirat doch dein Büro - 03:20 (Siegel, Ralph)
9. Moskau - 05:21 (Siegel, Ralph)
10. Dschingis Khan (reggae) - 02:28 (Siegel, Ralph)
11. Fiesta Mexicana - 02:09 (Siegel, Ralph)
12. Ein bisschen Frieden II - 06:48 (Siegel, Ralph)
13. Lass die Sonne in dein Herz - 02:58 (Siegel, Ralph) 

Besetzung:
Carsten Daerr – piano
Henning Sieverts – bass, cello
Bastian Jütte- drums
Recorded by Florian Oestreicher at Realistic Sound, Munich, Germany on September 26 - 27, 2005
Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann
Produced by Siegfried Loch


Emmet Cohen

In The Element

By Edward Blanco

At the ripe old age of 21, jazz piano prodigy Emmet Cohen has already racked up an impressive list of awards among them, Downbeat's Best Jazz Soloist and Best Jazz Combo (for the Emmet Cohen Trio), placed first in the Kathleen T. and Philip B. Phillip's Piano competition at University of West Florida and was selected as a finalist for the 2011 American Pianist's Association's Cole Porter Fellowship. With In The Element, Cohen makes a brash and bold musical statement on his debut as leader, featuring bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Rodney Green. Playing the piano since the age of three, Cohen spent seven years studying classical piano and continues his studies towards a music degree under renowned jazz pianists and educators Shelly Berg and Martin Bejerano, at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.
Musically mature beyond his years, the pianist displays the experience of a seasoned veteran with his playing and music. Cohen reveals sparkling interpretations of classics and the depth of his talents on a selection of standards from writers including Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and Frank Foster. "Resentment (Without Reason)," "The Swarm," "Just Deserts" and the title track, are creative and technically intricate originals providing ample evidence of Cohen's skills as a writer.
Porter's "It's All Right With Me" serves as a warm-up of what's to come, providing only a measure of the artistic flair Cohen demonstrates throughout the album. The sophisticated "Resentment (Without Reason)" unleashes the lion within, igniting a powerful performance where a nimble-finger approach and command of the instrument are in play. The very same can also be said of his remarkable performance on "The Swarm," where the pianist employs a similar assertive style.
Veteran trumpeter Greg Gisbert—a Criss Cross artist and founder of the Convergence band—appears as special guest on "Just Deserts," Irene Higgenbotham's "Good Morning Heartache" and the finale, "3 O' Clock in the Morning." Cohen's title piece and his rendition of Foster's "Simone" (a feature for Sanders) leave little doubt that he is something special.
The young prodigy delivers an absolutely beautiful solo performance on Fred Coots' jazz standard "For All We Know," the album's only real ballad and one of its outstanding pieces. Cohen's charming In The Element captures an amazing young talent comfortable in a musical landscape that he masters like a virtuoso. Add his name to the short list of young piano lions of jazz that include Taylor Eigsti, Matt Savage, Eldar Djangirov and Briton John Escreet—all rising stars of note.
Track Listing:
It's All Right With Me; Resentment (Without Reason); Where Or When; The Swarm; Just Deserts; Good Morning Heartache; In The Element; Simone; For All We Know; 3 O' Clock In the Morning.
Personnel:
Emmet Cohen: piano; Joe Sanders: bass; Rodney Green: drums; Greg Gisbert: trumpet (5, 6, 10).

Maria Markesini
Cinema Passionata: a motion picture songbook

By: Jan Klupper
Maria Markesini werd geboren op een van de eilanden van Griekenland. Haar jeugd werd gekenmerkt door vrijheid, prachtige natuur en het openluchttheater onder de volle maan. Ze is van jongs af aan gefascineerd door de Cinema. Dit drukt een stempel op haar muzikale ontwikkeling.
In Griekenland is ze een gevestigde artiest, in Nederland heeft ze onlangs pas bekendheid gekregen met haar vorige album: ‘Kosmo’. In de wandelgangen toegeschreven aan het jazz genre, maar bij nadere beschouwing bevat Kosmo zowel popsongs als, toen al, invloeden uit de filmindustrie, zoals 'Cinema Paradiso'.
Ook haar nieuwe album ‘Cinema Passionata’ is doordrongen van de filmmuziek. Het intro is indrukwekkend.Het eerste nummer getuigt reeds van een onvoorstelbare dramatische zeggingskracht; het gaat over een vrouw die al zuchtend een trein uitstapt en goedbedoelde hulp argeloos de wind in slaat.. Hierop volgt het stemmige ‘Slow Hot Wind’ van de film ‘The Big Lebowsky’. Vervolgens neemt dit album dan een enorme wending in sfeer. De compositie ‘Never On Sunday’ –naar de gelijknamige film- is een zoete, vredige en zelfs kinderlijke compositie. Het is een heel bekende melodie die je zo kunt meezingen. De sfeer verandert vervolgens weer, getuige het sferische ‘With Wandering Steps’; een humorvol nummer. Samen met ‘Rolls’ van de film ‘Les Valseuses’ laat Markesini hier horen over ontzettend veel zangkwaliteiten te beschikken. Met haar klassiek geschoolde keel steekt ze op een speelse en natuurlijke manier uit boven veel zangtalenten en muzikale grootheden.
Zonder een karakterisering van haar band, heb je geen volledig beeld van dit gepassioneerde album. De bandleden vormen een onmiskenbaar onderdeel van de inboezeming. Er is heel wat talent uit de kast gehaald. Sebastiaan Koolhoven bemoeide zich met veel arrangementen. Zowel Thijs Cuppen op piano, Ward Veenstra op gitaar, Lene te Voortwis op verschillende bassen en Arthur Lijten op drums en percussie hebben allemaal een specifieke invulling. Zij voorzien in volle en ritmische muziek. Een goed voorbeeld van deze goede positionering van de ritmiek is ‘I’m Not In Love At All’ van de film ‘The Pajama Game’. Mocht het hier en daar wat overdone en ongecontroleerd overkomen, zoals bij ‘Gee The Bee’, dan is dat tijdelijk. Het is samen met ‘African Queen’ een van de nummers die Markesini zelf schreef.
Tegen het einde brengt ze het in het Nederlands gezongen ‘Duifies’ van de televisieserie ‘Ja zuster, nee zuster’. Op de achtergrond klinken allerlei historische uitspraken, waaronder een uitspraak van Theo Koomen: “Wat een goal!” En de gevleugelde uitspraak van Maxima: ‘Hij is een beetje dom.’
‘Cinema Passionata’ is een interessante release. Markesini voelt zich thuis in dit genre. Alsof ze erin geboren is. De composities vormen geen uitdaging voor haar. En gelukkig maar, want zo vertolkt zij op ongekend hoog niveau en met een hoog entertainment gehalte haar passie: de cinema die een groot gedeelte van haar jeugd in beslag nam.

2 Sem 2012 - Part Two

Fawzi Chekili Quartet

Touyour Al Fajr




Fawzi Chekili Quartet,'Touyour Al Fajr' 

Aldo Vigorito, Acoustic bass

Francesco Nastro, Acoustic piano

Giuseppe La Pusata, Drums

Fawzi Chekili, Guitar & Oud. 

Recorded and mixed by Carlo Gentiletti at Il Parco studio

Naples May 25 & 26 2009 

All compositions by Fawzi Chekili

Mario Zara

Songs

By JazzandMore
Music,through emotions and feelings is revealing the" soul". So was thinking the pianist Mario Zara recording this cd for Abeat records.We can hear many musical influences:K.Jarret, Bill Evans,classical music,opera and italian popular music,all translate in a modern and personal jazz language In all of the takes, both originals and standards( italiansby Riz Ortolani, Maurizio Fabrizio and one american by Henry Mancini) we can hear a clear sense of melody,often emphasized by delayng the single notes and trasmitting a great emotional tension ( particularly on "Lettera a Mirò" and " Almeno tu nell'universo"). Songs represents the Music understood as the art of...dreams, or the key access to the "soul".

Artisti
Pintori Massimo - Drums
Ricci Marco - Double bass
Zara Mario - Piano


Mario Zara, Yuri Goloubev, Marco Zanoli

Private Tales




Track Listing No.

1 In Poche Parole 5.58
2 Things We Know 5.14
3 All the Things You Are 9.26
4 Marco's Macros 4.40
5 Maria 6.26
6 The Colour of Your Eyes 6.11
7 15 Novembre 4.43
8  Patty Knows 4.33
9  Chanson Pour Deux 6.46
10 I Fall In Love Too Easily 6.46 

Kenny Wheeler Big Band

The Long Waiting




by Ken Dryden
Kenny Wheeler has long been a talented composer, improviser, and soloist, though he is still overlooked by some jazz fans because most of his work has been issued by European labels. Among the composers of his generation, Wheeler is one of the best, along with the late Bob Brookmeyer, in writing and scoring creative works for a large ensemble. For this session, Wheeler's charts are performed by a 17-piece big band -- with the addition of Diana Torto's wordless vocals -- conducted by Pete Churchill. Wheeler's expressive flügelhorn has a slightly dissonant, fragile sound that is very much his own, while his works are full of moving ensemble passages and superb individual solos. The peppy "Four, Five, Six" is very much a modern work, with intricate solos by Wheeler, bassist Chris Laurence, baritone saxophonist Julian Argüelles, and guitarist John Parricelli. The Latin undercurrent of his extended work "Enowena" proves infectious as a backdrop for Wheeler's powerful solo. "Upwards" begins as a deliberate, brooding piece that suggests an emotional upheaval, with Wheeler stretching the upper range of his horn; it changes character midway into driving post-bop. This is easily one of Kenny Wheeler's best efforts as a leader.

Edward Simon, Scott Colley, Clarence Penn

A Master's Diary




By Francesco Giardinazzo

Esistono diversi modi di parlare di un incontro che ha risvolti importanti per chi ne è coinvolto. È il caso di Edward Simon (pianista di formazione classica e jazz) che insieme a Scott Colley (contrabbasso) e Clarence Penn (batteria) interpreta le musiche di uno dei nostri maggiori compositori per il teatro e il cinema, Fiorenzo Carpi.
Strano destino questo, che porta il talentuoso trio a ricordarci alcune delle cose migliori del nostro repertorio musicale spesso messo in ombra dall'idea —fuorviante- che la musica sia un complemento e non una protagonista di un'opera cinematografica o teatrale.
Esemplare al proposito la riflessione di Strehler: «Il mio teatro è tenuto insieme dalle note di Fiorenzo Carpi. Molto spesso la sua musica ha dato, all'inizio o durante il lavoro, la "chiarificazione" interna di cui avevo bisogno, l'illuminazione di un "tutto" che non riuscivo ad afferrare».
Ed è una filmografia sconfinata quella musicata dal compositore milanese, costellata di successi ottenuti al fianco di grandi registi come Malle, Comencini o Mazzacurati. Oggi le "note di regia" (non semplici partiture) di Carpi rivivono in questo progetto: da segnalare, in particolare, Diego Urcola, special guest impegnato in un'avvolgente "Eugenia's Theme" (da "Mio Dio come sono caduta in basso"); liricamente mosso il "solo" di "Nel parco" (da "Maggio musicale"); la main title del disco è un'introspettiva meditazione drammaticamente accentuata alla maniera del Gould bachiano rivoluzionario. La forza narrativa della melodia diventa uno strumento prezioso e profondo nelle mani di Simon, con fraseggi ed interplay icastici e sinuosi che alimentano la forza della narrazione che tocca dei picchi di assoluto e brillante lirismo nella versatile ispirazione del pianista venezuelano che riesce a conciliare il sapore caraibico con le vaporazioni melanconiche nostrane di Carpi.
Sono temi di grande coinvolgimento emotivo. E' difficile non trasalire nel ripensare al maestro interpretato da Bruno Cirino che da solo valeva una storia recente del nostro paese (lo sceneggiato di Vittorio De Seta si basava, vale la pena rammentarlo, su "Un anno a Pietralata" di Albino Bernardini, 1968). La musica di Carpi riusciva, e riesce ancora ascoltandola in questa veste, ad assolutizzare questa verità di racconto, alla quale il trio aggiunge sapori e confronti di una lingua diversa ma ugualmente memore di una sofferta modalità di accenti. Un modo in più di pensare a cosa manca oggi.
Non si tratta di una mera rilettura jazzistica, ma di un'autentica reinterpretazione delle composizioni di Carpi, il cui risultato è accattivante e ben ponderato negli equilibri interni e complessivi.

2 Sem 2012 - Part One

Fabrizio Bosso with London Symphony Orchestra Arr./Conducted Stefano Fonzi

Plays Enchantment: l'incantesimo di Nino Rota 




By Discovery Rec
This album by classically-trained, Italian jazz trumpeter, Fabrizio Bosso, is a tribute to the compositions of the Nino Rota, known particularly for his superb film soundtracks, especially for Federico Fellini films. The centenary of Rota’s birth was in December, 2011.
The material includes music from Coppola’s ‘The Godfather’, Zeffirelli’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’, Visconti’s ‘The Leopard’, and Fellini’s ‘Amacord’, ‘La Strada’, ‘8 1/2’, and ‘La Dolce Vita’.
Bosso’s fine playing is backed by Claudio Filippini – piano; Rosario Bonaccorso – double-bass; Lorenzo Tucci – drums, and the London Symphony Orchestra, arranged and conducted by Stefano Fonzi. The whole album works wonderfully well, doing full justice to Rota’s idiosyncratic style.

Track Listing for Plays Enchantment - Film Music of Nino Rota / LSO
1. Otto e mezzo (La passerella)
2. Romeo e Giulietta
3. Amarcord
4. Enchantment
5. Il gattopardo (Il valzer del commiato)
6. La strada
7. Il padrino
8. Il ragazzo di Borgata
9. La dolce vita

Claudio Roditi

Bons Amigos

by William Ruhlmann
For Claudio Roditi's third Resonance album, he and label head George Klabin came up with a concept well within the trumpeter's comfort zone, turning to Brazilian jazz standards of the 1960s through the ‘80s, composed by the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Toninho Horta, and Egberto Gismonti (plus more recent songwriters such as Eliane Elias), then mixing in a few of Roditi's originals. Since the 65-year-old was present at the creation of some of this music (he actually played in the horn section on the original recording of Gismonti's "O Sonho [The Dream]"), but has been an expatriate living in the U.S. since leaving Brazil in the early ‘70s, it's music with which he feels right at home. But complacency has not been allowed to set in. Roditi, playing his trademark rotary valve trumpet, flügelhorn, and, on his own "Piccolo Samba," a piccolo trumpet, is joined by Donald Vega (piano), Marco Panascia (bass), and Mauricio Zottarelli (drums), plus, on selected tracks, guitarist Romero Lubambo, and they make for an excellent Latin jazz ensemble. Roditi, a highly melodic and pleasant player, gets the lion's share of solos, of course, but Lubambo matches him on such tunes as Elias' "Para Nada [For Nothing]" and the title song (by Horta), but the others get their moments to shine, too. In his liner notes, Klabin complains that Roditi has been underrated and categorized as a Latin jazz player despite his talents as a straight-ahead jazz trumpeter. That may be so, but it's a difficult argument to make with an album as much devoted to Latin jazz as this one. Yet the Roditi original "Levitation," a hard bop number with little Latin feel, justifies Klabin's claim in spades, confirming this veteran's bona fides as a jazz soloist without qualifiers.

Dmitry Baevsky

The Composers

by Ken Dryden
Alto saxophonist Dmitry Baevsky is one musician who avoids the original-heavy CDs of many recent jazz program graduates, instead preferring to explore infrequently played gems by jazz greats from a variety of styles. His third CD as a leader features him backed by several of the most in-demand sideman in New York: pianist David Hazeltine, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist John Webber, plus young drummer Jason Brown (who appeared on Baevsky's debut CD). His brisk opener is Cedar Walton's infectious "Ojos de Rojo," a delicious blend of Latin rhythm and hard bop. Duke Pearson is an unjustly neglected composer, so Baevsky's exploration of his easygoing "Gaslight" is most welcome. Horace Silver's "To Whom It May Concern" features the leader and Bernstein playing in unison and superb soloing by the guitarist. Duke Ellington's "Self-Portrait of the Bean" was likely intended as a one-off recording for his small-group date with Coleman Hawkins (whom the song honors); Baevsky's alto is rhapsodic in its own way without trying to duplicate Hawkins' matchless sound on tenor. Tadd Dameron is yet another composer who doesn't get due attention, Baevsky's snappy take of this tricky bop gem features his darting alto. If that's not enough variety, Baevsky concludes with an enthusiastic treatment of Ornette Coleman's blues "Tears Inside." Dmitry Baevsky reminds jazz fans of what they may have missed by overlooking the contributions of past greats.

Cordoba Reunion

Sin Lugar a Dudas

By Challenge Rec

Four of the best Argentinian musicians, all natives of the same city, Cordoba, and yet live in different countries (France, Italy and Argentine) find themselves creating a musical project where tradition and culture of Argentine, full of sunshine, rhythm , passion but also contradictions, colors and flavors come ToGEther masterfully.
Great emotional intensity (the sax of Javier Girotto is literally poignant, melting), beauty of the compositions, style proud. Their music is easy listening and able to touch the deepest chords not only of jazz fans, but in a word , of music fans. They usually perform on stage all over the world for about 7 years with a surprising impact.
This CD shows an ability to summarize the "mood of the world" through the extreme sensitivity of "musicians of the world."

TRACKS :
1 La Vuelta
2 El Mastropiero
3 Pigro Sentimento
4 La Rural
5 La Cambiada
6 Sin Lugar a dudas
7 La Luz de la Noche
8 La Suspendida
9 Ponte Della Memoria
10 l'ultimo


Francesco Maccianti Quartet

Passo a due



Etichetta: Alma (AR0110609)
Anno Produzione: 2012
Esecutori:
Francesco Maccianti pianoforte
Pietro Tonolo sax tenore , sax soprano
Tavolazzi Ares basso
Eliot Zigmund batteria

Tracks:
1.Passo a Due
2.L'asceta
3.Tale
4.Michel
5.Tutto Il Mondo Che Sento
6.Fragments
7.Moon Waltz
8.The Unknowing Face
9.Cubic Dance

Past "RED TIDE Operation"

By Claudio Botelho
I don’t know if it has ended, but some CD’s have finally arrived at my doorstep. Among the few, Steve Kuhn “Wisteria” from the prolific Manfred Eicher’s ECM. Kuhn have been a favorite of mine since long and this new outing has put him along with Steve Swallow (b) and Joey Baron (d); two of the greatest in their art. So, it was difficult to ignore such a trio in all its glory and greatness. Three very personal players, each one easily recognizable on their first notes in any song they play. So, here you have a mix of elegance piano playing, grandiloquence, sharpness, thunderous drums whacks, quasi-guitar bass notes in many instances and a presentation punctuated by gorgeous songs, many of them from Kuhn own pen (“Chalet”, “Promises Kept”, “Pastorale”, etc.). Great contrasts permeate the whole album, something I feel is essential to give life to any work like this. Just as life itself… But there’s something to complain: the recording level is too low, something unexpected from a product of ECM fame.
By the same time, I came across the last Brad Mehldau recording. With his long standing cohort Larry Grenadier (b) and Jeff Ballard (d), Mehldau certainly did a solid work, which has been heralded as very good if not excellent, judging by some reviews I’ve read. Those trained in conservatories (not in the least my case) may certainly be better prepared to evaluate his pianism and the great coherence he has attained with this group. The traditional American magazine Down Beat so proclaimed and certified that Ballard has finally supplanted the great Jorge Rossy (which, today, is also a piano player), his former drummer, by attaining a better integration with Mehldau’s ideas.
I’m not so sure of this. What I can say is that Rossy was as complementary as a drummer can be to Mehldau’s piano playing in the beginning years of this trio and also that I miss him a lot. To be honest, It’s difficult for me to express any opinion about such an issue for the simple reason I ‘m not able to discern the aesthetic of his trio since Rossy´s departure. It’s difficult for me to digest an album completely filled with original compositions by the same pen, all having much in common with each other. Besides, I have long spotted heavy traces of melancholy in Mehdau’s playing which surely don’t appeal to me. Just a matter of personal taste, no more…
So, I’m countercurrent here and rather listen to his early recordings. By the way, “Ode” is the name of his new album.
A great surprise was listening, for the first time, a female singer named Carmen Lundy! Surprise for me, of course, as she’s been on the road for some three decades now!
She’s no doubt one to stand out of the crowd and, in her last album “Changes”, did a difficult job: composed all the songs except one -“A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” – and this passed unnoticed for me! A miracle! Different moods punctuated the presentation and this kind of soft-spoken Diana Reeves has got a work which flows very easily on the ears, making it a breeze to listen! This is a full jazz singer, a talented composer who did a recording conveying a wide palette of colors that so well suits the spirit of listeners like me! Judging by her long career, she probably produced other albums like this. If so, I’d say she’s been grossly underrated!
As a matter of fact, the global economics crisis has done, also, something bad to the jazz novelties and I haven’t seen much thing new. It seems to me this is a trend which may last some years, so we’d better get used to it and go listen to our oldies (and not so oldies…)
Anyway, along with Kuhn, arrived Brubeck’s 1967 recording “Their Last Time Out”. The tapes were with him who, it seems to me, were forgotten. From the day of that recording on, he never more recorded, in any regular basis, with that group. He’d decided to stay more with his family…
In this recording, for my dismay, his group recorded “Take Five” without the drum solo from the fabulous Joe Morello. It’s rendering was a long one, but no Morello’s soliloquy…
The recording wasn’t as sharp as I remembered “Time Out”, on vinyl, to be. Well, that was in 1962, when I first listened to that song. The new CD was not stereo, as stated clearly on the booklet innards and I don’t know what kind of tape recorder was originally used to capture the quartet show. Certainly it was made on a reel-to-reel recorder at 7 ½ ips. The mikes were poorly distributed and the sax of Paul Desmond was farther from the front line than it used to be. Joe Morello’s drum set was in the right place and his playing was shown to good effect. His sound, as always, was full and very present; a thing not easily found nowadays, as the drummers now prefer syncopation as opposed to strong rhythm drives. I confess I’d rather listen to drummers like Joey Baron, Art Blakey or Andre Ceccarelli, for instance, who have firm roots in the old school of drumming (or so it seems to me). So, for drum aficionados like me, it’s always a pleasure to listen to this kind of musicians.
I don’t know, but it seems to me it was used more than one mike to record that show, although it was, as stated in the album, a mono recording. But this is a subject more prone to sound engineers which I’m not.
What I’ve seen hundreds of times were very bad conversions from analog to digital, almost every time one tried to make a CD out of analog tapes recorded from the eighties backwards. Maybe this has helped to establish the fact that vinyl has a better sound than CD, a fact I’m not that convinced. To say this is akin to saying analog TV picture are better than their digital counterpart. Is it true? That’s not what experience has shown me. Anyway, sound quality is something much more subjective than image perfection…
But, let’s go back to Brubeck. The fact this 1967 recording of his was mono, for me, given those conditions, was a welcome one, as, in those days, they used to show off stereo effects and, by choosing to show stereo separation, the whole presentation lost body, becoming sort of flimsy. Disembodied sounds (like those from portable radios) are the last thing I would want to listen…
Another good surprise came from Lynne Arriale’s “Solo” album: Well, well, well; here, less is more. Since her early days at DMP, I haven’t listened such a consistently good album like this from her! Everything is in the right place and this album showed me she’s as good as ever! Finesse and boldness in a very balanced mix not easily found in these days!
I give her kudos for this new album!