Artist: Giancarlo Mazzù & Luciano Troja
Title: Any Morning
Cat Number: SLAMCD598
Label, Year Released: SLAM Productions, 2019
Format: CD & all digital platforms
Barcode: 5028386713227
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The long-standing duo of guitarist Giancarlo Mazzù and pianist Luciano Troja, return with a selection of their original compositions, on this their fourth SLAM CD, another important milestone on their path together, marking over 15 years of collaboration and music empathy.
‘Any Morning’ presents 10 new original compositions, through which the two musicians open their musical vision to new languages through their mutual sensitivity. The programme traces the duo’s unique style of improvisation based on their own compositions, from baroque to jazz roots, to avant-garde.
The title of the CD, and also the composition, “Any Morning” take inspiration from a poem by the great poet Bill Zavatsky, (from the book “Where X Marks the Spot”). Poet/pianist, Zavatsky is well-known also for the poem “Elegy (for Bill Evans 1929-1980)” composed for the legendary Bill Evans recording “You Must Believe in Spring” and printed on the sleeve of the vinyl album, released 1981.
Giancarlo Mazzù: guitar
Luciano Troja: piano
“Gorgeous interplay is achieved by the duet of pianist Luciano Troja and guitarist Giancarlo Mazzu on this collection of originals. Graceful etudes predominate, with wonderful swaying and intertwining on “Manlight” and the evocative “Stars Over Me.” Romantic moods are in abundance as the two gents create moods to woo on “Afternoon” and the fluid “Lifetime.” The two show how to swing as on the joyful dance of “Any Morning” and the fun stop-start pulse of the dramatic “Before The Wind.” Intelligent conversations.” – George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
“The mood is not especially different from the ‘Songbook’ era, the lessons rotating around elegance and nimbleness, while evoking reminiscences of amorousness, of melancholy. The playing is delicate, then we light upon Manlight – for Manlio Nicosia, a real swinger in which the players’ sensitivity to musicality leans more acutely to the genus that we know as jazz. At the end of all we can claim that it is hardly surprising that the musicians here may wish to add to their lists of influences such names as Bach, Chopin, Coltrane, Davis, Debussy, Dolphy, Towner and Wheeler.” – Ken Cheetham, Jazz Views
Recorded on April 28th, 2019 at 2nd Story Sound, New York City
Sound engineer: M.P.Kuo
Mixed and mastered by Alessandro Luvarà, at Spain Audio Studio, Molochio (RC)