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ON A CLOUD
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CD 595
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"ON A CLOUD" SLAMCD 595 Barcode 5028386710926
Diana Torti - voice
Sabino de Bari - classical guitar
"Not your average chanteuse album and not a Broadway song in sight. Don¡¯t miss out on it because of that. It¡¯s worth an hour of anyone¡¯s time." Brian Morton, Jazz Journal March 2019.
The extraordinary jazz singer of the avant-guarde tradition Jeanne Lee has long been the subject of the music and literary works of Diana Torti, jazz singer and composer. This dedication marks the 80th year since the birth of Jeanne Lee on 29 January 1939 with the respect and admiration of one artist for another. It is the third SLAM CD to feature Diana Torti, this time as leader, following her work with Lucia Ianniello on SLAMCD 566 & 585.
Diana writes:
"On a Cloud" is a project born during a passionate music and vocal research focused on the figure of Jeanne Lee, wonderful singer of the avant-garde Jazz. She has been a courageous artist and pioneer of an innovative way of singing in Jazz music starting from the Sixties. The CD will be released on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of her birth in January 2019 in homage to this extraordinary musician and poetess.
The repertoire draws on standards, improvisations and original compositions inspired by Jeanne Lee¡¯s world of sounds. The choice of the duo, voice and classical guitar, is an ideal dimension to re-elaborate the poetic, refined and intimate atmosphere of Lee's music.
The ensemble that includes besides me (voice) also the guitarist and composer Sabino de Bari (classical guitar), has over time developed and matured a consolidated artistic alchemy. In our music both improvisation and composition are experienced as an expressive possibility out of any stylistic connotation. Timbres, words, noises and breaths merge, chase or dance together freely, to evoke suggestions and sound images.
Also available through all digital outlets, including:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/on-a-cloud-feat-sabino-de-bari/1447964567
iTunes Italy: https://itunes.apple.com/it/album/on-a-cloud-feat-sabino-de-bari/1447964567
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cloud-feat-Sabino-Bari/dp/B07M65JK9J
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/Cloud-feat-Sabino-Bari/dp/B07MDHP6FX
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4o0GfaDsKRb1UJ1GMOWN4C?si=gtFwDORySpOMaK3GWmvPVQ
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Reviews
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TRACKS:
1) Misterioso (Thelonious Monk, Gertrude Stein, Diana Torti) 5:04
2) Straight Ahead (Abbey Lincoln) 4:13
3) Rask¨°lnikov (Sabino de Bari) 5:16
4) In These Last Days (Jeanne Lee) 3:58
5) The Man Of The Sea (Diana Torti) 5:30
6) The Seagulls Of Kristiansund (Mal Waldron) 8:12
7) Honeysuckle Rose (Fats Waller) 4:01
8) Fireflies (Diana Torti, Sabino de Bari) 3:43
9) On A Cloud (Diana Torti) 5:44
10) Cavalcando (Diana Torti) 2:38
Total : 49:09
Recorded on 05th, 07th, 08th April 2018 at The Premises Studios in London.
Mixing by Raimondo Mosci, Mastering by Danilo Rossi.
Sometimes some musicians fear to undertake bad musical paths, in favour of much more comfortable, oleographic paths, in all probability in order to more easily collect the consents of the public.
This consideration cannot be traced back to the imaginative singer / composer Diana Torti and to the audacious guitarist / composer Sabino de Bari , both authors of a rather singular record project of considerable interest, entitled "On a cloud".
In this CD there are ten tracks, of which "The Man Of The Sea", "On A Cloud" (ninth track of the disc) and "Cavalcando" born from the vocalist's compositional ubertosity , while "Mysterious" (Thelonious Monk, Gertrude Stein and Diana Torti), "Straight Ahead" (Abbey Lincoln), "Raskòlnikov" (Sabino de Bari), "In These Last Days" (Jeanne Lee), "The Seagulls Of Kristiansund" (Mal Waldron), "Honeysuckle Rose" ( Fats Waller) and "Fireflies" (Diana Torti - Sabino de Bari) complete the tracklist . The mood of "Raskòlnikov" is magnetic. The tensed vocalese and the peculiar scat of Diana Torti leave with bated breath, supported by the comping rich, stimulating and imaginative chiselled by de Bari. "The Man Of The Sea" is a composition characterized by a cryptic climax . Here the vocalist alternates in an excellent way the spoken word to the cantato, giving life to a tendentially theatrical interpretation, powered by timbral nuances and intervals of excellent workmanship.
With a clear free and avant-garde jazz imprint , "On a cloud" is an album full of harmonious gibes, based on a constant search for a true interplay . A record that represents an inclined synopsis of impromptu improvisation, that fruit (really) of the inspiration and creativity of the moment.
Stefano Dentice http://www.romainjazz.it/index.php/recensioni/546-diana-torti-w-sabino-de-bari-on-a-cloud?fbclid=IwAR1Okxdk4NjCRdmQKda2Tcoci6--vf7CUhM9QLbyYQ9OU2EaN6SZsoUl8jA
Sempre in duo con una chitarra classica (Sabino De Bari) si snoda il nuovo album della cantante Diana Torti (non Torto, attenzione: sono due artiste diverse), On a Cloud (Slam), fra brani originali e rivisitazioni di altre cantanti (Abbey Lincoln, Jeanne Lee) e pianisti (Monk, Waldron, Fats Waller). Il clima è assorto, concentrato, di un’eleganza ricercata anche proprio nel senso di incline alla sperimentazione, con qualche inflessione (specie sul finale) verso una forma più prossima alla song in quanto tale. ALBERTO BAZZURRO www.lisolachenoncera.it/rivista/rubriche/su-di-corda/
Also in a duo with a classical guitar (Sabino De Bari) winds the new album by singer Diana Torti (not Torto, careful: they are two different artists), On a Cloud (Slam), between original songs and reinterpretations by other singers (Abbey Lincoln, Jeanne Lee) and pianists (Monk, Waldron, Fats Waller). The climate is absorbed, concentrated, elegance sought even in the sense of being prone to experimentation, with some inflection (especially at the end) towards a form closer to the song as such. ALBERTO BAZZURRO www.lisolachenoncera.it/rivista/rubriche/su-di-corda/
I last encountered Diana Torti on Lucia Ianniello¡¯s Live at Acuto Jazz, which I reviewed enthusiastically in December 2017. I described the music as ¡®hugely melodious¡¯ and I must say that the vocalist has grown her musical stature at that time into something enormous.
She has in fact taken on, with On a Cloud, a tribute to avant-garde jazz singer Jeanne Lee, some tracks drawing from Jeanne Lee herself, Abbey Lincoln, Monk, Mal Waldron and Fats Waller. Here, Monk¡¯s Misterioso also recalls his acknowledgement to Gertrude Stein¡¯s poetry, as well as Torti¡¯s own credit to Lee, who recorded the same with pianist Ran Blake. She even performed it solo, live, at Jazz at Entermedia, a three©\night festival at the Entermedia Theatre, NY, led by Don Cherry. The New York Times wrote (March 4, 1979):
¡®Jeanne Lee's solo set was quiet, but spellbinding. The highlight was the remarkable version of Thelonious Monk's difficult ¡°Misterioso,¡± sung with exquisite intonation using a text by Gertrude Stein.¡¯
It is a very fine challenge that Torti has attempted and she has prevailed with it, brilliantly.
The unusual accompaniment by classical guitar adds volumes to the already extended range of vocal sounds, mellifluous and open, which Torti employs,using her voice more as an instrument. She¡¯ll be spirited, articulate and resonant one moment, shadowy and bottomless the next. Together they are both amiably playful and gravely intimate, their individual interpretations of the songs giving them both ownership. Ultimately though, her enthralling voice and phenomenal technique claim the album for Torti¡¯s accolade. Reviewed by Ken Cheetham http://www.jazzviews.net/diana-torti---on-a-cloud.html
It was a relief to open the gatefold halfway through listening to this and encountering the name of Jeanne Lee, since that is exactly what I had been thinking since the first few uncanny measures of "Misterioso". The title is taken from a comment by Jeanne¡¯s daughter Cavana, who said that¡¯s how she felt when she first heard her mother sing. The Newest Sound Around recordings Lee made with Ran Blake have been in circulation again, which makes this music seem all the more urgently of the moment. Torti and her collaborator ¨C interesting to hear a guitar rather than piano accompaniment ¨C have gone right to the heart of the Lee/Blake collaboration, with its nourish intimacies and brave harmonic manoeuvres. I was taken aback by "Raskolnikov", which offers an unusual sense of Dostoevsky¡¯s anti-hero, if that, indeed, was the intention, but forget the title and it¡¯s a dazzling vocal performance over a wonderful low, burbling line from de Bari. I love to distraction Mal Waldron¡¯s "The Seagulls of Kristiansund", so was delighted to hear arrangement of another musician who understood singers inside out. Jeanne Lee¡¯s own "In These Last Days" (you maybe know the version with Andrew Cyrille and Jimmy Lyons) was a super-brave choice and she pulls it off magnificently. Likewise her own titular tribute. But the wonder of this set, heard a second and third time, is the sheer range of sound de Bari gets out of his classical guitar, which seems to have as many tonal and textural personalities as there are songs here. He has it sounding like a bass, a plucked cello, a piano, a flamenco guitar, all within a few minutes; astonishing. Not your average chanteuse album and not a Broadway song in sight. Don¡¯t miss out on it because of that. It¡¯s worth an hour of anyone¡¯s time. Brian Morton, Jazz Journal March 2019.
DIANA TORTI pays a tribute to Jeanne Lee with ON A CLOUD [Slam 595]. Lee died in 2000 after decades of forging a path for avant singers and remains relevant today. On the ten, mostly wordless vocals, Torti is accompanied by Sabino de Bari on classical guitar, whose purpose seems mainly as a structure for Torti's improvisations. Torti has quite a lovely voice and is most assessable on the standard "Honeysuckle Rose". Time to get out your Jeanne Lee Recordings. Robert Rusch Papatamus 4:2019
When Italian singer Diana Torti first heard Jeanne Lee she had an epiphany: singers could explore the uncharted terrain of free material too. Torti, an imaginative improviser who responds easily to musical impulse in the moment, just released her sixth album, On A Cloud (SLAM), featuring classical guitarist Sabino de Bari accompanying her on standards ("Honeysuckle Rose") and originals inspired by Lee¡¯s work ("Fireflies"). Torti¡¯s fresh sound¡ªopen and lilting¡ª pays a notable homage to Lee¡¯s vocal tradition in what would have been the singer and poet¡¯s 80th birthday year. In explaining her fascination with Lee, Torti writes, "We should revisit her story, hoping to see the reissue of some of the albums where she has collaborated¡ªthe beauty of sharing will be enriched with further treasures." Torti¡¯s new release goes a long way toward that enrichment. Suzanne Lorge MARCH 2019 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
The vocalist Diana Torti tells: "The first time that I heard Jeanne Lee¡¯s voice I felt like I was on a cloud". The phrase was originally told her by Jeanne Lee¡¯s daughter, talking about relationship with her mother. And a vaporous cloud of wonder without fear of crossing avant-garde lands is Torti's recording for her, On a cloud, which travels accompanied only by Sabino de Bari's classic guitar inventiveness, published by SLAM Records on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Lee¡¯s birth. Guido Festinese, Alias "il manifesto" 16th February 2019
Racconta la vocalist Diana Torti : "La prima volta che ho sentito la voce di Jeanne Lee mi sono sentita su una nuvola". La frase le era stata detta in origine dalla figlia stessa di Jeanne, parlando dei rapporti con sua madre. E una nuvola vaporosa di meraviglia senza paura di attraversare anche terre d¡¯avanguardia e¡¯ il disco di Torti per lei, On a cloud, che viaggia accompagnata solo dall¡¯inventiva chitarra classica di Sabino de Bari, pubblicato da Slam Records in occasione di quello che sarebbe stato l¡¯ottantesimo compleanno di Lee. Guido Festinese, Alias "il manifesto" 16th February 2019
Cantante, ed anche psicologa, Diana Torti ha deciso da tempo di dedicarsi, in mezzo ad altri suoi progetti ed attivit¨¤, alla musica di Jeanne Lee, la compianta cantante afroamericana che ha portato il canto jazz nell¡¯avanguardia. In occasione dell¡¯ottantesimo della nascita ¨¨ spuntato questo disco che ¨¨ anche una dedica fatta con rispetto ed ammirazione. Avevamo incontrato Diana sulla stessa casa discografica, la Slam Productions, come sideman di Lucia Iannello, ora la ritroviamo in duo con Sabino de Bari alle chitarra classica. Alcuni dei brani eseguiti sono standard presi dal repertorio della Lee insieme a In These Last Daysscritto da lei, tre brani sono della cantanti italiana, uno del chitarrista e uno scritto insieme. Ovviamente qui si va a cercare il lato pi¨´ avanguardistico nelle esecuzioni, i vocalizzi, gli effetti speciali della voce e della chitarra. Ne viene fuori un¡¯incisione molto speciale, fra composizione e improvvisazione, con molti riferimenti ai suoni delle avanguardie, di qualunque tipo esse siano. Da un brano all¡¯altro, dagli standard agli original portati in studio dagli esecutori, si nota questa voglia di ricerca, di fare qualcosa di nuovo. Vittorio Lo Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=30130#.XESscbyNy70
Singer, and also a psychologist, Diana Torti has long decided to dedicate herself, in the midst of her other projects and activities, to the music of Jeanne Lee, the late African-American singer who brought jazz singing to the vanguard. On the occasion of the eightieth birthday, this record has appeared, which is also a dedication made with respect and admiration. We met Diana on the same record company, Slam Productions, as a sideman by Lucia Iannello, now we find her in a duo with Sabino de Bari on classical guitar. Some of the songs performed are standard taken from Lee's repertoire together with In These Last Days written by her, three songs are from the Italian singer, one of the guitarist and one written together. Obviously here we are looking for the most avant-garde side in performances, vocalizations, special effects of voice and guitar. The result is a very special incision, between composition and improvisation, with many references to the sounds of the avant-gardes, of whatever type they are. From one piece to another, from the standard to the original brought to the studio by the performers, we notice this desire for research, to do something new.
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