Record Reviews

TORTO / TAYLOR / JORMIN ~ TRIANGOLI ASTARTE 002 (Barcode: 8015948301951) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This is a criminally little known album by the European Jazz trio, which comprises of Italian vocalist / composer / lyricist Diana TortoFind albums by this artist, British pianist / composer John TaylorFind albums by this artist and Swedish bassist / composer Anders JorminFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven songs, two composed by Torto, who also contributed lyrics to four of the songs, three by Taylor, four by Jormin and the remaining two are b other composers. The music is insanely beautiful, which is hardly surprising considering the presence of two sublime European instrumentalists and less know but highly talented vocalist, who seems to have no limit in her upper tonal range and is able to sing lyrics and vocalese with the same ease and elegance. The music is highly melodic and mostly almost romantic, perfectly handled by the trio from one tune to the next, creating an uplifting musical continuity, which one never wants to end. Taylor’s delicate touches of the keyboard and Jormin’s beautiful and perfectly harmonious bass lines supply the perfect accompaniment to Torto’s vocal acrobatics, and together they are simply irresistible. Considering the fact that almost all of the material is original, this album offers by far more excitement and aesthetic pleasures, than a recording of well-known standards, although all the compositions are certainly as good as any standard out there, which again is not surprising considering the level of composition abilities by Taylor and Jormin. Overall, this is an instant classic, which truly deserves to be heard. Sadly, it seems to be completely obscure even to the most devoted Taylor fans out there. I wholeheartedly recommend looking for a copy, which are still floating around, as this is definitely too good to be forgotten. Great stuff!

Updated: 08/03/2023Posted: 08/03/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KENNY WHEELER / COLOURS JAZZ ORCHESTRA ~ NINETEEN PLUS ONE ASTARTE 001 (Barcode: 8015948301838) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 This is a relatively little known album by the British Jazz icon trumpeter / composer / arranger Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist recorded with a nineteen players strong Italian Colours Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Massimo MorgantiFind albums by this artist and featuring vocalist Diana TortoFind albums by this artist and Wheeler as main soloists. The album presents eight compositions, seven of which are Wheeler´s favorite standards arranged by him for the orchestra and one is an original composition by Wheeler. Jazz orchestras (the larger the better) where of course one of Wheeler´s favorite habitats and his arrangements were always masterpieces of elegance and good taste, which is beautifully represented by the music included herein. The familiar Jazz standards are dressed up superbly in Wheeler´s arrangements and executed with grace and panache by the wonderful orchestra, in every minute detail. Overall the album is a schoolbook example of the Art of modern Jazz orchestral / Big Band arrangement techniques and performance, full of exquisite music and memorable solos by Wheeler, whose every trumpet / flugelhorn note was always nothing short of perfect. This is an absolute must for all Wheeler´s fans and connoisseurs of orchestral Jazz, and since this album seems to be still available online, my recommendation is to grab a copy as long as this is the case. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Updated: 18/12/2018Posted: 18/12/2018

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