Record of the day: Paolo Fresu Quintet, “PARTE”

Paolo Fresu Quintet
“PART” (Cd Blue Note 0946-343116)

To celebrate their twentieth anniversary together, the quintet of trumpeter Paolo Fresu (for many years one of the most prominent figures on the jazz scene) has undertaken a long-term project for the Blue Note label: a series of five albums, each entirely dedicated to the compositions of a member of the group; an ambitious and risky operation because it is not a given that excellent instrumentalists are necessarily good composers, but in this case the challenge can definitely be considered won given that Ettore Fioravanti (drums), Roberto Cipelli (piano), Attilio Zanchi (double bass), Tino Tracanna (saxophones) and Fresu himself, in addition to playing very well, possess an excellent compositional vein, sometimes enriched more by rhythmic grafts (as in the case of Zanchi’s pieces), other times more harmonically complex (Cipelli and Tracanna) but always very communicative and accessible.

Beautifully recorded, these albums are landmarks in Fresu’s vast discography and should be recommended as a whole.
but my personal predilection for Zanchi’s compositions leads me to recommend you for today the album entitled
PART (an acronym that corresponds to the names of the musicians), whose titles highlight the groove-oriented taste of the double bass player (just listen to the initial “TREAP” and continue with “Free Dance” and “Common Walk”, which contains a tribute to Miles Davis’ “Half Nelson”).

However, Zanchi does not limit himself to creating rhythmically asymmetrical carpets through the excellent sound of his double bass, but he also possesses an abundance of the ability to write very beautiful melodies such as “Some Other Place” and “Arianna” which allow Fresu and his companions to construct intense solos, of great expressive force even when their phrasing is done with just a few lips.
The jazz tradition is duly honored in the magnificent reinterpretation of Bill Evans’ “Children’s Play Song” and in the melody of “From Mingus to Duke”.

The long journey made in years of concerts is revealed in the formidable unity of the group, whose musical thought travels in unison in the ability to mutually support the solo excursions with imagination and sensitivity, creating a continuously renewed and stimulating dialogue between five.

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 subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.