Gianluigi Trovesi Round About Weill CD

Even though the clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi is a prominent figure in Italian jazz avant-garde circles, this generous selection of Kurt Weill themes is a straightforward yet urbane rendition of that composer's always contemporary-sounding music. The able accordion accompaniment by Gianni Coscia also lends the session an old-school cabaret ambience, which is just about essential for a successful realization of Weill's work these days. The playing is fresh and tart, however, with many of the melodies excerpted from the large-scale MAHAGONNY so they are not overly familiar. Actually, the prevalence of the accordion brings the sound even closer in feel to the Nuevo Tango of Astor Piazzolla, blending with the clarinet's similar timbre for a surprisingly intriguing sound throughout the disc. Highlight: a klezmer-like treatment of "Alabama Song" followed by a slow and sweet rhapsodic variation on that celebrated theme.

Photographer: Roberto Masotti.

Translators: Burkhart Kroeber; Alastair McEwen.

Arrangers: Gianluigi Trovesi; Gianni Coscia.

Personnel: Gianluigi Trovesi (piccolo, alto clarinet); Gianni Coscia (accordion).

Recording information: Radio Studio Drs, Zurich, Switzerland (07/2004).

Down Beat (p.68) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]heir penchant for zinging each other with pungent flourishes and asides is very much in evidence..."
JazzTimes (p.106) - "The performances make the most of the timbral possibilities of the accordion-clarinet pairing, investing the pieces with gorgeously spectral harmonies."