So much for the old saw that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Trumpeters Enrico Rava and Diego Urcola are both out with new projects that are each, in their own ways, quite different from their typical musical surroundings.
Veteran Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava joins forces with pianist Giovanni Guidi and electronic musician Matthew Herbert as Rava/ Herbert/ Guidi, in excerpts from a series of concert dates in Italy collected on For Mario (Live). Mario Guidi was Giovanni’s father and Rava’s close friend and manager for more than three decades. The senior Guidi was present at all the shows that make up this disc, but passed away before the CD was assembled. Matthew Herbert’s energetic manipulations are the main focus of this surprising and distinctly weird music. Every so often, you can hear the trumpet (flugelhorn?) or the piano without much distortion, but more often than not, the listener is presented with an maze of bold and unpredictable sound events. Herbert notes that “it was intimidating at first to bring the often inflexible world of electronics ... to play with such free and flexible musicians.” To overcome his initial hesitations, hundreds of samples of flugelhorn and piano were recorded for him to mess around with. “What you’re hearing,” he continues, “is a kind of quartet, with the two acoustic players improvising around recordings of previous versions of themselves.” Adding Hugh Jones’ live sampling to the mix in “certain movements” provides yet another layer of electronic obfuscation. Given that the resulting music exhibits a certain brutality with elements of pure noise in the electronic treatments, I wouldn’t call this a fun disc to listen to, but it does possess a unique charm and fascination. Definitely worth a listen.
Accidental Music AC139; Enrico Rava (tpt, flgh) Giovanni Guidi (p) Matthew Herbert (sampler, live elec) Hugh Jones (live sampling); Italy, various locations and dates; Part 1-5; 42:17. accidentalrecords.com
Trumpeter Diego Urcola’s foray into unfamiliar territory has him leading a quartet without a chordal instrument. For El Duelo, he invited his friend Paquito D’Rivera as co-conspirator on alto saxophone and clarinet with the rhythm team of Hamish Smith on bass and Eric Doob on drums. A quartet of wise and swinging companions plus an eclectic assortment of well-chosen tunes make this session a delight. The seed for this project was an invitation to the Punta Del Este jazz festival in Uruguay that asked Urcola for a musical tribute to Gerry Mulligan’s piano-less quartet of the Fifties. During the set, the trumpeter brought his long-time partner D’Rivera to the stage. The audience response to the music encouraged Urcola to pursue this session, bringing Doob and Smith on board. The sensitive and dynamic Doob has been playing with D’Rivera for some time, but Smith is making his recording debut. On the basis of his solid work here, I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more from this New Zealander. The happy feeling begins with Guillermo Klein’s title track. Energetic solos by Urcola and D’Rivera on alto are egged on by the explosive drums and cymbals of Doob while the steady Smith keeps it all well-grounded. Tango Azul is the first of three Urcola originals. First performed by an Urcola sextet for his Viva CD (2005), it’s repurposed here as a feature for well-shaped boppish solos by Urcola on flugelhorn and D’Rivera on clarinet. The Natural is Urcola’s dedication to the great Freddie Hubbard, an unavoidable influence on modern trumpeters. This one really jets along, with strong solos by a loose and soulful D’Rivera and a pumped-up Urcola. His third piece is Buenos Aires, a tango that inspires a sweet clarinet solo by D’Rivera and a mellow flugelhorn excursion by the composer. Ethan Iverson’s chart for a medley of Osvaldo Pugliese’s La Yumba and Juan Tizol’s Caravan is one of the disc’s many highlights. The quartet pays homage to its antecedents with tunes by Mulligan (the seldom-played gently swinging I Know, Don’t Know How), Ornette Coleman (a fantastic romp through Una Muy Bonita), and most surprising of all, Kenny Wheeler (Foxy Trot). This 1983 composition, partly a showcase for Smith’s enveloping swing and earthy bass sound, is also a grand display of the chemistry between Urcola and D’Rivera. Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango is another highlight, cannily rearranged for quartet and the occasion for some soulful clarinet and a punchy drum solo. The quartet’s versions of two well-known jazz compositions, Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma and Benny Golson’s Stablemates, offer fresh interpretations of these frequently recorded tunes. The lengthy CD ends with Urcola’s recasting of Jerry Gonzalez’s chart for Monk’s Bye-Ya, in homage to the late Gonzalez and his vision of Latin influenced jazz. Producer Luis Bacques recorded the sessions at his home studio, and once again, the benefits of trust and friendship contribute to stellar results. Happily recommended.
Paquito/ Sunnyside SSC 4560; Diego Urcola (tpt, flgh) Paquito D’Rivera (as, cl) Hamish Smith (b) Eric Doob (d); somewhere in New Jersey, December 10-11, 2019; El Duelo/ Tango Azul/ Una Muy Bonita/ Medley: La Yumba, Caravan/ Pekin/ The Natural/ Buenos Aires/ Foxy Trot/ I Know, Don’t Know How/ Libertango/ Sacajawea (theme)/ Leyenda/ Con Alma/ Stablemates/ Bye-Ya; 76:33. sunnysiderecords.com
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