TOMMASO STARACE QUINTET - Eleuthra All That Jazz
Music Center BA 406 CD
Tommaso Starace (alto & soprano saxophones); Massimo Colombo (Fender Rhodes); Adrian D'Aguilar (bass); Kevin Dean (drums); Lamont Gibson (trumpet)
Recorded 18th April, 2018
TOMMASO STARACE - HARMONY LESS QUARTET - Narrow Escape
Music Center BA 409 CD
Tommaso Starace (alto saxophone); Dave O'Higgins (tenor saxophone); Davide Liberti (bass); Ruben Bellavia (drums)
Recorded 23rd & 24th January, 2018
Music Center BA 406 CD
Tommaso Starace (alto & soprano saxophones); Massimo Colombo (Fender Rhodes); Adrian D'Aguilar (bass); Kevin Dean (drums); Lamont Gibson (trumpet)
Recorded 18th April, 2018
TOMMASO STARACE - HARMONY LESS QUARTET - Narrow Escape
Music Center BA 409 CD
Tommaso Starace (alto saxophone); Dave O'Higgins (tenor saxophone); Davide Liberti (bass); Ruben Bellavia (drums)
Recorded 23rd & 24th January, 2018
As busy as always, altoist Tommaso Starace, has just seen the release of two albums on the Music Center imprint. With both albums featuring Starace with different personnel and instrumentation, the only constant being the quality of the music produced.
First up is the quintet offering, Eleuthra All That Jazz, a smart and tightly played set from Starace and his cohorts that is firmly entrenched in the hard bop idiom. Somewhat of a departure from his previous releases that have always had a theme or concept behind them, this is much more straight ahead, and is none the worse for it.
The quintet play with a sprightly jaunt that is further lightened and lifted by the use of the Fender Rhodes piano. Playing a handful of originals by Tommaso and pianist, Massimo Colombo, with a couple of standards for good measure, the quintet display a joy in playing together that is both relaxing and engagingly urgent when called for. The Latin feel of 'Cocodimama' is a real delight with an effervescent solo from the leader on alto that is matched with equal exuberance by Lamont Gibson on trumpet. 'Yellow Tune', written by Colombo is an altogether tougher proposition, driven along nicely by the rhythm section. The pianist gets in first with an authoritative solo, that sit nicely with the neatly arranged and played ensemble passages.
Of the two standards, Bud Powell's 'Parisian Thoroughfare' gets a sprightly run through with concise solos from from Lamont Gibson's trumpet and the leader, this time on soprano saxophone, which Starace also wields magnificently on Strayhorn's 'A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing' without being overly sentimental.
The second album with the Harmony Less Quartet, Narrow Escape, finds the saxophonist teamed up with front line partner, Dave O'Higgins in, as the title would suggest, a line up without piano or guitar; and quite different from the album above, or indeed from this previous efforts. It is therefore really refreshing to hear Tommaso in this setting, and without a harmony instrument to fall back on his solos take on a different shape, freeing up both his rhythmic and melodic lines and taking a tougher stance that we have heard from his before. What is interesting is how Starace approaches his solos with a considered manner that that prevents him from jumping in and riding the wave created by the rhythm section, thus allowing his instincts to guide him over a different terrain.
O'Higgins is the perfect foil in this setting, the weight of the tenor contrasting nicely with the alto to produce a full and lush sound to the arrangements which is most effective on 'Fugue in E♭'. Of his solo statements, the tenorist is quite majestic. His ideas come tumbling out of the bell of the saxophone yet never sounding rushed. Even on the uptempo title track that is powered along by bass and drums, O'Higgins seems to have plenty of time to place his notes just where he wants them.
Among the original Starace place no less than four standards into the set that the quartet tackle with a freshness that suits the line up perfectly. Wonderful to hear alto and tenor share the melody line on Monk's 'Trinkle Tinkle'. Jimmy Van Heusen's 'Like Someone In Love' is given a throrough workout with a fine solo from bassist Davide Liberti, 'Be Bop' by Dizzy Gillespie finds Tommaso in familiar territory, and features storming solos from both saxophonists.
This is an absolutely cracking band that play hard and swing hard, and it is hoped that they can get enough work to stay together and further the work started here.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
First up is the quintet offering, Eleuthra All That Jazz, a smart and tightly played set from Starace and his cohorts that is firmly entrenched in the hard bop idiom. Somewhat of a departure from his previous releases that have always had a theme or concept behind them, this is much more straight ahead, and is none the worse for it.
The quintet play with a sprightly jaunt that is further lightened and lifted by the use of the Fender Rhodes piano. Playing a handful of originals by Tommaso and pianist, Massimo Colombo, with a couple of standards for good measure, the quintet display a joy in playing together that is both relaxing and engagingly urgent when called for. The Latin feel of 'Cocodimama' is a real delight with an effervescent solo from the leader on alto that is matched with equal exuberance by Lamont Gibson on trumpet. 'Yellow Tune', written by Colombo is an altogether tougher proposition, driven along nicely by the rhythm section. The pianist gets in first with an authoritative solo, that sit nicely with the neatly arranged and played ensemble passages.
Of the two standards, Bud Powell's 'Parisian Thoroughfare' gets a sprightly run through with concise solos from from Lamont Gibson's trumpet and the leader, this time on soprano saxophone, which Starace also wields magnificently on Strayhorn's 'A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing' without being overly sentimental.
The second album with the Harmony Less Quartet, Narrow Escape, finds the saxophonist teamed up with front line partner, Dave O'Higgins in, as the title would suggest, a line up without piano or guitar; and quite different from the album above, or indeed from this previous efforts. It is therefore really refreshing to hear Tommaso in this setting, and without a harmony instrument to fall back on his solos take on a different shape, freeing up both his rhythmic and melodic lines and taking a tougher stance that we have heard from his before. What is interesting is how Starace approaches his solos with a considered manner that that prevents him from jumping in and riding the wave created by the rhythm section, thus allowing his instincts to guide him over a different terrain.
O'Higgins is the perfect foil in this setting, the weight of the tenor contrasting nicely with the alto to produce a full and lush sound to the arrangements which is most effective on 'Fugue in E♭'. Of his solo statements, the tenorist is quite majestic. His ideas come tumbling out of the bell of the saxophone yet never sounding rushed. Even on the uptempo title track that is powered along by bass and drums, O'Higgins seems to have plenty of time to place his notes just where he wants them.
Among the original Starace place no less than four standards into the set that the quartet tackle with a freshness that suits the line up perfectly. Wonderful to hear alto and tenor share the melody line on Monk's 'Trinkle Tinkle'. Jimmy Van Heusen's 'Like Someone In Love' is given a throrough workout with a fine solo from bassist Davide Liberti, 'Be Bop' by Dizzy Gillespie finds Tommaso in familiar territory, and features storming solos from both saxophonists.
This is an absolutely cracking band that play hard and swing hard, and it is hoped that they can get enough work to stay together and further the work started here.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
