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Matt Renzi: Arm-Sized Legging
by Jack Bowers
Arm-Sized Legging, saxophonist Matt Renzi's sixth album as leader, features his Cello Quartet, basically a piano-less jazz trio with cello added, for what purpose it is hard to ascertain. Cellos aren't normally associated with jazzas some would argue, for good reasonand this session does little to further their cause. Yes, the cello does add another voice," but whether that voice is gratifying or even necessary rests in large measure in the ears of the hearkener. Clearly, it is not a ...
read moreMatt Renzi: Rise And Shine
by Dan Bilawsky
Continuity and freshness, while theoretically at odds with one another, are the two things that tend to fuel group development in the arts. Only time can create bonds of trust and help to crystallize concepts and language shared between artists, but consistency can breed predictability. So how can an artist balance the scales, allowing their work to benefit from both? The answer--or secret--lies in multi-reedist Matt Renzi's Rise And Shine. For his eighth album as a leader, ...
read moreMatt Renzi - Stefano Senni - Jimmy Weinstein: 4 Stories
by AAJ Italy Staff
4 stories documenta una session di improvvisazioni che Matt Renzi, Stefano Senni e Jimmy Weinstein hanno inciso nello studio padovano del batterista. Nelle note di copertina, i tre musicisti spiegano che la registrazione della session non era stata fatta con l'intenzione di produrre un disco. La decisione in questo senso è stata presa solo in un secondo momento. Indubbiamente, la lunga frequentazione tra Renzi e Weinstein e l'esperienza di tutti e tre gli improvvisatori hanno contribuito alla riuscita formale e ...
read moreArmando Sciommeri: L'attesa
by AAJ Italy Staff
L'attesa si riferisce a una seduta di registrazione del luglio 2008 capitanata dal batterista Armando Sciommeri, alla quale hanno preso parte, in due dei sei brani proposti, anche il pianista Alessandro Gwis e il saxofonista Daniele Tittarelli. Tutti originali firmati, o cofirmati, dal leader, tranne la conclusiva Kary" autografata dal chitarrista Enrico Bracco, che rilasciano una sensazione di pacatezza esecutiva, in quanto siamo nell'ambito di tempi medi e dall'incedere calibrato, caratterizzati da melodie che si intrecciano senza fretta, cantabili e ...
read moreMatt Renzi: Happy Hour
by Dan McClenaghan
Reedman Matt Renzi's Happy Hour is curiously titled, given the music at hand. A Happy Hour" brings cheap drinks and cacophonous good times in the bar room to mind. The CD of that name opens with a tranquil reverie, as mystical, inward-looking and spiritually directed as a late-period Impulse! John Coltrane rumination. The trio format is Renzi's primary form of expression. He and bassist Dave Ambrosio, along with drummer Russ Meissner, have performed together as a group since ...
read moreMatt Renzi: Between the Lines
by Blaine Fallis
Matt Renzi is a multi-reedist, best known for his tenor sax playing and clarinet (his two main horns), but who has a knack for picking up other instruments as needed such as oboe, piccolo and flute. His New York City-based trio has been well-recognized for its group improv and composition and has recorded several CDs. Also performing internationally, it tends to push the limits of music that is simultaneously structured and wide open.
A San Francisco native, Renzi ...
read moreMatt Renzi: Lunch Special
by Blaine Fallis
Lunch Special should win a marketing award for having the freshest CD design concept, although the actual photo of linguine with oysters used as the CD imprint may not be as fresh as the music itself. At least the designer was nice enough to reveal a relatively clean plate inside the tray card once the CD is removed. However, a long and winding piece of linguine is not a bad way to describe a typical sax line from Matt Renzi, ...
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