SLAMCD545 Giancarlo Mazzù & Luciano Troja – Live at the Metropolitan Room NYC

This is the second SLAM release for the Italian guitarist Giancarlo Mazzù and pianist Luciano Troja, who appeared alongside US reedsman Blaise Siwula on ‘D’istante 3’. On this album recorded live in New York City in 2009, the duo plays a great selection of standards, given their own personal treatment.

It is the third CD in the duo’s critically acclaimed series dedicated to the jazz standards repertoire and the first recorded live. Mazzu’ & Troja seek to capture the essence of the songs, as well as the unique atmosphere of the venue – a stage where the great Broadway stars perform nightly – carrying it in their creative improvisation.

Giancarlo Mazzù: guitar
Luciano Troja: piano

“Wow! Real tunes played beautifully with really nice improvisations…they bring a freshness to these old standards. The playing is excellent. I especially love the extended trills Mazzu’ uses on some of the ballads, and Troja knows exactly how to support them. But top it all off, especially on the up tempo pieces, I wanted to get up and dance.” – Bernie Koenig, Cadence

“This is a delightful program as the pair exhibit their chops and play in harmony and in counterpoint with each other…One senses there is not a lot of deviation from a planned program but the program is damned entertaining and fresh, in the same way a duet is between, say, stride pianists: you know where they’re going and where they will end but the dynamics can make for a thrilling ride.” – Zim Tarro, Cadence

“There is an unpretentious honesty to this duo recording that makes it very enjoyable, right from the off…Mazzu’ and Troja adopt a bright and imaginative approach to the task, keeping the music moving along at a brisk pace…The sound quality of the live recording is particularly fine and worthy of comment, as it adds significantly to the discrete and intimate atmosphere in which so much small-group of duet jazz is often performed. Mazzu’ and Troja have pitched the material and their approach to it perfectly to the setting, making this a quite understated but very pleasurable 50 minutes of listening.” – John Adcock, Jazz Journal

“If you want to hear the Great American Song Book played with verve, style and panache, this session is recommended without caveats.” – Jack Kenny, Jazz Views

“I love the way they take these familiar songs and embellish them with surprising twists and turns, never playing it too safe or predictable. Even well-worn chestnuts like “Cheek to Cheek” and “My Funny Valentine” are dusted off and made fresh. At times one would think that two chordal instruments like the piano and guitar would tend to get in each other’s way, but this is never the case here as both musicians respect each other’s abilities and know how to weave the voices together and around one another marvellously.” – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

Recorded 2-track live on April 15, 2009, at the Metropolitan Room, New York City
Recording engineer at the Metropolitan Room NYC: Jean-Pierre Perreaux
Mixed and mastered by Alessandro Luvarà, Spain Audio Studio, Molochio (RC), Italy

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