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| Joey Calderazzo's New Album As the next chapter in his ongoing evolution as a pianist, composer and performer, Marsalis Music artist Joey Calderazzo has created Amanecer. This intensely beautiful collection of solo, duo and trio performances, produced by Branford Marsalis, will be released domestically on June 5, 2007. Calderazzo sees the album as a natural progression from Haiku, his 2004 label release and first all-solo collection. “I've been studying much more music, and dealing with more historical jazz styles,” he explains, “and I've reached a crossroads in my playing. My technique was always good enough to play what I was hearing, but I'm starting to hear things that I can't always play. I could see new ideas coming together on a solo tour early in 2006, so I went into the studio with a list of songs and the experience I gained from playing them on the road, but without a rigid idea of how to approach each piece. The commitment is to allow each performance to stand on its own.” The solo results include new interpretations of two popular Calderazzo compositions, “Midnight Voyage” and “Toonay”; the standards “I've Never Been in Love Before” and “Waltz for Debby”; and a moving version of “Sea Glass,” composed by the late Michael Brecker. The remaining four titles, which feature Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuna and Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo in duet and trio performances, confirm the growing lyricism of Calderazzo's writing and playing. “I find that I can't do justice to some of the songs I write as a solo pianist,” he notes, “and even some of my older things are really meant for a singer. Playing with Claudia and Romero underscores my love of songs, and reminds me that the Beatles, who I grew up listening to, have had as much if not more of an impact on my music than John Coltrane.” The duo performances find Lubambo joining Calderazzo for the pianist's “The Lonely Swan,” which made its debut on the Marsalis Music disc Eternal, while Acuna shares both composing and performing credits on “So Many Moons.” All three musicians are heard on another new Calderazzo composition, “Lara,” as well as on the title track, where Acuna has added Spanish lyrics to the Calderazzo composition that originally appeared on the Michael Brecker disc Two Blocks from the Edge as “Cat's Cradle.” The trio plans to tour domestically later this year. Amanecer has all of the fire and imagination that one has come to expect from Joey Calderazzo, plus a newfound lyricism and sense of risk that may surprise even his longstanding fans. It is the latest confirmation that Calderazzo is one of the most satisfying and constantly surprising musicians on his instrument. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |