TONI GERMANI QUARTET - We Colonized Souls
Terresommerse: TS-Jazz 033
Toni Germani: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, voice;’ Gege Albanese: piano, Rhodes; Stefano Cesare: double bass; Davide Pentassuglia: drums
Recorded 4th-5th May 2018 by Clive Simpson in the Extrabeat Studio,Rome
This is the tenth album for Germani as a leader (although he’s also appeared on many recordings across many musical styles) and he has gathered a group of musicians from Rome’s jazz scene to bring his vision to life. The title of the set is inspired by Roland Kirk’s ‘we free kings’ – and the twist in the title takes Kirk’s ironic declaration and turns it to an earnest paean to “Those who resist, Those who dare, Those who insist, for the Hope they represent.” This, and the dedication to musicians who died in 2019 and to “all the victims of racism and exploitation, all the people killed in Palestine and in other oppressed lands…” fully realise Germani’s ‘bitter political commitment’. These words could also imply that the tunes would also veer to the dry, earnest and committed. But this is far what we are presented with. The opener, ‘Hot Heat’, has an infectious riff over a swinging beat that owes a debt to Bossa Nova at its most hedonistic. Indeed, the sax playing bridges two Latin worlds of Rome and Latin America across this and several of the pieces, which gives Germani as distinctive approach to phrasing and composition.
The centre of the album is the melancholy song ‘Mi Piace Aspettare’ (I like to wait), track 5, with Germani conveying Olavarria’s lyrics with a fragility that lies somewhere between Chet Baker and a Rock balladeer. This fusion of styles in his singing voice creeps into the track selection, where we find (not so much ‘cover versions’ as) variations of the themes of Dylan’s ‘All along the watchtower’ (track 3, second half), King Crimson’s ‘Epitaph’ (track 4) and Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ ( track 6) – the latter begins with solo sax faithfully recreating the melody of the original before the piece morphs into a mournful ballad. In the press notes, Germani points out that his musical education, from the suburbs to the city, was more a matter of hanging with Rock fans than with jazzophiles which not only explains the choice of tunes here but also, perhaps, the ways in which his sax playing has an openness and honesty. Sometimes in the welter of musicians pushing the envelope in their music, it is refreshing to listen to a player who impresses not by musical gymnastics but by playing the tune straight and the rhythms direct.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Terresommerse: TS-Jazz 033
Toni Germani: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, voice;’ Gege Albanese: piano, Rhodes; Stefano Cesare: double bass; Davide Pentassuglia: drums
Recorded 4th-5th May 2018 by Clive Simpson in the Extrabeat Studio,Rome
This is the tenth album for Germani as a leader (although he’s also appeared on many recordings across many musical styles) and he has gathered a group of musicians from Rome’s jazz scene to bring his vision to life. The title of the set is inspired by Roland Kirk’s ‘we free kings’ – and the twist in the title takes Kirk’s ironic declaration and turns it to an earnest paean to “Those who resist, Those who dare, Those who insist, for the Hope they represent.” This, and the dedication to musicians who died in 2019 and to “all the victims of racism and exploitation, all the people killed in Palestine and in other oppressed lands…” fully realise Germani’s ‘bitter political commitment’. These words could also imply that the tunes would also veer to the dry, earnest and committed. But this is far what we are presented with. The opener, ‘Hot Heat’, has an infectious riff over a swinging beat that owes a debt to Bossa Nova at its most hedonistic. Indeed, the sax playing bridges two Latin worlds of Rome and Latin America across this and several of the pieces, which gives Germani as distinctive approach to phrasing and composition.
The centre of the album is the melancholy song ‘Mi Piace Aspettare’ (I like to wait), track 5, with Germani conveying Olavarria’s lyrics with a fragility that lies somewhere between Chet Baker and a Rock balladeer. This fusion of styles in his singing voice creeps into the track selection, where we find (not so much ‘cover versions’ as) variations of the themes of Dylan’s ‘All along the watchtower’ (track 3, second half), King Crimson’s ‘Epitaph’ (track 4) and Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ ( track 6) – the latter begins with solo sax faithfully recreating the melody of the original before the piece morphs into a mournful ballad. In the press notes, Germani points out that his musical education, from the suburbs to the city, was more a matter of hanging with Rock fans than with jazzophiles which not only explains the choice of tunes here but also, perhaps, the ways in which his sax playing has an openness and honesty. Sometimes in the welter of musicians pushing the envelope in their music, it is refreshing to listen to a player who impresses not by musical gymnastics but by playing the tune straight and the rhythms direct.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
