FABRIZIO SCIACCA QUARTET- Gettin ’It There
A self-produced recording available from the usual sources
Fabrizio Sciacca (bass) Jed Levy (tenor sax) Donald Vega (piano) Billy Drummond (drums)
No recording details
If you’re looking for some uncomplicated, straight ahead modern mainstream played with an infectious swagger and lissom ease then this impressive debut album by a young Italian bassist with a growing stateside reputation should tick all your boxes. Apart from three tracks which feature the fulsome tenor sax of Jed Levy this is essentially a jazz trio set in which bass lead context the session honed talents of Vega and Drummond are given full reign, which they use to their exemplary advantage.
The playlist comprises two off the peg hard-bop themes from pianists Sonny Clark and Elmo Hope, opening with a mid-tempo blues by Sam Jones, whose bass playing has been a source of inspiration for Sciacca. From the very get go the leader’s bass sound makes its presence felt, its warmth and resonance positively oozing from the speakers but without occupying that overtly forward position that can ruin bass lead combos; credit due to the recording engineer I reckon but also to Sciacca who, though far from self-effacing, doesn’t use his leadership status as a bully pulpit to push the others around
.
The ballad content is taken care of with the inclusion of `A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square` with Sciacca carrying the melody line and soloing with melodic subtlety and a specially commissioned original inspired by a Polish lullaby. Two further originals complete the programme, a dedication to the leader’s mentor Ron Carter, who contributes a sleeve note endorsement, and a modal style tune by the saxophonist which provides a more contemporary edge. Everything is accomplished with high gloss proficiency from all involved, every nuance of the music, every instrumental timbre captured with precision, nicely separated and immediate, making for the type of jazz I could listen to all day and every-day.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
A self-produced recording available from the usual sources
Fabrizio Sciacca (bass) Jed Levy (tenor sax) Donald Vega (piano) Billy Drummond (drums)
No recording details
If you’re looking for some uncomplicated, straight ahead modern mainstream played with an infectious swagger and lissom ease then this impressive debut album by a young Italian bassist with a growing stateside reputation should tick all your boxes. Apart from three tracks which feature the fulsome tenor sax of Jed Levy this is essentially a jazz trio set in which bass lead context the session honed talents of Vega and Drummond are given full reign, which they use to their exemplary advantage.
The playlist comprises two off the peg hard-bop themes from pianists Sonny Clark and Elmo Hope, opening with a mid-tempo blues by Sam Jones, whose bass playing has been a source of inspiration for Sciacca. From the very get go the leader’s bass sound makes its presence felt, its warmth and resonance positively oozing from the speakers but without occupying that overtly forward position that can ruin bass lead combos; credit due to the recording engineer I reckon but also to Sciacca who, though far from self-effacing, doesn’t use his leadership status as a bully pulpit to push the others around
.
The ballad content is taken care of with the inclusion of `A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square` with Sciacca carrying the melody line and soloing with melodic subtlety and a specially commissioned original inspired by a Polish lullaby. Two further originals complete the programme, a dedication to the leader’s mentor Ron Carter, who contributes a sleeve note endorsement, and a modal style tune by the saxophonist which provides a more contemporary edge. Everything is accomplished with high gloss proficiency from all involved, every nuance of the music, every instrumental timbre captured with precision, nicely separated and immediate, making for the type of jazz I could listen to all day and every-day.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
