Humanity is a formidable album, destined to leave a significant trace in the jazz discography of 2007. The protagonists are an astonishing duo, who give us an hour of intense music, full of lyricism and pathos.
The long and dreamy melodic lines of the trumpet meet wonderfully with Moroni's muscular and pyrotechnic pianism, for a meeting admirably conducted on the level of pure poetry.
The world of standards is the privileged starting point of this empathetic collaboration, which unfolds according to three parameters: concentration, class and sensitivity in recreating all the immortal charm of some of the most famous jazz classics.
It is underpinned by a process of personalization of the standards, into which the two musicians pour new life, injecting their own unmistakable timbre as well as their own artistic and human history.
Above all, the melancholy and dreamy trumpet of the magnificent Tom Harrell stands out, who is already a living "classic" because he belongs to that narrow category of artists for whom music is synonymous with poetry.
His is a lyrical pace, painful as it is emotional, which from the first notes of the album will not fail to arouse strong and profound emotions in listeners. A genius of his own instrument, who truly lacks nothing: class, suppleness, pathos and artistic integrity. All qualities easily perceivable in this very successful Italian session, in which our man once again knows how to be engaging, delicate, twilight.
And what's more, a magnificent phraseological construction, which affects the entire construction of the solo: the exposition, the paraphrase and the bewitching progression of the coda. Simply amazing.
Just listening to the song that opens the album is enough to savor the timeless soloism of this great trumpeter, who still enchants as he did twenty years ago for the growing intensity with which he approaches the development of the songs performed, arriving like an arrow straight to the heart of the listener.
The reinterpretation of "Poinciana" best summarizes the high level of creativity of the duo, which purifies the Latin accents of the theme, infusing it with a new and original flavor rich in jazz humus.
In short, it is a record that, in terms of quality and intensity, stands up to other significant works by Harrell such as Sail Away and Live at Village Vanguard. To listen to, listen to again and again and cherish it like a precious jewel. - AAJ Italy Staff
Tracks
1 Intro
2 The Nearness of You (H. Carmichael/N. Washington)
3 Lover (R. Rodgers/L. Hart)
4 I Hear A Rhapsody (D. Gasparre/J. Baker)
5 Humanity (E. Morini)
6 Darn That Dream (J. Van Heusen)
7 Poinciana (N. Simon)
TOM HARRELL trumpet, flugelhorn
DADO MORONI piano
Recorder at "Recording Studios Nikto", Milan, Italy on 6 April 2007
Abeat Records ABJZ 051 (Italy)