Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Andrea Centazzo: The Heart of Wax

312

Andrea Centazzo: The Heart of Wax

By

Sign in to view read count
Andrea Centazzo: The Heart of Wax
In 2001, Italian composer/percussionist Andrea Centazzo assembled a first-rate ensemble of strings, winds, keyboards and percussion to record his adventurous ballet suite, The Heart of Wax. The music, commissioned by the arts council of the municipality of Cento, was written for a forgotten libretto by Italian artist Alberto Martini (1876-1954). Newly edited and re-mastered for Centazzo's own Ictus Records, The Heart of Wax casts the Italian free-jazz pioneer in the role of composer/conductor, demonstrating superlative mastery of orchestration.

There is virtually no improvising to be found on The Heart of Wax. Although Centazzo incorporates lush, jazz influenced harmonies into his pieces, the emphasis is on the repetitive, minimalist blending of percussion and keyboards. What prevents the music from taking on an all-out minimalist stature; however, is the intriguing contrapuntal developments found within the melodic content of each movement.

Centazzo finds beauty within Martini's subject matter, described by the artist as a "bizarre spectacular game, grotesque fable, dramatic macabre and ultimately joyous. The careful choices in timbre along with the hypnotic, ethereal effect of his rhythmic layering catapults the listener into a world of sonic serenity, enveloped in warmth. While each individual movement of The Heart of Wax stands on its own as a distinct musical statement, the resulting whole performed with seamless perfection, is a bold statement from an under appreciated visionary.

Track Listing

Third Dance; Nanan; Seventh Dance; Fifth Dance; Ninth Dance; Fourth Dance; Tenth Dance; First Dance; Second Dance; Eight Dance; Sixth Dance; Fourteenth Dance.

Personnel

Andrea Centazzo
percussion

Andrea Centazzo: conductor, keyboards; Alessio Alberghini: soprano saxophone, flute; Marco Pasetto: soprano saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Lucia Lotti: flute; Michele Tribio: clarinet; Dino Dell

Album information

Title: The Heart of Wax | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Ictus Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.