"Adventurous, but always melodic...Terracciano plays with Joe Venuti's
grace and Zbigniew Seifert's swagger."
- Ian Patterson, All About Jazz
"This latest effort from Gabe Terracciano, arguably the brightest lit of the current crop of emergent jazz violin luminaries, takes a European stance with its acoustic trio setting evocative of the gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt as well as intriguing takes on classical music gems, yet at its core is undeniably of the American canon, expressed at its most joyous heartfelt best."
- David Balakrishnan, founding violinist/composer of the two-time Grammy winning Turtle Island Quartet
"Gabe Terracciano and his trio have made something remarkable: an album that’s at once unabashedly virtuosic and suffused with sweetness and intimacy. This is gregarious, generous music; an animated conversation that sweeps you in with a welcoming embrace."
- Tanya Kalmanovitch, genre-bending violist and entrepreneurial visionary
"I have a crush on Gabe Terracciano‘s new album: it’s ethereal, bright, intimate, effortlessly erudite, and incredibly generous. The dimension of thought that went into the choice of repertoire and manner of interpretation makes « Three Part Invention » some of the best recorded music I’ve heard in a long time, appealing to both my penchants for jazz and classical music — I could expect no less from such an excellent and versatile artist."
– Tatiana Eva-Marie, acclaimed singer and leader of the Avalon Jazz Band
"Gabe Terracciano is the golden goose and 'Three Part Invention' is his egg. A Masterpiece. Please use your ears to discover for yourself."
- Ari Hoenig, groundbreaking drummer and improviser
From Ligonia Records and acclaimed violinist Gabe Terracciano, this album provides a new take on chamber music. All nine pieces on this album explore the intersection of jazz and classical music, and how the potentials for stylistic crossover are always available, no matter what the genre. Featuring guitarist Josh Dunn and bassist Ian Hutchison, all three musicians on this recording are veterans of the New York jazz scene, and have been playing together as a trio for years leading up to this project. This fully virtual release is the culmination of a shared love of both jazz and classical music, and a desire to create new sounds out of the ones that came before.
The album opens with “Crazy Rhythm”, firmly establishing the trio as one that can tackle standard jazz repertoire with style. The music then makes its first forays into the world of classical music, first with “Invention No.4/Beautiful Love” that pairs a Bach piano invention with a well known jazz standard, and followed by the trio’s lush arrangement of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 3”, featuring Terracciano on viola. The trio then picks up the tempo with “Flèche D’Or”, a lesser-known Django Reinhardt composition that brings some fire after Satie’s soothing melancholy.
Terracciano goes back to viola on the next piece, Alex North’s “Spartacus (Love Theme)”, which was inspired by Joe Venuti’s rendition of the cinematic classic from 1978. Moving from the twentieth century to the sixteenth, the trio tackles a medley of compositions by Italian composer Luca Marenzio, “Ad Una Fresca Riva” and “Al Primo Vostro Sguardo”. The complex interplay highlights the similarities between classical chamber music and playing in a smaller jazz setting - stripping down the music to the basic elements of melody, bass, and chords, smaller and more intense conversations between musicians, improvisations and divisions over standard tunes, the list goes on.
Coming back to the present day, the trio next tackles the one original composition on the album, Terracciano’s “Dance for Jimmy”, inspired by the small ensemble interplay of Jimmy Giuffre. The raw blues and collective improvisation returns the trio to a sound that will be more familiar with jazz listeners. The album then closes with two classic compositions. First, “Sonata ‘Pathétique’ II. Adagio cantabile” by Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the first classical pieces that Terracciano arranged for the trio, and “Sweet Chorus”, a Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli composition that bookends the album with dynamic takes on swing repertoire.
1. Crazy Rhythm 02:13
2. Invention No. 4/Beautiful Love 06:37
3. Gymnopédie No. 3 02:53
4. Flèche D'Or 05:01
5. Spartacus (Love Theme) 05:51
6. Ad Una Fresca Riva/Al Primo Vostro Sguardo 04:46
7. Dance for Jimmy 04:38
8. Sonata "Pathétique" II. Adagio cantabile 05:52
9. Sweet Chorus 03:55
Gabe Terracciano - Violin and Viola
Josh Dunn - Guitar
Ian Hutchison - Bass
Recorded on May 19, 2019 at Soluri Studios
Mixed by Patrick Soluri
Mastered by Vlad Orzhekhovskiy
Artwork by Cait Jones
Design by Claire Lorman
©2021 Ligonia Records
