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| MPS Records: 3 albums by Eugen Cicero - "Mr. Golden Hands" (Release: December 1st, 2017) Born in Romania in 1940, Eugen Cicero performed his first piano concert with a symphony orchestra at the age of six. Abandoning his career as classical concert pianist, Cicero pursued his passion of integrating jazz rhythms, harmonies and improvisation with the music of the classical masters. Cicero recorded over 70 albums, and performed with such prestigious orchestras as the Berlin and Munich Philharmonic. Eugen Cicero - Cicero's Chopin //1966 Cicero's rhythm section, German bassist Peter Witte and Swiss drummer Charly Antolini were the perfect compliments to Cicero's Chopin. For Cicero, "Chopin has always been special for me. I feel him. This sort of sadness and melancholy suits me." Grande Valse Brilliante plays brightly and swings hard, whereas jazz Guru Joachim Berendt calls Prelude in A Major "50% Chopin, 50% Cicero, played as if it was an old jazz standard". Line-Up: Peter Witte (Bass), Charly Antolini (Drums), Eugen Cicero (Piano) Eugen Cicero - Klavierspielereien //1969 Eugen Cicero, the man known as 'Mr. Golden Hands', continues with his masterful mix of jazz and classical styles, once again expertly accompanied by the crack MPS 'house rhythm section' of German bassist Peter Witte and Swiss drummer Charly Antolini. For this outing, the Romanian piano maestro selected popular standards from the Great American Songbook and Romanian folksongs. Line-Up: Peter Witte (Bass), Charly Antolini (Drums), Eugen Cicero (Piano) Eugen Cicero - Balkan Rhapsody //1970 Known for his rhapsodic style, Cicero was acknowledged as an "all-around entertainer, someone who gives a damn about stylistic borders and takes whatever is useful, from Bach to Cole Porter". Cicero's pristine technique and ability to meld the stringent demands of classical with the exploratory improvisation of jazz assured him a large international audience, as attested by this, his seventh MPS album. Line-Up: Johann Anton Rettenbacher (Bass), Charly Antolini (Drums), Eugen Cicero (Piano) MPS Records New Digital Releases Digital Mastered for iTunes Distribution: Edel:Kultur/ Kontor New Media MPS Records Release Date: December 1st, 2017 Mastered for iTunes // 24-bit-Transfer from original master tapes // produced by Dirk Sommer write your comments about the article :: © 2017 Jazz News :: home page |