Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dave Pietro: New Road: Iowa Memoirs

6

Dave Pietro: New Road: Iowa Memoirs

By

View read count
Dave Pietro: New Road: Iowa Memoirs
In 2011, New York City-based saxophonist Dave Pietro was invited to spend three weeks as artist-in-residence at the University of Iowa. While there, he worked with young musicians in school programs across the state. It proved to be a rewarding commission for the native New Englander who was so enheartened that he chose to recreate the experience musically on his seventh album as leader, New Road: Iowa Memoirs.

The journey begins quietly with Pietro's impression of "Sunrise on the Muscatine Highway," on which his alto saxophone and Alex Sipiagin's trumpet retrace the exquisite scene in bold strokes while pianist Gary Versace, bassist Johannes Weidenmueller, drummer Jonathan Blake and percussionist Rogerio Boccato sketch in the background before Versace steps forward with an exquisite design of his own. The serenity continues on the leisurely "Sleep Prairie, Sleep" before the group adopts a busier stance on "It's a Half-Decent Muffin," underlined by Sipiagin's nimble trumpet and Blake's assertive drums.

Restfulness returns on "The Sanctuary," which in this case isn't a place of worship but a local pub. Weidenmueller is first to be served, followed by Pietro whose alto solo is earnest and well-drawn. The sunny "Heartland," introduced by Versace's eloquent piano, was inspired, Pietro writes, by "all the wonderful people [he] met during [his] three-week residency and how welcome and at home" they made him feel. Sipiagin is impressive here, as is Pietro, again on alto, while Blake adds a muscular exclamation mark. Having traversed the state, the only remaining ingredient is a graphic two-part "TRavel Guide," on which Pietro uses soprano sax, flute and clarinet to help lead the way. The tempos, as elsewhere, are explicitly moderate but no less agreeable, and the quintet (sextet on "Sunrise," "Heartland" and Part 1 of "TRavel Guide") dispatches them with deftness and ardor.

As a series of tone poems, Pietro's themes (he wrote and arranged everything) work well. On the other hand, while beauty abounds, a touch more heat would have been welcome. In sum, an admirable showcase for the ensemble, which endorses Pietro's vision and endues it with spirit.

Track Listing

Sunrise On The Muscatine Highway; Sleep Prairie, Sleep; It's A Half-Decent Muffin; The Sanctuary; Heartland; TRavel Guide - Part 1; TRavel Guide - Part 2.

Personnel

Dave Pietro
saxophone, alto

Dave Pietro: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone; flute; clarinet; Alex Sipiagin: trumpet, flugelhorn; Gary Versace: piano; Johannes Weidenmueller: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums; Rogerio Bocatto: percussion (1, 5, 6).

Album information

Title: New Road: Iowa Memoirs | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: ArtistShare

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Dave Pietro Concerts

Nov 30 Sun

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.