Record Reviews

BENEDETTINI / MONTRONE / PACHE / MAGNARELLI ~ NEAR AND HOW AMP 012 (Barcode: 662578831051) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is an album by Italian Jazz quartet comprising of trumpeter Joe MagnarelliFind albums by this artist, pianist Bruno MontroneFind albums by this artist, bassist Paolo BenedettiniFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam PacheFind albums by this artist. Magnarelli and Benedettini are now based in NY, Montrone lives in Bari and the Australian born Pache lives in Rome, which emphasizes the international scope of Jazz today. The quartet plays seven pieces, three of which are original compositions by Magnarelli and four are standards. The music is very mainstream oriented, based on American Jazz tradition and basically stays within the Bebop idiom, which still sadly dominates American Jazz to this very day. This quartet is a typical example of European musicians following the American Jazz tradition, rather that seeking for an individual form of expression. All four instrumentalists are very professional and play without a hitch, but the music does not go anywhere, being frozen in time since decades. Basically a good mainstream Jazz album, but there are thousands of similar albums around and this one offers nothing in particular, which it can be remembered for. For fans of mainstream Jazz only!

Updated: 24/07/2017Posted: 24/07/2017

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AMIT GOLAN ~ I DECIDED! NOT ON LABEL ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2007 1st album by Israeli pianist / composer / teacher Amit GolanFind albums by this artist. Although active on the local scene for some time, this is Golan’s debut release. He leads a quintet with fellow Israeli players (Asaf YuriaFind albums by this artist – tenor sax, Gilad AbroFind albums by this artist – bass and Doron TiroshFind albums by this artist / Yonatan RosenFind albums by this artist – drums) and the guest US trumpeter Joe MagnarelliFind albums by this artist. Golan composed all the wonderful music (except one standard), which sounds remarkably like something taken directly from the 1960s at the peak of the Hard Bop era. The entire album could be easily mistaken for a “lost” Blue NoteFind albums on this label album by Horace SilverFind albums by this artist, and I bet a lot of people would have never guessed this is a contemporary recording by a bunch of Israeli players. And I mean absolutely no criticism by that, on the contrary, being able to reproduce that sound and feel is quite remarkable. Considering that Jazz in Israel was almost nonexistent in the 1960s, this is a most beautiful way to pay the dues. I can’t imagine any Jazz fan around the world not liking this stuff – it is absolutely perfect in what it stands for – solid mainstream jazz at its best with a nostalgic wink. I feel really proud that our tiny Jazz scene is capable of producing such mature and technically perfect piece of music. The recording quality is also remarkable, considering that most of the music was recorded live. Mr. Rudy Van GelderFind albums by this artist would be undoubtedly smiling if he ever got to listen to this one. How about you?

Updated: 12/06/2018Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend