DAN BARRETT’S NEW YORK CITY TOUR (Part Two)
In my previous posting about Dan Barrett’s October 15, 2009, gig with Ehud Asherie, I concentrated on the lovely hot sounds this duo made. Late in the hour-long session they were joined by one of Ehud’s friends, altoist Luigi Grasso — a genuine marvel, as you’ll hear for yourself. Luigi is 23 — yes, only 23 — and he hails from Arianoirpino, Italy. And he plays like a dream — serious allegiance to early Charlie Parker, but Luigi has his own energy and passion, rather than simply being a fledgling. Ehud and Dan had played splendidly as a duo, but when Luigi showed up he became (without any particular motive of his own, I would guess) the kind of catalyst that my high school chemistry class never encountered. Luigi balances sweetness and muscle, and he is an intuitive player — so the potentially unusual blend of trombone, alto, and piano, never seems ungainly. Thanks, of course, to Dan and Ehud — two sublime players who know what it is to blend, to vary, to support.
This little session began with PLEASE DON’T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I’M GONE:
That cheerful jogging music led to a real surprise: the moody SOME OTHER SPRING, always associated with Billie Holiday, and an emotional highlight of this or any other jazz evening:
Where to go from that peak? A familiar romp, on WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM:
And, finally, what used to be commonplace but is almost a rarity — a medium-tempo themeless blues, suggesting Kansas City or perhaps Wichita in 1940, more or less:
Faithful readers will notice that I’ve commented less than usual on this music: all I want to write is WOW!
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