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Pete Malinverni: Invisible Cities
by Thomas Conrad
They call it “the Calvino Effect." It is the fascination that Italo Calvino's unclassifiable, elusive literary works exert over artists in other media. Calvino's Invisible Cities contains unseen cities of the imagination that have inspired many paintings. It contains silent cities of dreams that have provoked much music. In Calvino's novel, Marco Polo tells of 55 cities he has visited. The descriptions are fantasies. But Marco Polo's prose-poetry and surreal urban imagery contain deeper truths than factual travelogues. ...
Continue ReadingTom Melito on Pete Malinverni's "Invisible Cities"
by David A. Orthmann
Throughout the ten tracks of Invisible Cities, Pete Malinverni's beautifully conceived and executed disc on the Reservoir Music imprint, Tom Melito's drumming is based on a certain amount of restraint and the capacity to meld into everything that goes on around him. Melito's unusually refined approach to the instrument is a refreshing change from the legion of contemporary trapsters who are loud and assertive to the point of insensitivity. Because his drumming is straightforward and self-effacing rather than cluttered and ...
Continue ReadingPete Malinverni: Invisible Cities
by David A. Orthmann
Pete Malinverni's Invisible Cities:, inspired by the imaginative flights of Italo Calvino's novel of the same name, exists on its own terms and doesn't readily fit into any established jazz style or sensibility. The pianist effectively juxtaposes six of his compositions and four well-known, urban-themed songs. His ballad-oriented tunes, “New Orleans--Cities & Desire," “Salem--Hester Prynne," and “A City Called Heaven," are clothed in lovely, expressive melodies, the kind that beg for equally inspired lyrics. Beautifully interpreted by Tim Hagans's trumpet, ...
Continue ReadingPete Malinverni: Invisible Cities
by Francis Lo Kee
A concept record of sorts, pianist Pete Malinverni was initially inspired to put his Invisible Cities project together after reading the Italian novelist Italo Calvino's book of the same name. Though the CD is full of good jazz improvisation (with a truly wonderful rhythm team of bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Tom Melito), it also seems to be in conflict: whether to be as ambitious in concept as the book might suggest or simply to play some good, honest swinging ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
