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Rosario Giuliani: More Than Ever
ByGiuliani wrote all but three of these tunes (Pilc and Galliano composed the rest), and while there is, to say the least, plenty of room here to blow, these are not generic sets of changes. They're quite memorable and consistently European in their decidedly unhip devotion to lush, unambiguous melody. That said, "Monsieur Martin to cite this sparse ballad as an exampleowes a great deal to John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner in the way Pilc's uncluttered notes wrap themselves around Giuliani's keening, emotionally raw choruses.
The album's title cut embodies all the qualities that make this recording so fine. It may sound trite to say this band sounds almost startlingly eager to play, but listen to the song: the eagerness is palpable. The tune itself is a Giuliani original that sounds like a standardwhich is to say that it's so melodically and elegantly memorable that one feels one's heard it before. Stylistically, one has; no one's inventing anything brand new here, but Vignolo's limber bass and Henocq's crisp, vital drumming imbue the song with a sweet, yearning swing. Giuliani simply burns through the changes with his romantic, bighearted tone. There's a complete absence of cynicism in his playing, however harmonically advanced it may be. And, of course, one can only savor his trademark, measure-spanning legato lines. Pilc rivals the leader on his own sparkling soloand whether he's comping alongside his bandmates or accompanying his own solo phrases on this or any of the other tunes on which he plays, his left-hand chords are always fresh and creative.
The slow ballad "Dream House may lend a programmatic predictability to the set, but Galliano's deeply chromatic accordion adds a new flavor that redeems it and renders it unique. His solo seems constructed from equal parts French musette and more daring jazz sensibilitiesindeed, his overall presence gives the music a European earthiness and warmth that underline and enhance the same qualities in the leader's playing.
I'll step out on a limb here and declare that More Than Ever is the best album Giuliani's done so far. Its musical combination of European romanticism and American jazz rigorcoupled with this group's enthusiasm and vitalitymake this disc very much worth hearing. It decisively proves that Rosario Giuliani's no up-and-comer; he has arrived.
Track Listing
More Than Ever; Seven Thoughts; Dream House; I Remember Astor; J.F.; Mr. R.G.; Suite et Poursuite I, II, III; Monsieur Martin; London by Night 10. Bianco e Nero.
Personnel
Rosario Giuliani
saxophone, altoRosario Giuliani: alto and soprano saxophone; R
Album information
Title: More Than Ever | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Dreyfus Records
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About Rosario Giuliani
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
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