1. Aritmia
2. Vagabondi delle stelle
3. In Between
4. Cosa sono le nuv
5. Tuareg
6. Choroso
7. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
8. L'amour en fuite
9. La strada invisibile
10. Essa Mulher
11. Yin & Yang
12. Stagione
Rita Marcotulli – Piano
Luciano Biondini – Accordion
Both of these Italian duettists started in classical music and they both love traditional Italian music. They grew to share a love of jazz and have been
playing together in a quartet for some while. The duet format presents challenges and rewards: it challenges them to listen closely to one another and each
to accompany the other. When they get it right, the rewards can be great – and they are on this CD.
The accordion used to be regarded as something of a left-field instrument in jazz. Just a few musicians made their names on the instrument, with such
artists as Art Van Damme, Joe Mooney and (in Britain) Tito Burns, George Shearing and Jack Emblow outstanding in a comparatively narrow field. Then came a
new generation of accordionists - including Richard Galliano and Luciano Biondini – and the accordion became more acceptable as a jazz instrument.
One problem of a duo, as hinted above, is that there are few permutations available for two instruments. They have to play together or separately but, when
one is soloing, the other has to provide all the accompaniment. This problem arises right from the first track, Aritmia, where the accordion
accompanies the piano (and vice versa) with a series of repeated patterns which can eventually grate on the ear. The same sort of thing happens in the
closing Stagione. Part of the problem arises because both Marcotulli and Biondini are playing keyboard instruments. Elsewhere they manage to make
the accompaniments more varied.
The album is saved by the clear melodic sense that both players possess. Every track is full of tuneful appeal and the kind of melodic structure which
encourages improvisation. This may result from the pair’s Italian heritage, as we know how rich Italy is in song – from folk music to opera and (nowadays)
a plentiful seam of jazz.
This duo’s technique is brilliant and their energy is infectious. But they can also play ballads with simple tenderness, as in Jimmy Webb’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. The sound of the album - recorded in February 2014 in Berlin – is faultless. Recommended.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
ACT 9627-2
