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Giancarlo Mazzù - Luciano Troja:
Seven Tales about Standards
(Luciano Troja Website)
2005 Splasc(H) Records
With:
Luciano Troja on Piano
Giancarlo Mazzù on Nylon String Guitar
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
April 12, 2009
This CD is a duo recording from Italy, created by Luciano Troja, on piano, and Giancarlo Mazzù, on nylon string guitar. Troja and Mazzù draw on the essence of each standard and extend phrases, change key, mix the tempos, and add other unique ornamentations that allow the listener to experience the standard in serendipitous configurations. The duo improvises guitar-piano conversations that showcase and overlap musical impressions.
Notable tracks:
#2 – Mack the Knife – Composed by Kurt Weill. Mazzù opens this standard with solo off-key guitar, in a soft, distant motif. Soon rambunctious guitar chords pick up the tempo, before Troja’s piano rolls in carrying the lead. Mazzù creates an ethereal finale.
#3 – My Funny Valentine – Composed by Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart. This is a mesmerizing version of a favorite standard, with Troja mixing styles from melodic and melancholy to atonal and turbulent. Mazzù opens the track and then switches to quasi-Spanish guitar, with exotic flourishes and vibrant accompaniment.
#6 – When I Fall In Love – Composed by Edward Heyman-Victor Young. Troja leads this standard, in extra-slow, meandering melancholia. Mazzù juxtaposes an off-key guitar backdrop that lends an introspective quality to the listening. The ultimate effect is quite tranquil and engaging.
#7 – Take the “A” Train – Composed by Billy Strayhorn. In a very bluesy style, Troja and Mazzù twist this standard into new musical imagery and produce a fascinating take on a renowned jazzy theme. There are bits of honky-tonk, New Orleans style, and there are bits of swing, New York style. Troja and Mazzù have masterfully designed one-of-a-kind interpretations of popular standards.
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