Recorded and mixed at C.I.M. Studio, Verona, Italy, in July 1985 by Claudio Figna, assisted by Sbibu Sguazzabia and Roberto Soggetti; digitally remastered at Blue Train’s Studio, Mira (Venezia), Italy, in December 2019, by Giorgio Spolaor.
Historical Tapes℗1987–2020
Uscito all’epoca solo come Lp, da tempo ormai introvabile, viene finalmente ripubblicato su Cd il primo disco da leader del veronese Bruno Marini, allora appena ventiseienne ma già fra i più originali ed ispirati specialisti italiani del sax baritono, strumento certamente poco agile, ma che vanta nel jazz un congruo numero di maestri, che vanno da Harry Carney a Gerry Mulligan, da Serge Chaloff a John Surman. Marini, che ha suonato ed inciso con la Keptorchestra (con ospiti come Steve Lacy e Joe Lovano), ma anche con Anthony Braxton e Bobby Durham, Han Bennink e John Tchicai, da molti anni ormai alterna questo strumento all’organo hammond, con cui ha ottenuto apprezzamenti altrettanto lusinghieri, avvicinandosi molto, in questo caso, al blues. È bello riascoltare un quartetto che suona, a distanza di trentacinque anni, ancora fresco ma soprattutto affiatato ed omogeneo, arrivato a questa prima registrazione con l’umiltà e la consapevolezza di chi aveva già più di qualche anno di prove e di concerti alle spalle. È un jazz brillante e moderno il loro, lontano dalle forme manieristiche di molto hard bop a quel tempo di moda. I brani sono tutti originali, quattro di Bruno Marini e due del pianista del gruppo, Marcello Tonolo – l’ultimo, eseguito in trio, ha un sapore fortemente evansiano – che offre, ben coadiuvato dal solido contrabbasso di Marc Abrams e dalla pulsante batteria di Valerio Abeni, un sostegno sempre calzante e raffinato ai voli solistici del sax baritono del leader, privo di timori reverenziali nei confronti dei maestri che l’hanno ispirato.
Si passa così dal danzante e cantabile tre quarti di Alyke alla più crepuscolare, quasi notturna Backbiter, ballad morbida ed avvolgente, dal sostenuto e fluido medium di Screech all’incalzante incedere ritmico di Drawing, forte di uno swing contagioso, sino alla più articolata Trick, che mette in risalto l’originale stile compositivo di un Tonolo trentenne ma già maturo e perfettamente riconoscibile. Con «Bruno Marini 4» riscopriamo anche una copertina che in quegli anni destò molto scalpore, per via di una sensuale donna–angelo che esce dalla campana del sax, disegnata dal geniale fumettista Milo Manara.
Published only as Lp and unfindable for a long time, the first album as leader by Bruno Marini has finally been released on cd. Despite the musician from Verona being only 26 at the time, he was already one of the most original and inspired Italian specialists of baritone sax, which is for sure a rather uncomfortable instrument even if it boasts a few masters, from Harry Carney to Gerry Mulligan, from Serge Chaloff to John Surman. Marini, who played and recorded with Keptorchestra (Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano were among the guests of this big band), but also with Anthony Braxton and Bobby Durham, Han Bennink and John Tchicai, has alternated that instrument with the Hammond organ, creating a blues sound which earned him equal gratifying praise. It is nice to listen again to a quartet which still sounds fresh but most of all close–knit and homogeneous, even after thirty–five years. It managed to record the album with the humility and awareness of those having years of rehearsals and concerts behind them. Theirs is still brilliant and modern jazz, much different from the hard bop popular at the time and its mannerist style. The tracks are all original, four of them composed by Bruno Marini and two by the pianist Marcello Tonolo, the last song, played as a trio, strongly recalls Bill Evans. Tonolo’s piano, well–assisted by Marc Abrams’s solid double bass and Valerio Abeni’s throbbing drums, always offers an appropriate and refined support to the solo flights of the leader, who is never in awe of the masters who inspired him.
The music goes from the dancing and cantabile 3/4 of Alyke to the more crepuscular, almost nocturnal Backbiter, a tender and fascinating ballad, from the sostenuto and fluid medium of Screech to the insistent rhythm of Drawing, which features infectious swing, or to the more articulated Trick, which emphasizes the original music composing process of Tonolo, who was thirty at the time but already mature and perfectly recognizable. With «Bruno Marini 4» we also rediscover a cover which caused a sensation at the time because of a sensual woman–angel, drew by the brilliant cartoonist Milo Manara, coming out of the sax bell.
credits
released October 31, 2020
Bruno Marini (baritone sax), Marcello Tonolo (piano),
Marc Abrams (double bass), Valerio Abeni (drums).
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