An interesting CD from an Italian group. Most of the Italian
CDs I have reviewed, on other labels, are straight ahead 60s sounding music.
Here we have more modern, freer, playing. Each track is listed as composed, but
the compositions are primarily the basis for the improvisations. I suspect that
the compositions were not written before hand, but, as is often the case with
improvising groups, one player will start a piece, and how he or she starts it,
determines the nature of the improvisations. Thus the compositions are actually
improvised lines. In some cases, though, the improvised sections stay close to
the original thematic material. The contrasts between the different horns are
nice, especially between the saxello and baritone, and the alto and bass
clarinet. Maltese gets a great big sound from his flute. Some of the highlights
include the dot dot dot sounds of "Morse," the great cello playing of
Sconosciuto on "Versi,’"Otra," and "Batter," which features him in a nice duet
with Paesani. And there is plenty of unison playing by the two horns with nice
accompaniment by Paesani and Sconosciuto. And I really like "Walrus" which has
a nice sense of fun. In short a really enjoyable record. Bernie Koenig Cadence January 2016
Although the other members of this quartet can be found on a few discs from the Slam
and Auand labels, it is only Stefano Maltese that I know previously.
Mr. Maltese has at least a half dozen discs under his own name and has
Worked with Evan Parker and Keith Tippett. This is a studio recording and
The instrumentation is rather chamber-like: two saxes, piano and cello. All
Of the songs here are originals and all four members contributed between
one and three each. The first three songs were written by Mr. D'Urso and
begin with something that sounds free at first yet eventually the pieces of
the puzzle slowly come together into a tight (written) section. Each of
these pieces is uniquely written and performed with odd harmonies for both
reeds. Mr. Paesani plays the piano with some objects on top of the strings,
muting certain notes. This gives some of the songs a strange percussive
ambiance to punctuate rhythmic parts. Both saxists have strong, spirited
and instinctive voices, hence they sound as if they are conversing or
playing two characters in a play. There seems to be little or not soloing going
on ere as each piece sounds written and tells a story or sets a mysterious
scene. Since there are five reeds used between Mr. Maltese and Mr. D'Urso,
the varied combinations give each piece a different vibe or picture.
This disc is unlike any else I've reviewed in a long while so I will have
To give it more time to reveal its unique sound. - Bruce Lee Gallanter,
DMG
Il trio intorno a Ferdinando D’Urso si è dato il nome di I Giganti della Montagna, da un’opera incompleta del narratore siciliano Luigi Pirandello. Qui è al sax alto ed al sax baritono, insieme al pianista Lorenzo Paesani ed al violoncello di Federico Sconosciuto. il loro percorso è sulle vie di una Thrid Stream, la corrente propagata ormai tanti anni fa da Gunther Schuller, e cioè la fusione di classica e jazz, di improvvisazione e scrittura. I tre si ritrovano in dialogo serrato in cui le loro radici e la formazione classica vengono fuori in un contesto di improvvisazione, di dialogo proficuo alla ricerca, in modi e toni cameristici, di qualcosa di nuovo. C’è un ospite importante, Stefano Maltese, al saxello, al flauto ed al clarinetto. basso. Ormai è un veterano dell’improvvisazione e dell’avanguardia, con progetti documentati fra l´altro su Soul Note e Splasc(h) insieme ad altri corifei del genere. La sua partecipazione risulta come un lievito in sala d’incisione. I musicisti hanno qualcosa da dirsi, il dialogo fra le parti funziona, la scrittura fa da coagulante, quasi un punto fisso che riporta i musicisti ad un luogo comune, da cui ripartire per una libertà che si esprime in modo sottile, pacato. Non c’è la rabbia del free, ma neanche quella follia che è in grado di esprimere un Roscoe Mitchell nei suoi interventi ai sassofoni. Qui è tutto cameristico, a volte soffuso, raretatto, puntillistico, un dialogo in cui c’è rispetto fra le parti e si pone attenzione al bel suono, ad esempio il violoncello di Sconosciuto su La otra desnudez, accompagnato dal pianoforte, un intervento in cui l´archetto mostra un’inquietudine che presto si trasmette al flauto di Maltese in punta di piedi, fino al tema finale in cui i fiati sono all´unisono. L’uso del multistrumentismo dà colore all´album, molto bello è Warlus Dance in cui clarinetto basso e sax baritono eseguono un unisono su cui il pianoforte trova un via per improvvisare in proprio. È uno dei momenti migliori dell´album, in cui il successivo dialogo con il violoncello mostra che la Thrid Stream è un concetto ancora vivo e vivace, quando a praticarlo sono dei musicisti che credono in questo tipo di espressione, che sia orchestrale o, come qui, di tipo cameristico.
Vittorio lo Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=24718#.VkHztPnhC1t
GOOGLE TRANSLATE
The trio around Ferdinando D'Urso was given the name of The Giants of the Mountain, a work incomplete Sicilian novelist Luigi Pirandello. Here is the alto and baritone sax, with the pianist Lorenzo Villagers and cellist Federico unknown. their path is on the streets of a Third Stream, the current spread many years ago by Gunther Schuller, and that is a fusion of classical and jazz, improvisation and writing. The three find themselves in close dialogue where their roots and classical training are out in the context of improvisation, in search of fruitful dialogue, in the manner and tone chamber, something new. There is an important guest, Stefano Maltese, on saxello, flute and bass clarinet. He is a veteran of improvisation and avant-garde, with projects documented among other instruments on Soul Note and Splasc(h) along with other coryphaei like. His participation is like yeast in the recording studio. The musicians have something to say, the dialogue between them works, writing acts as a coagulant, as a fixed point which brings musicians to a common place, from which to start to a freedom that is expressed subtly, quietly. There is the anger of the free, but not the madness that is able to express a Roscoe Mitchell in his speeches on saxophones. Here is all the chamber, sometimes suffused raretatto, pointillistic, a dialogue in which there is respect between the parties, and pays attention to the beautiful sound, such as the cello by Unknown on La otra desnudez, accompanied by piano, in an intervention l'archetto which shows a restlessness that is transmitted to the early flute Maltese tiptoed up to the final theme in which the horns are in unison. The use of colour gives multistrumentismo album, very nice is Walrus Dance where bass clarinet and baritone sax perform in unison on which the piano is a way to improvise on their own. It is one of the best moments of the album, in which the subsequent dialogue with the cello shows that the Third Stream is a concept still alive and lively, when practicing it are musicians who believe in this type of expression, which is orchestral or, as here, the type of chamber.
The team of Stefano Maltese/fl-bcl-saxello, Ferdinando D’Urso/as-bs, Lorenzo Paesani/p and Federico Sconosciuto/cell bring together nine free form compositions from the studio. The saxes cry and moan both together and separately on "Di-versi" and the sighing "Divergenze" as Maltese’s flute floats over the rumbling piano on "La Oltra Desnuder." Thoughtful sax and flute grace "Echi" and s Paesani’s piano scrambles on "Batter d’ali" and Sconosciuto’s cello creates a deep pulse on "W.W." Serious sounds of improvisation
George W. Harris • September 17, 2015 http://www.jazzweekly.com/2015/09/slam-dunkspaul-dunmall-tony-bianco-homage-to-john-coltrane-improgressive-primo-i-giganti-della-montagna-oi-dialogoi/