Jazz Articles about Giovanni Tommaso Quintet

Giovanni Tommaso Quintet: To Chet

by C. Michael Bailey
February 1, 2000

Chet, We Hardly Knew Ye. Ubiquitous on RED recordings, bassist Giovanni Tommaso conducts a heart-felt, if not a little weird tribute to jazz casualty, Chet Baker. Tommaso is joined by two trumpeters/flugelhornists Flavio Boltro and Paolo Fresu. They provide an eerie awakening motif on the opening “Piccioni Viaggiatori (To Chet)”. After stretching a few minutes, the song wakes up as a Post Bop romp that continues for the rest of the record. Smooth and jaunty, soft and solid, the music ...