DASH! - BOOGIE (Live in Amsterdam Bimhuis) 2018

‘Adventurous and innovative’

Just like the olympic 100m dash, a concert by the Amsterdam free-funk trio DASH! is a profound, almost physical experience. Invariably, audiences rave about how the band combines complex interplay with a committed yet easy going stage presence. With deceptively simple material, DASH! creates a musical universe all of its own, a universe in which only the notes that matter are played in a highly transparent fashion. This results in a very intense, minimalistic and almost hypnotic band sound filled with moments of uncurbed swing, volcanic eruptions and whispering melodies. 

DASH! started in 2004 as an octet and restarted in 2012 in its current trio line up. As a trio, the band released 3 albums, of which BOOGIE (2017) is the latest. Leader Maarten Ornstein is an awardwinning saxophonist and clarinetist who works with leading musicians from jazz, classical and Arabic music. His eclectic playing has been featured on over 30 CD’s by a wide variety of international ensembles, including his own. Completing the trio are bassist Alex Oele and drummer Eric Hoeke, both among the most highly praised musicians in The Netherlands and members of bands such as SFeQ, Kraak & Smaak and Zuco103.

-”DASH! produces a worldclass free-funk album” (Dutch press on DASH! Off) 

-”Maarten Ornstein has proved once again he is an exceptional force in the contemporary Dutch music scene, both as a performer and composer” (Dutch press)

-”...that delicious looseness that gives the impression that the music, despite being under control, is fully flowing” (Dutch press)

-”it’s deliciously chaotic!” (Dutch press)

1. Boogie Five 07:26

2. Boogie One 06:34

3. Boogie Six 06:24

4. Boogie Too 07:24

5. Boogie Tree 09:23

Maarten Ornstein - tenor and soprano saxophones

Eric Hoeke - drums

Alex Oele - bass

Recorded by Jurre Wieman

Mixed and mastered by Alex Oele

Produced by Bimhuis Amsterdam

Maarten Ornstein

"Maarten Ornstein has proved once again he is an exceptional force in the contemporary Dutch music scene, both as a performer and composer." 

Maarten Ornstein plays tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet. On occasion he plays tarogato and electronica. He is also a composer and arranger. He leads the free funk ensemble DASH!, performs as a soloist and is a member of Splendor Amsterdam.

Gianluigi Trovesi - Mediterraneamente (DODICILUNE RECORDS 2018)

Mediterraneamente è il nuovo progetto discografico di Gianluigi Trovesi in uscita lunedì 12 marzo per l'etichetta pugliese Dodicilune, distribuito in Italia e all'estero da Ird e nei migliori store digitali.

Il clarinettista, sassofonista e compositore lombardo - accompagnato da Paolo Manzolini (chitarre), Marco Esposito (basso), Vittorio Marinoni (batteria) e Fulvio Maras (percussioni) - propone dodici brani tra composizioni originali ("Gargantella", "Cadenze Orfiche", "Rina e Virgilio", "Materiali", "Siparietto"), tradizione ("Carpinese"), musica italiana ("Le Mille bolle blu"), napoletana ("Tu ca nun chiagne", "Tammurriata Nera"), standard internazionali ("Yesterdays", "In your Own Sweet Way") e un pezzo ("La Suave Melodia") del compositore barocco Andrea Falconieri (1585-1656). 

«Credo che nell’ampia produzione discografica di Gianluigi Trovesi questo lavoro venga considerato dal suo autore come qualcosa di particolarmente intimo», sottolinea nelle note di copertina il giornalista, critico musicale e scrittore Claudio Sessa. «"Per me molti di questi brani sono come delle serenate", afferma Trovesi. Serenate, aggiungiamo, che si richiamano a un lirismo aperto, a volte teatrale: non le ruvide dichiarazioni d’amore che si potevano ascoltare nelle valli orobiche dalle quali è emerso il talento del nostro polistrumentista, ma la tradizione espressiva che egli definisce "mediterranea", in uno sguardo globalizzante che va da Gibilterra ai Dardanelli, dal Cairo a Marsiglia», prosegue Sessa. «E infatti spesso il suo interlocutore primus inter pares in questa incisione è la chitarra, storica protagonista (nelle sue varie incarnazioni regionali, dall’oud/liuto al mandolino al bouzuki) di tante appassionate canzoni notturne all’amata. Anche se poi Paolo Manzolini ne declina l’espressività in modo pienamente contemporaneo. Serenate del mondo d’oggi possono essere considerati anche gli standard della tradizione statunitense qui presenti, "Yesterdays" e "In Your Own Sweet Way" (entrambi riletti in modo appassionatamente originale), così come i momenti più ritmici dell’album, legati alla lunga (e un po’ autoironica) consuetudine di Trovesi per i temi danzanti e "dionisiaci"», sottolinea il giornalista. «Intima è anche la formula strumentale scelta dal leader, che lega alcuni suoi storici collaboratori in conversazioni a poche voci, duetti, trii, scarne aperture più collettive che lasciano poi spazio a lievi "a parte" per un singolo strumento. Intimo e rivelatore, infine, mi pare il grande spazio assegnato in questa occasione al sassofono contralto. "In fondo io mi considero da sempre un altista", sottolinea Trovesi, che è particolarmente orgoglioso di essere stato lungamente "primo sax alto" della gloriosa orchestra ritmica (cioè fondamentalmente jazzistica) della Rai di Milano; e la constatazione, uscendo dalla bocca di uno dei maggiori responsabili della rinascita del clarinetto (anzi, della famiglia dei clarinetti) nel jazz contemporaneo, europeo e mondiale, non è da trascurare. È vero», conclude Sessa, «Trovesi nell’animo è sempre un sax contralto, anzi un grande sax contralto. La duttilità melodica, la varietà timbrica, l’intensità dinamica che esprime col suo strumento in questo disco sono quelli di un canto aperto, libero, necessario. Proprio la libertà e la necessità che spingono gli uomini a cantare le loro serenate».

L’etichetta Dodicilune è attiva dal 1996. Dispone di un catalogo di oltre 220 produzioni di artisti italiani e stranieri ed è distribuita in Itali a e all'estero da IRD in circa 400 punti vendita tra negozi di dischi e store. I dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati su una cinquantina tra le maggiori piattaforme del mondo.

1 - Yesterdays

2 - Gargantella

3 - Carpinese

4 - Cadenze Orfiche

5 - Tu ca nun chiagne

6 - Tammurriata Nera

7 - La Suave Melodia

8 - Le Mille Bolle Blu

9 - Siparietto

10 - Rina e Vigilio

11 - In your Own Sweet Way

12 - Materiali

Gianluigi Trovesi, alto sax, alto clarinet

Paolo Manzolini, guitars

Marco Esposito, bass

Vittorio Marinoni, drums

Fulvio Maras, percussions

Produced by Gabriele Rampino for Dodicilune edizioni, Italy

Label manager Maurizio Bizzochetti (www.dodicilune.it) 

Recorded 21-22 August 2016 and 24 april 2017 at Artesuono, Cavalicco (Ud), Italy

Mixed and mastered September 2017   Sound engineer Stefano Amerio

Cover photo (c) Hyperific   Photos by Mario Rota, Ivonne Mercier, Angela Bartolo 

Contact: www.gianluigitrovesi.com

Carpinese is dedicated to Christina Pluhar   Thanks to Claudio Angeleri and CDPM

Kristjan Randalu - Absence (ECM 2018)

Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu makes his ECM debut with a striking album of his own rigorous-yet-lyrical music, sensitively played by a trio formed especially for this recording, with US guitarist Ben Monder and Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari. As an improviser of prodigious technique, once described by Herbie Hancock as “a dazzling piano player”, Randalu’s affinities are with the jazz musicians, but the forms and dynamics of his pieces also reflect a discerning sense of structure, and he has cited composers  Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits amongst his mentors. Absence was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in July 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

1 FORECAST (Kristjan Randalu) 09:27

2 LUMI I (Kristjan Randalu) 05:09

3 SISU (Kristjan Randalu) 04:52

4 LUMI II (Kristjan Randalu) 03:23

5 ESCAPISM (Kristjan Randalu) 06:06

6 ADAPTION I (Kristjan Randalu) 03:07

7 ADAPTION II (Kristjan Randalu) 05:55

8 PARTLY CLOUDE (Kristjan Randalu) 05:12

9 ABSENCE (Kristjan Randalu) 04:49

Kristjan Randalu   Piano

Ben Monder   Electric Guitar

Markku Ounaskari   Drums

Jakob Bro - Returnings (ECM 2018)

“Danish guitarist Jakob Bro creates magical music, impossible to categorize”, wrote Downbeat recently.  On Returnings the magic is intensified as Bro and musical soul-mate Thomas Morgan reconnect with two living legends of European jazz, trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg and drummer Jon Christensen.  It’s a wonderful combination:  Bro’s watercolour guitar sounds,  Mikelborg’s soft Milesian flugelhorn,  Morgan’s impeccable choice of notes,  and Christensen’s  free-floating drumming . These components  add up to one of the prettiest and subtlest jazz albums of recent times.  Returnings was recorded  in July 2016 at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio and produced by Manfred Eicher.

1 OKTOBER (Jakob Bro) 04:19

2 STRANDS (Jakob Bro) 04:43

3 SONG FOR NICOLAI (Palle Mikkelborg) 05:19

4 VIEW (Jakob Bro) 08:38

5 LYSKASTER (Jakob Bro) 05:03

6 HAMSUN (Jakob Bro) 05:14

7 RETURNINGS (Jakob Bro, Palle Mikkelborg) 05:36

8 YOUTH (Palle Mikkelborg) 02:37

Jakob Bro   Guitar

Palle Mikkelborg   Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Thomas Morgan   Double Bass

Jon Christensen   Drums

Arild Andersen - In House Science (ECM 2018)

Norwegian master bassist Arild Andersen’s trio with big-toned tenorist Tommy Smith and powerhouse drummer Paolo Vinaccia is one of the most viscerally exciting jazz small groups of the present moment. Its energies are arguably best captured in a live context, and here the three musicians deliver a characteristically smoking performance at the Villa Rothstein in Bad Ischl, Austria, recorded in September 2016. Their earlier concert recording Live At Belleville, was issued a decade ago to rave reviews and a shower of awards. “Absolutely and unreservedly marvellous” said the BBC Music Magazine.  “How often do just three musicians produce music as vast and panoramic in its scale and vision?” asked Jazzwise, amazed.

1 MIRA (Arild Andersen) 09:50

2 SCIENCE (Arild Andersen) 11:10

3 VENICE (Arild Andersen) 08:44

4 NORTH OF THE NORTHWIND (Arild Andersen) 08:35

5 BLUSSY (Arild Andersen) 08:59

6 INHOUSE (Arild Andersen) 08:10

Arild Andersen   Double Bass

Paolo Vinaccia   Drums

Tommy Smith   Tenor Saxophone

Mika Pohjola, Miguel Zenón, Ben Monder, Fernando Huergo & Roberto Dani: Landmark - Remastered Expanded Edition (BLUE MUSIC GROUP 2018)

This remarkable disc features Mika Pohjola's crafty ensemble, with Miguel Zenón on alto sax and flute, Ben Monder on guitar, Fernando Huergo on bass, and Roberto Dani on drums, with Johanna Grüssner contributing haunting vocals on occasion. Pohjola plays Fender Rhodes and other electric keys in addition to acoustic piano; on Landmark and Retrospectives he doubles certain melodies on harpsichord, as he has done on two previous albums (he may well be the first musician to employ the arcane instrument in a modern jazz ensemble, although Herbie Hancock played an electric harpsichord on a couple of unissued Miles Davis tracks in the late 60s.)

Compositionally, Pohjola's work is involved yet infectious and profoundly melodic, driven by the virtuosity and strong personalities of his players. On tracks like Screenplay and Future Apparent the band purveys a hip, appealing species of electric jazz. Pohjola's mellower side comes through on A Ballad About Something and Old Couples Lullaby. In contrast, he makes loud mischief on the rhythmically skewered punk of Young in the '80s and conveys a peculiar, semi-rubato feel on the evocative Summer Garden (which features Monder and Dani in a duo exchange toward the end). Pohjola also works wonders with Grüssner's voice on an inspired arrangement of the fourth century Ambrosian hymn, as well as the Finnish-titled Reppurin Laulu (Vagabond's Song), the lyrics of which are in the Karelian language.

The highly recommended Landmark sets the bar very high for creative music.There is an underground alternative jazz scene that is beginning to bubble over the surface and its starting to leak into all the different areas of music and culture. It's based in Manhattan New York. People like Mika are leading the way. When you get a four star review with the All Music Guide you have made the grade. This gentleman has arrived in a big way. I knew that he would, and the deserving recognition was just around the corner after the last release. Yes, I knew that he was special, and so will you when you hear his music. This is the perfect title for this CD; it is no doubt a Landmark release. - Down Beat 

1. Landmark 06:18

2. Screenplay 06:53

3. A Ballad about Something 04:17

4. Future Apparent 05:01

5. Isämme kiitos päivästä (Thank You, Lord, for This Day) 02:25

6. Old Couples Lullaby 04:54

7. Young in the 80s 07:34

8. Forest Nocturne 03:42

9. Passing Recline 05:19

10. Movements in Style 02:18

11. Summer Garden 04:32

12. MikaSonik Theme 00:36

13. Retrospectives 08:11

14. Now Came to Us 03:14

15. Reppurin laulu (Vagabond's Song) 04:43

16. Old Manhattan Tango 04:57

17. Future Apparent (Live in Stockholm) 07:06

18. Old Couples Lullaby (Live in Stockholm) 05:32

19. Old Manhattan Tango (Live in Stockholm) 07:33

20. Screenplay (Live in Stockholm) 08:10

21. Landmark (Live in Stockholm) 07:31

22. Now Came to Us (Live in Stockholm) 03:11

23. Announcement - MikaSonik Theme (Live in Stockholm) 15:50

24. Passing Recline (Live in Stockholm) 05:14

25. Movements in Style (Live in Stockholm) 03:14

26. Summer Garden (Live in Stockholm) 06:19

27. Young in the 80s (Live in Stockholm) 08:12

28. A Ballad about Something (Live in Stockholm) 05:59

29. Retrospectives - MikaSonik Theme (Live in Stockholm) 10:39

30. Nights Flights Spice (Quartet Version 1) 08:14

31. My Mother Turned Fifty (Quartet Version) 06:15

32. Old Couples Lullaby (Quartet Version) 04:33

33. Screenplay (Quartet Version) 06:55

34. Announcement (Quartet Version) 08:13

35. Summer Garden (Quartet Version) 05:56

36. When Things Will Change (Quartet Version) 09:55

37. Movements in Style (Quartet Version) 04:47

38. Nights Flights Spice (Quartet Version 2) 07:59

39. Landmark (Take 1) 06:03

40. Passing Recline (Take 1) 04:35

41. Forest Nocturne (Take 2) 03:26

42. A Ballad About Something (Take 1) 04:10

43. Summer Garden (Take 2) 04:50

44. Screenplay (Take 2) 06:12

45. Future Apparent (Live in New York City) 05:52

46. Landmark (Live in New York City) 05:56

47. Old Manhattan Tango (Live in New York City) 05:45

48. Passing Recline (Live in New York City) 05:30

49. Screenplay (Live in New York City) 06:30

50. Young in the 80s (Live in New York City) 07:14

Mika Pohjola - piano, harpsichord, fender rhodes, all compositions (except 5 and 15)

Miguel Zenón - saxophone, flute

Ben Monder - guitar

Fernando Huergo - bass

Roberto Dani - drums

Johanna Grüssner - voice (1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15)

Matt Penman - bass (32-38)

Mika Pohjola, Chris Cheek, Matt Penman & Roberto Dani: Announcement - Remastered Expanded Edition (BLUE MUSIC GROUP 2018)

Mika Pohjola is a superb technician who also possesses a crafty compositional pen as the artist generally pushes his creative faculties to the limits, evidenced by an increasingly rich recorded legacy. With this 1998 effort, the pianist along with saxophonist Chris Cheek and longtime running mates, drummer Roberto Dani and bassist Matt Penman integrate ferocious soloing into a palate often consisting of vibrant choruses, peppery exchanges, swiftly executed rhythms and lyrically rich unison lines. However, Pohjola also excels as a forward thinking visionary who draws upon widespread influences, whether it is far eastern modalities, Scandinavian folk or the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, while also injecting innocent, lullaby style melodies into the grand scheme of things. Simply stated, Announcement represents a joyous event that supersedes a good portion of the nondescript, overly hyped, and rigorously marketed 90's and 2000 brand of post-bop, whereas this refreshing and altogether stirring production imparts a lasting impression. – Glenn Astarita, All Music Guide

1. Party 08:29

2. Indian Restaurant 03:29

3. Announcement (Kungörelse) 08:29

4. Thinking, Wondering, Dreaming 06:04

5. When Things Will Change 08:19

6. Hair, Scarf & Fragrance 06:29

7. A Portrait of Three Statues 07:40

8. Maalaiselämää (Country Living) 03:46

9. Relax in the Sun 06:53

10. Mustat Ruusut (Black Roses) 04:15

11. Frau von Stroyanowsky 05:02

12. My Mother Turned Fifty 04:40

13. Kids' Song 01:57

14. The Ice That Breaks 04:17

15. The Secret of the Castle 07:28

16. Romance 04:05

17. A Swedish Fairy-tale 07:40

18. A Visit to Look Forward to 06:39

19. And She Appeared 09:32

20. Snapshots 03:21

21. Hymn of the Immortals 04:09

22. Muistoja Torkkelinmäeltä (Memories from Hometown) 04:04

23. A Farmer's Dream 08:21

24. Reverie 05:46

25. Kaféet 05:42

26. Party (Take 3) 09:07

27. Party (Take 4) 07:46

28. Hair, Scarf & Fragrance (Take 1) 06:25

29. Hair, Scarf & Fragrance (Take 2) 06:24

30. Hair, Scarf & Fragrance (Take 3) 06:29

31. A Portrait of Three Statues (Take 1) 07:37

32. Mustat Ruusut (Black Roses) [Take 4] 04:27

33. Frau von Stroyanowsky (Take 1) 04:36

34. Kids' Song (Take 1) 02:00

35. A Portrait of Three Statues (Composite Take) 09:17

36. Relax in the Sun (Take 1) 06:43

37. Snapshots (Take 1) 03:54

38. The Ice That Breaks (Solo Piano version) 05:59

39. A Swedish Fairy-tale (Take 2) 09:14

40. The Ice That Breaks (Short Solo Piano version) 01:47

41. Kids' Song Story (Original CD version) 01:18

42. Kids' Song Story (Alternate Mix 1) 01:04

43. Kids' Song Story (Alternate Mix 2) 01:21

44. Kids' Song Story (Alternate Mix 3) 01:21

45. When Things Will Change (Live in Finland) 11:54

46. Indian Restaurant (Live in Finland) 04:59

47. Announcement (Live in Finland) 12:02

48. Fall of 1978 (Live in Finland) 11:35

49. Hair, Scarf & Fragrance (Live in Finland) 07:42

50. Party (Live in Finland) 12:21

Mika Pohjola - piano & all compositions

Chris Cheek - saxophones

Matt Penman - bass

Roberto Dani - drums

Jason Klobnak Quartet - Friends & Family (2018)

The Jason Klobnak Quartet performs infectious originals with a B3 organ centered rhythm section; they blend hard bop, soul, gospel, and other world rhythms to create a memorable Jazz experience.

1. Through Her Eyes 05:00

2. Friends & Family 04:58

3. Dad's Game 05:05

4. S.I.K. 03:58

5. My August Auburn 04:12

6. One For the Mother 04:48

7. Inception (It's Mike's Fault) 07:24

8. Dean and Margaret 06:45

9. Brothers and Sisters 06:15

10. Why Couldn't We? 05:52

11. Ms. Terrie 05:25

Jason Klobnak - trumpet

Eric Erhardt - tenor

Jeff Jenkins - hammond B3

Kevin Matthews - drums

Philippe Lemoine / Ulf Mengersen / Wolfgang Seidel - II (Berlin 2017) 2018

1. II 25:50

PHILIPPE LEMOINE - TENOR SAXOPHONE

ULF MENGERSEN - DOUBLE BASS

WOLFGANG SEIDEL - DRUMS AND PERCUSSIONS

Philippe Lemoine / Ulf Mengersen / Wolfgang Seidel - I (Berlin 2017) 2018

Philippe Lemoine, born 1970, is a french tenor saxophone player, based in Berlin (Germany) and Marseille (France). He is active in Contemporary Jazz and Improvised Music since the early 90’s.

He is exploring the expressive capacities of his saxophone, developing his own languages, with a wide vocabulary of dynamics, pitches, densities and speeds, pushing the acoustic limits of the instrument.

In abstract improvisation contexts (Ensembles Squid Lux, Via Lucis  Trio, Le Grand 8, duos with Simon Rose -baritone saxophone-, with Yorgos Dimitriadis -Drums-, with Wolfgang Seidel -synthesizers-, with avec Klaus Kürvers -doublebasse-), he use the saxophone as a generator of frequencies, a mechanism made of wood and metal to play with air and water, in a sound universe close to the  electro-acoustic music.

In Contemporary Jazz contexts (Quartets -ION, Philadelphie), he uses his mastery of saxophone’s sound and his proactive force to serve the sound of the ensemble. His fresh, winding and atonal phrasing, browses an almost four octaves range, included extended techniques like multiphonics, circular breathing, and voice/sound mixing.

With the program " Mélodramatic French Songs" by the trio "Le Maigre feu de La nonne en Hiver", Philippe Lemoine plays like a singer, phrasing with care in order to stand as close as possible to a human voice singing words, looking for the exact intention of each note.

As a soloist, Philippe Lemoine uses all those aspects of his strong personality, in a expressive, generous and challenging narrrative.

He was the leader of septet ‘Kassalit,’ which was awarded ‘best band’ and ‘best composition’ at La Défense Jazz Contest in 1997. From 2002 to 2005 he performed and toured internationally with the Orchestre National de Jazz under the direction of Claude Barthelemy. Playing a role in the underground arts scene in Europe, Lemoine has also been involved with numerous other collectives and collaborative bands in his home country, such as Circum Grand Orchestra, in Lille or “à plusieurs” in Argenteuil, and leaded and composed for his own quartet «Le Talent de La Colère».

1. I 01:02:10

PHILIPPE LEMOINE - TENOR SAXOPHONE

ULF MENGERSEN - DOUBLE BASS

WOLFGANG SEIDEL - DRUMS AND PERCUSSIONS

Lello Molinari - Lello's Italian Job, Volume 2 (FATA MORGANA MUSIC 2018)

Bassist/Bandleader Lello Molinari Returns to his Italian Roots, Reimagines Classic Repertoire in Stunning Modern Jazz Settings

Lello's Italian Job, Volume 2 features Italian and Italian-American musicians transforming folk and popular songs and classical arias from throughout Italy's rich musical history

"Lello's Italian Job, Volume 1 is a dynamic showcase for [Molinari's] instrumental skills... covering an all-star roster of Italian musical icons with passion, respect and imagination." - Stacey Zering, No Depression

"Molinari's music: in your face, a little raw, fiercely alive." - Thomas Conrad, DownBeat

CD Release Concert on Tuesday, March 13 at Regattabar, Cambridge, MA

It's often been said that "you can't go home again" - but with his Italian Job project, Lello Molinari proves that old cliché wrong. The acclaimed bassist has not only returned to his Italian roots, but brought with him three decades of experience as a bandleader, an educator, and a virtuosic bassist with his fingers on the pulse of modern jazz. Now he views the unparalleled musical traditions of his homeland through the lens of a lifetime's worth of accumulated musical knowledge, creating something that's both Old World and New, deeply personal while reflecting a profound tradition.

Molinari left his native Naples, Italy in 1986 to study jazz at Boston's Berklee College of Music. In the intervening years he's gone on to become a revered educator at that same institution, perform as an in-demand bassist on both the jazz and classical music scenes in Boston, tour the U.S. and Europe with his own Quintet, and venture to the leading edges of jazz in partnership with saxophone great George Garzone.

In recent years, however, Molinari began to glance back over his shoulder at the wealth of musical riches to be found in the land of his birth. That adventure began as part of his 2000 album Multiple Personalities, which peppered three Italian tunes into an album that also veered from forward-leaning jazz to a Monk classic, and featured Garzone, guitarist Mick Goodrick, pianist Frank Carlberg and renowned Italian vocalist Chiara Civello. On the 2016 release Lello's Italian Job, Volume 1, he explored material from across the wide spectrum of Italian song - traditional folk music, classical arias, popular songs - and radically transformed them through his own singular jazz voice. Now, with Lello's Italian Job, Volume 2, he offers a second collection that marries timeless melodies to contemporary sounds.  The CD will be released on Friday, March 9, 2018 via Fata Morgana Music.

"I had a desire to reconnect with my roots," Molinari says. "But I also wanted to incorporate these new things that I've learned over the years here in the States to old material and give it a fresh look and a fresh take."

As on the first volume, Molinari leads a quartet of stellar artists who share his Italian heritage - and are all members of the Berklee faculty. Drummer Marcello Pellitteri is a fellow immigrant, hailing originally from Sicily, while saxophonist Dino Govoni and guitarist Sal DiFusco are both Italian-American. Their repertoire for Volume 2 varies from a Respighi tone poem to popular Neapolitan songs that have been sung for generations, to original music penned for the project.
With centuries of musical history to delve into, Molinari found that the hardest part of the project has been whittling down his list to just enough repertoire to fill (so far) two volumes. "Rather than picking which songs to do, I really had to think about which ones not to do," he says. "If you think about Italian music, it's like saying

'Jazz' - there's so much and it's so diverse that it's impossible to put it into one place. Because I play with a number of orchestras, I've reconnected recently with classical music and opera. Then there are certain pieces of music that I just adore and that I wanted to do with my group in my way. Others were songs that I grew up with, folk songs that I've known since I was a kid. So it was a natural process."

The insistent tap of Pellitteri's percussion opens "'O Sarracino," a popular song by legendary Neapolitan performer Renato Carosone, given a jazz-funk feel by Govoni's keening soprano, Molinari's slinky electric bass line, and DiFusco's strummed groove. "Jazz Tarantella" takes the melody that is the bane of every Italian's existence - you know the one, it accompanies every Italian stereotype and cartoon that's ever appeared on screen - and reimagines it as an alluring straightahead jazz tune in the vein of Miles Davis' "Dear Old Stockholm." DiFusco's original "Sulla Strada di Damasco" follows, inspired by the story of the conversion of Saint Paul and incorporating a vaguely Middle Eastern feel.

"Intermezzo Sinfonico," from Pietro Mascagni's operatic masterpiece "Cavalleria Rusticana," is jolted into the present via Govoni's EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and Lello's harmonies on Electric basses, while Pino Daniele's "'na Tazzulella 'e Café" makes the unlikely journey from Napoli espresso bar to Bourbon Street coffeehouse in Molinari's New Orleans-influenced arrangement. Ottorino Respighi's four-movement tone poem "Pini di Roma" becomes a lush, impressionistic ballad, followed by Luigi Canoro's famous mazurka "Tra Veglia e Sonno," which opens familiarly with a mandolin and percussion intro before Govoni's tenor shifts it firmly into the jazz realm.

"Lidio Napoletano" shows off the improvisational empathy of the trio, built on a short melody in the Lydian mode and created in homage to the treasured Boston band The Fringe, mainstays on the local scene for more than four decades. "Anema e Core," which has been sung in different languages by everyone from Perry Como to Andrea Boccelli, is a famous Neapolitan song written by Salve D'Esposito in 1950, rendered as a moving duet for bass and guitar. Another song that's traveled the globe, the famous "Torna a Surriento" has been recorded by everyone from Luciano Pavarotti to Dean Martin to Elvis Presley (as "Surrender"), its heartbreaking melody here pairing Govoni's EWI with cello played by Meena Murthy. The gorgeous melody of "Tu 'si 'na Cosa Grande" is set to a slow, swaying beguine, while Molinari and Pellitteri close the session with an improvised duet, evocatively titled "Neapolitan Snake."

"I guess as I get more mature," Molinari concludes, "I don't need to play 'punk jazz' anymore or do music that's so difficult to listen to. I can enjoy a simple structure, a simple melody - Lello's Italian Job lets me do both, reinterpreting this old material from a new, contemporary jazz point of view."

www.berklee.edu/lello-molinari