When Alan Broadbent isn't playing extraordinary jazz piano with his trio, he's typically hard at work arranging and conducting a large orchestra for a jazz artist or vocalist. In the case of Swiss flugelhornist Franco Ambrosetti's new album, Nora (Enja), Alan is at the helm of a 22-piece string orchestra, and the result is gorgeous, reflective and perfect for this time of year. The album also features guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley, pianist Uri Caine and drummer Peter Erskine.
Ambrosetti began his recording career on trumpet in Milan in 1965 as a leader with A Jazz Portrait of Franco Ambrosetti, featuring Franco D'Andrea (p) Giorgio Azzolini (b) and Franco Mondini (d). Remarkably, he is self-taught. Coming up in Italy, he has played with a long list of touring American jazz greats, including Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Geri Allen, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Mike Stern.
Over the years, John Scofield has recorded with Ambrosetti multiple times. The first was in 1978 on The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band in Germany, followed by Movies in 1986, Movies, Take 2 in 1988, Cheers in 2017, Long Waves in 2019 and Lost Within You in 2020. For Alan, this is his first Ambrosetti collaboration. And what a score he has written. Ambrosetti was looking for a project on the same scale as Bird With Strings and Clifford Brown With Strings—two favorite albums when he was growing up. Mission accomplished.
The opening track is Nora's Theme by Ambrosetti, which sets the mood. Moving forward, the album feels like the soundtrack to a romantic suspense movie set in Malibu, starring Kim Novack or Sandy Dennis. It's soft but there are undertones of psychological drama to come. The songs that follow Nora's Theme are George Gruntz's Morning Song of a Spring Flower, Miles Davis's All Blues, Victor Feldman's Falling in Love, the standard Autumn Leaves, Ambrosetti's Sweet Journey, Johnny Dankworth's It Happens Quietly and John Coltrane's After the Rain.
Ambrosetti's tone and playing throughout have a melancholy, sunny afternoon feel—as if you were driving along country roads with the trees ablaze in color. It's music to take stock by. You can't help thinking things over as you listen. The combination of Ambrosetti's soulful flugelhorn and Alan's empathetic and ruminative string arrangments make for a perfect pairing. Also unbeatable is the new 3D sound technology used to record the music. It really feels as if you're surrounded. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent by Joe Vella]
All that's missing are snapping logs in a fireplace.
Note to Grammys: I can easily see this album being nominated for and winning a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and another for Ambrosetti for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
JazzWax clips: Here's Nora's Theme...
And here's Falling in Love...
Ambrosetti began his recording career on trumpet in Milan in 1965 as a leader with A Jazz Portrait of Franco Ambrosetti, featuring Franco D'Andrea (p) Giorgio Azzolini (b) and Franco Mondini (d). Remarkably, he is self-taught. Coming up in Italy, he has played with a long list of touring American jazz greats, including Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Geri Allen, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker and Mike Stern.
Over the years, John Scofield has recorded with Ambrosetti multiple times. The first was in 1978 on The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band in Germany, followed by Movies in 1986, Movies, Take 2 in 1988, Cheers in 2017, Long Waves in 2019 and Lost Within You in 2020. For Alan, this is his first Ambrosetti collaboration. And what a score he has written. Ambrosetti was looking for a project on the same scale as Bird With Strings and Clifford Brown With Strings—two favorite albums when he was growing up. Mission accomplished.
The opening track is Nora's Theme by Ambrosetti, which sets the mood. Moving forward, the album feels like the soundtrack to a romantic suspense movie set in Malibu, starring Kim Novack or Sandy Dennis. It's soft but there are undertones of psychological drama to come. The songs that follow Nora's Theme are George Gruntz's Morning Song of a Spring Flower, Miles Davis's All Blues, Victor Feldman's Falling in Love, the standard Autumn Leaves, Ambrosetti's Sweet Journey, Johnny Dankworth's It Happens Quietly and John Coltrane's After the Rain.
Ambrosetti's tone and playing throughout have a melancholy, sunny afternoon feel—as if you were driving along country roads with the trees ablaze in color. It's music to take stock by. You can't help thinking things over as you listen. The combination of Ambrosetti's soulful flugelhorn and Alan's empathetic and ruminative string arrangments make for a perfect pairing. Also unbeatable is the new 3D sound technology used to record the music. It really feels as if you're surrounded. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent by Joe Vella]
All that's missing are snapping logs in a fireplace.
Note to Grammys: I can easily see this album being nominated for and winning a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and another for Ambrosetti for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
JazzWax clips: Here's Nora's Theme...
And here's Falling in Love...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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