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Reviewers: Don Mather, Marc Bridle, Ian Lace, Peter Woolf, Gerald Fenech

VERSO
De VITO, TAYLOR & TOWNER

Provocateur Records PVC 1023
Provocateur records

 

1. Renewal  2. Scugnizzeide  3. Afterthought  4. Nova luce  5.Al tramonto  6. Verso  7.Chiara  8. I knew it was you.  9. L'ombra e la gracia  10.Redial

Maria Pia De Vito...........Vocals

John Taylor......................Piano

Ralph Towner..................Guitar


I must confess that I approached this album with some apprehensive feelings, it's presentation was unusual, there were no photographs of the musicians (although we managed to track one down)   and not an awful lot of information about them.

Little by little things started to fall into place, John Taylor must be the one who was the pianist in the Ronnie Scott Quintet and I remembered how much I had enjoyed his brilliant playing with Ronnie's band. He is also a professor of Jazz at the Cologne College of Music.

Ralph Towner is one of the world's greatest guitar players, his album "Slide Show" with vibraphone player Gary Burton should be in everyone's jazz collection.

By now the apprehension was slipping away and I was looking forward to the music.

Maria Pia De Vito was not known to me, but I read from the album notes that she has worked with Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Joshua Redman and many of the other jazz greats. Maria is a very polished singer indeed and her classical training shows in the excellent intonation present at all times in her singing.

All of the tracks are original compositions by members of the group, my favourite is Renewal, but all are interesting. Apparently the album came about through a chance meeting of the three in a restaurant, after Ralph Towner had heard a concert by De Vito and Taylor in Rocella Ionica in Italy. Colin Towns who is very active on the London jazz scene, arranged for the recording to be made in London in January and February of this year. 

Does it work? Well yes it does, you need to approach it with an open mind and let the music wash over you! If you can manage that, it is very enjoyable and rewarding.

In the notes the lyrics are translated from the Neapolitan, I did not find much use for that, but it must have been quite feat! I did not need to know what the songs were about, I was happy to listen to the work of three jazz masters and enjoy the whole album of wonderful sound they have created.

I give this album a BUY recommendation.

Reviewer

Don Mather

 


Reviewer

Don Mather



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