Aldo Romano' New Blood - Plays "The Connection" (2013)

Drummer septuagenarian Aldo Romano has extensive flight hours, both as an instrumentalist and composer. Besides having played with many jazz musicians across generations, he has also served as a mentor on a number of albums involving musicians from the next generation, something that is equivalent to Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers. Regarding genre, Aldo is not tied to a single perspective; from straight-ahead to avant-garde he played without exception, including with Steve Lacy in the politically flavored The Sun (Emanem Records, 2012), to the release of Inner Smile for the Dreyfus Jazz label (2011). Now he is back through the New Blood quartet with the alto saxophonist Baptiste Herbin, pianist Alessandro Lanzoni and contrabassist Michel Benita launching Plays "The Connection" under the auspices of Dreyfus Jazz. Together with the three colleagues, Aldo brought ten post-bop numbers which started with the fast pace of "Who Killed Cock Robin" then swung a swing in "Wigglin'" as well as blasts of Parkerian virtuosic saxophone by Baptiste while playing the bebop acceleration "Music Forever." Followed by an insertion of the free improvised phrase "Theme For Sister Salvation," the four of them swayed again in a minor pace of "Jim Dunn's Dilemma" decorated with Baptiste's extensive solo while the drummer and pianist Alessandro demonstrated his skill when he performed "O.D. (Overdose)" as well as a piano composition without the accompaniment of "Conception." Complementing the high-tension action, the ballad number "Murmur" is presented sweetly in the format of a conventional trio piano as well as elegantly played by Aldo, Alessandro and Michel who play very smoothly. Likewise, the finish of "Ballade For Jackie" which seems to be for the saxophone legend Jackie McLean, was stated by Baptiste Herbin's soft gusts that closed the meeting. ~ Thomas Y. Anggoro, wartajazz.com. [Translated from Indonesian]

Dreyfus Jazz, FDM 4605036984, 2013
Recorded 28th-29th May, 2012, Paris, France 

Musicians:
Aldo Romano - Drums
Baptiste Herbin - Alto Saxophone
Alessandro Lanzoni - Piano, Solo (#9)
Michel Benita - Double Bass 

Tracks:
01. Who Killed Cock Robin {Freddie Redd} (3:54)
02. Wigglin' {Freddie Redd} (4:34)
03. Music Forever {Freddie Redd} (3:58)
04. Time To Smile {Freddie Redd} (4:12)
05. Theme For Sister Salvation {Freddie Redd} (3:02)
06. Jim Dunn's Dilemma {Freddie Redd} (2:58)
07. O.D. [Overdose] {Freddie Redd} (3:04)
08. Murmur {Aldo Romano} (5:41)
09. Conception {George Shearing} (2:40)
10. Ballade For Jackie {Baptiste Herbin} (4:29) 

Total Time: 38:32

A new album for the drummer Aldo Romano, who, at 70, multiplies his collaborations. This new formation is particularly like him, he who likes nothing so much as playing with the new generation of jazz (the saxophonist Baptiste Herbin: 25 years old! Or the young Italian pianist Alessandro Lanzoni, best young soloist at the international Martial Solal competition in 2010) and sure values: Michel Benita on the double bass. In 1959, the "Living Theater", a New York experimental theater troupe created Jack Gelber's play "The Connection". It's a room within the room; producer Jim Dunn and screenwriter Jaybird want to show the bottom of the lives of hard drug addicts. It's a closed session in a slum rented by a madman, there are four or five lost and a jazz quartet playing while waiting for the dealer "Cowboy". The play, which will be the subject of a film directed by Shirley Clarke in 1961, will be shot in New York, London, Los Angeles, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, with the Living Theater and a jazz quartet led by pianist Freddie Redd and Jackie McLean on alto sax. The music was recorded by the "Blue Note" brand in 1960. Today, with "New Blood", Aldo Romano takes up the music of Freddie Redd out of respect for the heavy price paid by the jazzmen of that time, who died drugged in the general indifference of a society that has understood nothing about their music. ~ disquesdreyfus.com. [Translated from French]