Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alboran Trio: Near Gale

251

Alboran Trio: Near Gale

By

View read count
Alboran Trio: Near Gale
Since 1995, when they began recording for the ACT Music label, Sweden's Esbjorn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.) has played a key role in rejuvenating the acoustic piano trio tradition, along with its audience. Svensson and his crew have liberated both from—or at least offered an alternative to—an overly familiar, standards-based repertoire and a precisely codified approach to performance. And if its own music, over the course of thirteen years, has itself become somewhat predictable, e.s.t. will always deserve a medal for opening the windows and letting a breeze in.



One of the younger European groups who've emerged in e.s.t.'s wake is Italy's Alboran Trio, whose debut—Meltemi (ACT Music, 2006)—offered a promise which is resoundingly delivered on its follow-up, the utterly delightful Near Gale.



Although actual stylistic similarities between the two groups are slight, it's hard to imagine the Alboran Trio existing pre-e.s.t. There are echoes in the Italians' swirling, volume-building group climaxes (though these are more moderate than e.s.t.'s can be), and, very occasionally, explicit acknowledgements (like Dino Contenti's bass figure on "Fuori Stagione"). But emotionally and atmospherically, the two groups share little.



Put crudely, in place of e.s.t.'s Nordic seriosity and melancholy, even gloom, the Alboran Trio offers southern warmth and light; in place of bulk and muscle, a more nimble athleticism.



For Meltemi, pianist/composer Paolo Paliaga wrote nine originals whose varied and explicit inspirations took in the entire Mediterranean basin, from the Maghrebi, through Spain and Italy, onto the Balkans. On Near Gale he's rolled these influences into a more finely integrated whole. Overt references to other traditions and cultures are rare—Gigi Biolcati's west African-influenced percussion on "Also Sprach Raul" (and, unexpectedly, Native American drumming on "Pow Wow"); Contenti's contemporary-classical bowed bass on "Invariable Geometries."



Paliaga's tunes are sunny and often very pretty, and are brilliantly complemented by Contenti's sumptuous, singing bass and Biolcati's melodic approach to his drum kit. Paliaga's own playing is lyrical and supple, and its mellifluousness disguises a degree of substance which isn't, perhaps, immediately apparent.



The predominant flavor is indefinably, but distinctly, Latin—a certain playfulness, a love of life and color.



A lovely album, with depth and integrity, and just the thing with which to welcome spring.

Track Listing

Selen Moi; Autumn Mist; Delle Cose Nascoste; Also Sprach Raul; Rrock In The Dark; Fuori Stagione; Invariable Geometries; Olvido; Pow Wow; Selon Moi 3/4; Seguendo Il Filo.

Personnel

Paolo Paliaga: piano; Dino Contenti: double bass; Gigi Biolcati: drums.

Album information

Title: Near Gale | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: ACT Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.