Articles by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Antonio Faraò / Stéphane Belmondo Quartet at Le Duc des Lombards
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Antonio Faraò / Stéphane Belmondo QuartetLe Duc des Lombards Paris, France July 18, 2025 As expected, it was full house at Paris' iconic jazz club, Le Duc du Lombard for the Antonio Faraò-Stéphane Belmondo concert which featured two powerhouse musicians who didn't disappoint as they gave the audience over an hour of steamy music. Pianist virtuoso Antonio Faraò needs no introduction; his talent speaks volume. And that night he was ...
Continue ReadingMatteo Pastorino: Lightside
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Once again A.MA Records hits the jackpot with a Matteo Pastorino album, Lightside, which it released in March 2025. Whether a novice or seasoned musician, the Italian label has a knack for promoting engaging musical gems. Lightside showcases Pastorino's talent as a clarinetist and composer. The album offers listeners an intimate journey through compositions inspired by personal and cultural themes. Pastorino is joined by Domenico Sanna on piano, Dario Deidda on bass and Armando Luongo on drums. Each musician contributes ...
Continue ReadingBruno Montrone Trio: Unaware Beauty
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Bruno Montrone is definitely a name to keep in sight. Although still fairly young, Montrone has been very active as a side man, accompanying the likes of Enrico Rava, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Rachel Gould among others. Unaware Beauty is his debut album as a leader. And it is an engaging album that beckons more from this talented pianist. Montrone teams up with Giulio Scianatico on double bass (a member of the Italian group Wasted Generation, highly influenced by ...
Continue ReadingAvishai Darash: Between Hope and Despair
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Avishai Darash's Between Hope and Despair is a timely album, composed as a reaction to the October 7th 2023 massacre in Israel. It refers to the spectrum of emotions one may feel in times of war, regardless of what side one stands on. This is to be expected from Darash, an intellectual pianist. He does not just play; his compositions feel like philosophical debates. The situation in his birth country, and the world reaction to it, triggered an avalanche of ...
Continue ReadingGilad Chatsav Trio At A Tel Aviv House Concert
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Gilad Chatsav Trio House Concert Tel Aviv, Israel July 25, 2024 You are always guaranteed a fun evening when Israeli jazz pianist Gilad Chatsav performs. This Thursday evening's house concert in Tel Aviv was no exception. Gilad Chatsav has been making a name for himself on the Israeli jazz scene for a while now and is familiar with house concerts as he had organized the Shuffle Concerts a few years back, a very successful ...
Continue ReadingRoberto Olzer Trio at Studio Annette
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Roberto Olzer Trio Studio Annette Tribute to Bernardo Sassetti Tel Aviv May 24, 2024 There are concerts that are so mesmerizing that one is left feeling on a high for days after it occurred. This was certainly the case with “Dreams of Others," a concert billed as a tribute to the Portuguese pianist and composer Bernardo Sassetti's music, that was held at the Annette Studio in Tel Aviv at the end of May.
Continue ReadingBernardo Sassetti: The Pianist Who Danced With Silence
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
If a musician's degree of brilliance is measured by the emotions they awakens in his listeners, then Bernardo Sassetti was a genius. And that he certainly was. With a prolific career (which resulted in a discography and filmography of close to 30 CDs), Sassetti spent the first few years playing alongside illustrious figures of the jazz world, such as Freddie Hubbard, Paquito D'Rivera and Guy Barker, the latter with with whom he collaborated intensively (on albums such as ...
Continue ReadingPaolo Fresu: When Musician Turns Poet
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Paolo Fresu—a multidimensional artist whose creative overdrive has shaped the Italian jazz scene for almost forty years. With definite hints to Chet Baker and Miles Davis, Fresu has honed a particularly mellow, velvety sound which is absolutely compelling. Even when he tackles coarser, more upbeat tempos, he captivates his listeners with his original approach, switching between trumpet, muted trumpet and flugelhorn, and sometimes employing electronic effects. Indeed, using technology in a creative process, as Paolo Fresu occasionally does in live ...
Continue ReadingTal Blumstein Trio: New York - Tel Aviv
by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Yes, modern jazz is still very much present among the younger generation, and Tal Blumstein proves it with his debut, New York-Tel Aviv. Freshly out of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Blumstein teams up with two other Israeli-born jazz musicians who have already made their mark on the New York jazz scene: bassist Max Oleartchik and drummer Itay Morchi. The album features seven tracks, all original compositions, each one being a narrative on its own. This is ...
Continue ReadingChatsav / Welch / Zelman Trio: Jazz from the Middle to the East - Songs from the White City Volume 2
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by Nathalie Tamara Freson
Whereas the first album in the series saw him giving much room to his trio members to showcase their talent, in this second album, Gilad Chatsav really takes the lead on every piece, thus confirming his competence as a jazz pianist and his well-seated position on the Israeli jazz scene. Jazz from the Middle to the East--Songs from the White City volume 2 is the second album in the series, still featuring Stewart Welch on bass and joined ...
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