Album of the day: Pete Jolly, “Jolly Jumps in”

Pete Jolly
“Jolly Jumps in” (Cd RCA 74321125822)

Raise your hand if you still remember Pete Jolly today.
The Italian-American pianist (his real name was Peter Ceragioli) never rose to the glories of world celebrity but his name continued to circulate among jazz enthusiasts thanks above all to the trio that saw him together for over forty years to bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Nick Martinis in what has been one of the longest-lasting groups on the Californian music scene.
We are certainly not faced with an innovator or a leader, but Jolly is nevertheless an excellent pianist (and accordionist), capable of producing performances of excellent technical and improvisational level, rigorously expressed in the West Coast style.

An album like this can warm your day thanks to fun and unpretentious compositions, played with authentic skill and exuberant swing full of positive energy, definitely capable of making you smile.
The recordings date back to 1955 and alternate trio pieces (with Curtis Counce on bass and Shelly Manne on drums) with sextet pieces, where exceptional soloists such as Shorty Rogers on trumpet and Jimmy Giuffre, here on baritone sax, stand out.
The mastery of the piano is immediately evident thanks to the technical and phrasing fluidity with which Pete tackles standards such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (held at a light swing tempo which allows Jolly to unleash a magnificent solo which makes homage to both Bud Powell and Horace Silver), and “It Might As Well Be Spring”, richly harmonized, while a gem is the cover of “I Get a Kick Out of You”.

Also curious are the waltz-time dissonances in the initial part of “That’s All”, which then transforms within a few moments into a solid medium swing. The songs composed by himself are entertaining, such as “Before and After” and “El Yorke”, which also demonstrate interesting qualities as an author.

The obscurity around this musician’s name is probably due to the fact that he spent his entire professional existence locked in a recording studio working as a session musician for dozens of soundtracks and commercial recordings, from Tijuana Brass to Franck Pourcel. His discography is quite numerous but few titles are available on CD, so “Jolly Jumps in” represents a precious opportunity to get to know this good pianist.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.