Record Reviews
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  | D`ANDREA / TOMMASO / GATTO ~ AIREGIN
RED 123252 (Barcode: 027312325225) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1991 Released: 1992
This is a wonderful album by the Italian Jazz trio comprising of pianist Franco D`AndreaFind albums by this artist, bassist Giovanni TommasoFind albums by this artist and drummer Roberto GattoFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, six of which are standards, two are co-composed by all three members of the trio and the remaining tree are composed by one of the trio members.
Although performed by a classic Jazz piano trio, this album is a sublime example of European modern Jazz, which brilliantly interprets the American standards with such sophisticated twist, that ever Jazz lover find immediately himself smiling uncontrollably. D`Andrea’s brilliant ability to twist and transform the well know themes is simply absolutely ingenious. Of course the original compositions are no less interesting and altogether the trio offers a delightful portion of highly aesthetic and clever Jazz experience. Of course both Tommaso and Gatto are brilliant players as well, and serve as ideal partners to D`Andrea’s virtuosity.
D`Andrea’s extensive recording legacy, mostly in the trio and solo piano setting, is one of the most impressive Italian and European Jazz achievements, and his contributions as a composer and educator are invaluable.
Overall, this is an absolutely exemplary Jazz classic piano trio recording, which combines ideally the tradition with the innovation, and as such is a true must in every decent European Jazz record collection. It is not so easy to get hold of these days, but if you are able to find a copy don’t even blink! Pure gold from start to finish!
| | Updated: 18/06/2023Posted: 18/06/2023 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | FRANCO D`ANDREA ~ LIVE IN PERUGIA
PENTAFLOWERS 041 ~ ITALY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1994 Released: 1995
This is a live solo piano album by Italian pianist / composer Franco D`AndreaFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, two of which are medleys of two tunes, so altogether there are eight original tunes by D`Andrea.
D`Andrea is one of Italy’s most famous Jazz musicians and his extensive career spans almost seven decades (he is 82 years old at the time of writing). He played with many American and European Jazz musicians over the years and his recordings span about two hundred albums. He played with Gato BarbieriFind albums by this artist when the Argentine saxophonist resided in Italy, and took part in the recording of the legendary soundtrack of “Last Tango In ParisFind albums with this title” (1972). He was also a member of the Italian Progressive Rock band PerigeoFind albums by this artist during the 1970s with saxophonist Claudio FasoliFind albums by this artist and bassist Giovanni TommasoFind albums by this artist, both of whom later also had successful careers in Jazz music.
This album presents him as a mature Jazz virtuoso, with a highly personal style and modern approach, which has few equals on the European scene. The music flows brilliantly from one tune to another, with a hyper-energetic tension and intensity, leaving the listens practically breathless.
Overall, this is a spectacular display of the great talent and virtuosic technical ability by one of the most fascinating European pianists of all time and one of my personal favorites. I have not heard this album since it was initially released almost thirty years ago, and it reminds to be strikingly original, and as such wholeheartedly recommended, although probably not easy to find these days.
| | Updated: 26/07/2023Posted: 26/07/2023 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | ENRICO RAVA ~ THE COMPLETE REMASTERED RECORDINGS ON BLACK SAINT & SOUL NOTE
CAM JAZZ 1002 (Barcode: 8024709111326) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1972 - 1994 Released: 2010
This superb Box Set collects all the albums recorded by the legendary Italian trumpeter / composer Enrico RavaFind albums by this artist on the twin Italian independent labels: Black SaintFind albums on this label and Soul NoteFind albums on this label. Rava needs no introduction to any serious Jazz connoisseur; suffice to say that from the early days of the European Jazz he was always there on the frontier lines, expanding the genre and breaking new ground tirelessly. Over the years he played with the greatest Jazz players from all over the world and served as a teacher to generations of young Italian and other European Jazz musicians. His virtuosic playing and excellent compositions are always a source of great musical joy. Rava is often compared to his Polish soul brother trumpeter / composer Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist and their both share the incredible European sensitivity and sense of melody, which set them apart from their American counterparts. The musicians playing on these five albums include: saxophonist Pietro TonoloFind albums by this artist, pianist Franco D`AndreaFind albums by this artist, bassist Giovanni TommasoFind albums by this artist, drummer Tony OxleyFind albums by this artist, pianist John TaylorFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Gianluigi TroveriFind albums by this artist and many others. Remastered, mini-sleeved, and with a great bargain price – this Box Set an absolute must for any serious Jazz collector.
Side Note
The Italian independent record label Black SaintFind albums on this label was founded by the music critic / author / producer Giacomo PellicciottiFind albums by this artist in 1975. It was taken over by the producer Giovanni BonandriniFind albums by this artist in 1978 and a year later (1979) a sister label, called Soul NoteFind albums on this label, was established. The twin labels were run by Giovanni and later his son Flavio BonandriniFind albums by this artist, until they were sold in 2008 to the Italian KEPACH Music Group, which already owned the CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, and which also bought another Italian independent record label Dischi Della QuerciaFind albums on this label.
The mission of the Black Saint / Soul Note labels was to record and document the Free Jazz / Improvised Music / Avant-Garde scene, mostly from the US but also from Europe, which continued between mid 1970s and late 1990s and produced a staggering collection of almost 550 albums recorded by world's most important Jazz innovators active at the time, providing an opportunity to American (mostly Afro-American) musicians, who would have never managed to make these recordings at home, ridden by racism, alienation and closed-mindedness. Without these two labels most of this fantastic human creativity would have been never documented.
However, the Black Saint / Soul Note Box Sets produced under the CAM JazzFind albums on this label moniker are an archetypal example of how good intentions turn sour. Although these new editions often bring back to life some of the best music ever made on this planet, which in many cases has been lost in the tides of time and was unavailable on the market for ages, they suffer from an unforgivable disregard to the essence of cultural values and general sloppiness, contrary to human decency, which requires us to treat our cultural legacy with respect and loyalty.
These Box Sets have no booklet which presents researched historical background and exact discographical information of the albums included, and most importantly an overview of the music and its meaning and contribution to the Jazz Art form. Although the original LP sleeves are reproduced, the information is in most cases too small to be readable at all. In short the fact that these Box Sets are meant to be inexpensive, does not mean that they have to be cheap!
| | Updated: 03/07/2020Posted: | CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
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