JAZZ A CONFRONTO 13 - MASSIMO URBANI - HLL 101-13

In 1973 Enrico Rava plays in Rome, with Bruce Johnson, Chip White and John Abercrombie, the same ones with whom he recorded the beautiful "Katcharpari" for BASF, and on that occasion that he knows Massimo Urbani.

The encounter with this amazing little boy who plays the alto sax, marks the future musical choices of Rava and, once back in New York, he decides to call him to play in his new quartet, with Calvin Hill and Michael Carvin, projecting the young saxophonist in an international dimension, for attitudes and repertory.

The quartet plays for fifteen days at the Saint James Infirmary, the Club of Roswell Rudd and in the summer of 1974 Rava leads the group on a European tour which would have provided for a ECM recording, but that did not ever.

A few months later, Enrico Rava back in Italy, with Nestor Astarita on drums, replacing Carvin.
That quartet, today, is almost forgotten, although their music is recorded in a historic LP, out of the market for years, the volume 14 of the Jazz A Confronto, the next.

"It was a group with few rivals in the world : they mastered by sovereign security the most advanced forms of jazz's language, enriched with a large sign, melodic and virile ... their music was bold but solid, dense and intensely lyrical, and the two soloists improvised with the sound-form, making it hot, aggressive, ironic and, above all, free." (Marcello Piras).

Just days before the recording of that historic quartet, Aldo Sinesio decides to record the brilliant roman saxophonist, with the same rhythm section, but without Rava.
Probably, this is not the best record Massimo Urbani, but this is the first recording as a leader, and remains a memorable page.

**************************


Credits:

Label: HORO
Catalog#: HLL 101-13
Format: LP
Country: Italy

Recorded at “Titania’s Studio”,
Rome on 1974, November 11

Massimo Urbani (alto sax),
Calvin Hill (drums), Nestor Astarita (drums)


Tracklisting:

Side A

A1) Jorgelina (M. Urbani) - 4'46"
A2) Encuentro (M. Urbani) - 18'15"

Side B

B1) Creation (M. Urbani) - 20'25"

This rare album of HORO, was published some time ago on Weirdope, who writes what he goes to, when he goes to ... is for this reason that I'm more precious this post with a movie, rare as this LP: Massimo Urbani nella Fabbrica Abbandonata, by Paolo Colangeli.

JAZZ A CONFRONTO 12 - TEDDY WILSON - HLL 101-12

Teddy Wilson was born November 24, 1912 in Austin, Texas.
At the age of 17 years, having studied piano, violin and composition, he moved to Detroit, where he played with local musician.
From that moment, we find him at the side of the greatest jazzmen: with Louis Armstrong, Erskine Tate, Jimmy Noone, Benny Carter or Benny Goodman.
But is, above all, in his superb capacity to "accompany" Billie Holiday that Wilson expresses his most poetic.


It may seem strange that such a great pianist has rarely played his pieces, but it's the challenge of playing the compositions of others, until they own, that Teddy wanted to show us her exquisite musical sensibility and her undeniable mastery of music.

At this link, my friend Gerovi Jazz has collected some videos of Teddy Wilson.

Credits:

Label: HORO
Catalog#: HLL 101-12
Format: LP
Country: Italy

Recorded at “Junior Studio”,
Rome on 1974, May 2

Teddy Wilson (p)


Tracklisting:

Side A

A1)Blues for Roma - 4'46"
A2) I Am Louis Armstrong
A3) Porgy and Bess Medley - 4'55"
a) It Ain't Necessarily So
b) Bess, You Is My Woman Now
c) Summertime
A4) L'Atmosfera C'è - 3'50"




Side B

B1) Blues For Teddy - 4'11"
B2) Body And Soul - 3'52"
B3) Duke Ellington Medley - 8'00"
a) Sophisticated Lady
b) Prelude To A Kiss
c) Satin Doll

JAZZ A CONFRONTO 9 - RENATO SELLANI - HLL 101-09

Renato Sellani was born in Senigallia (Ancona) in 1927.
At age 12 he began playing the organ in the church of his country, a few years later began studying the piano as an autodidact.
In 1950 he moved to Rome, host of Umberto Cesàri which receives the fundamental teachings.
Later, at the invitation of Franco Cerri, he moved to Milan where in September 1958, joined the legendary group "Basso & Valdambrini", which will work with up to 1971.
Also in '58 has in tourné with Lee Konitz, then with Chet Baker, with whom he recorded in 1959.
In 1961 he participated in three recordings of saxophonist and flutist Buddy Collette.
In his career he has beautifully accompanied famous singers, like Nicola Arigliano, Lilian Terry, Renata Mauro, Helen Merrill, Ginger Rogers, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday also.

His piano is present in many important pages of Italian jazz, recorded on vinyl, even if, in his name, he has recorded "only" a dozen historical records.
Among these I remember the first “Un Pianoforte per Due Innamorati” (1963), the first in piano solo, which opened the label DIRE (1969), the beautiful "Tizia", still in piano solo (1976) and the duet with Gianni Basso (1977)

In recent years, thanks to Paolo Piangiarelly of Philology, he has recorded another thirty important records, reworking some masterpieces of Italian songs in a unique way, elegant, rich in emotion and silence as his music.
For the same label he has recorded as co-leader with Lee Konitz, Tony Scott, Phil Woods, Irio De Paula, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Enrico Rava, Gianni Basso, Franco D’Andrea, Fabrizio Bosso, Barbara Casini and the rising stars Gianluca Petrella, Francesco Cafisio and Michela Lombardi, with whom he recorded two beautiful tributes to Chet Baker.

Credits:

Label: HORO
Catalog#: HLL 101-9
Format: LP
Country: Italy

Recorded at “Titania’s Studio”,
Rome on 1974, March 7

Renato Sellani (p),
Bruno Tommaso (bass), Bruno Biriaco (drums),
Gianni Basso (ten sax)

Tracklisting:

Side A

A1) Autoritratto – 4’50”
A2) Sembrerebbe Quasi Festa – 4’34”
A3) Portrait of July – 3’05”
A4) Illimani – 4’36”
A5) Attesa – 3’12”



Side B

B1) Inquieto – 3’25”
B2) Patetico – 4’30”
B3) Long Mary – 4’50”
B4) Gres Time – 3’46”
B5) La Mia Vita – 2’52”

JAZZ A CONFRONTO 8 - MARIO SCHIANO & GIORGIO GASLINI - HLL 101-08

1974, february 12th

This is the first meeting, and the only on record, from two great jazz master, supported from the young hopes of the italian jazz, like a Massimo Urbani, Maurizio Giammarco and Toni Formichella.

These young musicians followed the first course of jazz that Gaslini held to the conservatory of S. Cecilia of Rome, with also to Patrizia Scascitelli, Bruno Tommaso, Tommaso Vittorini and more

So, the critics tells that, between Schiano e Gaslini, there was hostility, because Schiano had recorded for first the young lions on the beginning of 1973, in your beautiful "SUD".

Really, it had happened because Mario Schiano knew the roman jazz clubs much more that the academic pianista.

.

When Aldo Sinesio proposed he to recording for the HORO, Schiano proposed to meet Gaslini, own with "they" young students.

All roman jazz world said that Giorgio would not have accepted.

That day, Gaslini, was not only introduced in advance in the "Titania" studies, but in all two tracks that it recorded with Schiano, there is a clear message.

In one it's on the title "Unità", in the second it's in the beauty and in the grace of the composition "Canto Ritrovato", an ancient Lombardic song relaborated from he.

This is the first meeting, and the only on record, from two great jazz master, supported from the young hopes of the italian jazz.

Credits:

Label: HORO

Catalog#: HLL 101-8

Format: LP

Country: Italy

Released: 1974

Mario Schiano (alto sax),
Bruno Tommaso (bass),
Michele Iannaccone (drums out on B1),
Maurizio Giammarco (ten. sax on A1, A2, B2; fl on A1; p on A1),
Toni Formichella (ten. sax on A1, A2, B2),
Massimo Urbani (soprano sax on A2, B2),
Giorgio Gaslini (p. on B1, B3)

Tracklisting:

Side A

A1) White Brush (Giammarco) – 14’10”
A2) Life Saver (Schiano) – 5’50”

Side B

B1) Canto Ritrovato (Gaslini) – 5’28”
B2) Lesile (Formichella) – 6’43”
B3) Unità (Gaslini) – 11’11”