Record Reviews

NINA PEDERSEN ~ EYES WIDE OPEN LOSEN 184 (Barcode: 7090025831843) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the third album by Norwegian (resident in Rome) Jazz singer / songwriter Nina PedersenFind albums by this artist, accompanied by the excellent piano trio consisting of pianist Pierpaolo PrincipatoFind albums by this artist, bassist Marco LoddoFind albums by this artist and drummer Giampaolo ScatozzaFind albums by this artist. Trumpeter Aldo BassiFind albums by this artist plays on a couple of tunes and saxophonist Paolo InnarellaFind albums by this artist plays on another two tracks. The album presents eight songs, seven of which are originals (music and lyrics in English) by Pedersen and one is by the wonderful duo of John SurmanFind albums by this artist and Karin KrogFind albums by this artist. The original songs are all beautifully woven by their author, with superb melodic themes and intelligent lyrics. They are all standard quality and the album flows smoothly from start to finish like a collection of well known tunes, which of course is a rare quality. The piano trio and guests play fabulously, supporting the vocalist amicably and adding occasional solos, all perfectly suiting the music. Bassi is especially imaginative during his parts on the two songs and I wish he would have played for the entire duration of the album. Pedersen has a wonderfully mature, dark and enticing voice, in some respects similar to that of Karin Krog herself, who wrote a short comment for the album´s liner notes, with which I agree completely. This is one of those albums, which do not try to be spectacular even for a moment, but deliver exactly what is appropriate within its scope: wonderful songs and perfect execution, full of heartfelt emotion, honesty and great taste, creating a first class aesthetic experience. Very well done!

Updated: 06/11/2017Posted: 06/11/2017

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GIAMPAOLO SCATOZZA ~ TRAVELS CULTURAL BRIDGE 0007 (Barcode: 744430644068) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is an album by Italian drummer / composer Giampaolo ScatozzaFind albums by this artist, recorded with a core trio which includes keyboardist Luciano ZanoniFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Giovanni Di CosimoFind albums by this artist and a long list of guest musicians which includes Norwegian (resident in Italy) vocalist Nina PedersenFind albums by this artist, British iconic saxophonist Trevor WattsFind albums by this artist, Italian pianist Pierpaolo PrincipatoFind albums by this artist and many others. The album presents eleven original compositions, all by Scatozza. Being primarily know as a session drummer, who collaborated with a plethora of Pop / Rock / Electronic musicians over the years, traveling between London, NY, Toronto and Paris, this is Scatozza´s debut as a Jazz composer, and the focus of this album is obviously on the compositions. The music encompasses a wide range of styles, moving between Jazz-Rock and Jazz-World Fusions and Ambient, with strong melodic themes serving as the basis of the individual compositions. As a whole the album manages to create a coherent continuity, which is a joyous and fascinating listening experience. The individual performances are all excellent, with Di Cosimo grabbing most of the attention by his superb soloing. But the keyboards also play a central role in creating the somewhat ambient atmosphere, which is strongly supported by very unique bass and drums statements, which sound almost like Drum and Bass on some pieces. The general atmosphere is pretty intimate and minimalistic, putting the compositions in the forefront. Overall this is a very pleasant and interesting album, which might appeal to the younger listeners thanks to the ambient sound, but all Jazz connoisseurs should be able to enjoy it, thanks to the strong melodic compositions. Very well done!

Updated: 22/02/2018Posted: 22/02/2018

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