Lanfranco Malaguti - Parole, Parole... (1992)

Lanfranco Malaguti was one of the most popular Italian jazz guitarists. Originally from Rome, where he graduated from Sapienza and also grew artistically. He then lived in Fontanelle, in the province of Treviso, from 1978 to 2011, where he joined his activity as a mathematics teacher with that of a jazz musician. He participated in numerous radio and television broadcasts in Italy, composing some television theme songs for RAI. He participated in numerous reviews and jazz festivals and in particular with Enzo Pietropaoli and Fabrizio Sferra, in 1989 (as the only Italian jazz group), he played with this trio at the "XXI International Festival" of La Spezia and again in 1991 at the "International review" at the Orfeo theater in Milan. In 1989, with Enzo Pietropaoli and Fabrizio Sferra, he released Something, his best-known album, containing exclusively Beatles covers. Also, in 1989 he won the “Top Jazz” award for best new talent. For this album he joins forces with the exuberant tenorist Stefano D'Anna, his stalwart bassist Enzo Pietropaoli and powerful drummer Roberto Gatto. The album covers a broad range of contemporary Italian jazz and popular tunes and the quartet is in top form, clearly interpreting their national heritage with great emotion which demands further listening to truly appreciate the coming together of these wonderful musicians, enjoy! 

Splasc(H) Records, CDH 706.2, 2000
Recorded January, 1992 at Farm Studio's, Cessalto, Treviso, Italy 

Musicians:
Lanfranco Malaguti - Guitar
Stefano D'Anna - Tenor Saxophone
Enzo Pietropaoli - Bass
Roberto Gatto - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Parole, Parole... {Giancarlo Del Re, Gianni Ferrio, Leo Chiosso} (4:21)
02. Domenica Bestiale {Fabio Concato} (4:29)
03. Mi Sono Innamorato Di Te {Luigi Tenco} (6:06)
04. Che Cosa C'è {Gino Paoli} (5:26)
05. Amorevole {Pino Massara, Vito Pallavicini} (6:22)
06. Quando, Quando {Tony Renis} (4:24)
07. Estate {Bruno Martino} (4:05)
08. Margherita {Riccardo Cocciante} (7:05)
09. Anna Verrà {Pino Daniele} (4:09)
10. Soli {Bruno Canfora, Castellano & Pipolo} (6:21)
11. Frida {Fred Bongusto} (4:48)
12. Donne {Zucchero Fornaciari} (7:18) 

Total Time: 64:58 

Credits:
Producer - Lanfranco Malaguti
Sound Engineer - Maurizio Soranzo
Graphic Design - Luigi Naro
Photography [Cover] - Peppo Spagnoli
Liner Notes [English Texts] - Pete Kercher
Liner Notes [Italian] - Davide Ielmini 

Parole, Parole...

Enzo Pietropaoli, Battista Lena, Fulvio Sigurtà - La Notte (2012)

This trio (Enzo Pietropaoli, bass; Battista Lena, guitar; Fulvio Sigurtà, trumpet and flugelhorn) takes me back over the years. As Pietropaoli himself notes, 'by studying the past one learns for the future'. And in fact, the great inertia of the music performed brings to mind, at least in my personal imagination, perhaps due to books and films read and seen, smoky but quiet rooms of some Parisian "cave". The lack of drums contributes to this feeling of relaxation, and this also determines the title of the CD (indeed, the SuperAudioCD, made in Volterra with remarkable recording techniques). But what you listen to is not a classic evening "entertainment" disc in the company of a beautiful woman, far from it. The starting point is certainly one of those "drumless" Chet Baker formations, even if the drama of Chet himself is missing here, but the search for the sounds that the trio creates produces a very personal result. This is certainly due to the skills of the individual musicians, each a champion of their own instrument, even if personally I prefer Sigurtà on the trumpet rather than the flugelhorn. The remarkable interplay between the various components facilitates listening in a dynamic way: Sigurtà's trumpet stands out above all, even for its sonority, but the "dark" work of Lena and Pietropaoli's strings gives the music very interesting dynamics. Surely the aforementioned CD recording techniques also increase these sensations. A very pleasant job: in times when everyone "screech", such productions do more than good for our ears! Best moments: 'Il Cuore E L’Azzurro', with an introduction by Pietropaoli and Lena, and 'La Notte', an opening piece that also traces the direction of the record. A piece that, personally, I did not find adequate for the aesthetics of the whole work is the final piece by Cole Porter, too swinging and manneristic. ~ by Maurizio Zorzi, Free Fall [Translated From Italian] 

Fonè Jazz, 126 SACD, 2012
Recorded August 2012 at Teatro Persio Flacco, Volterra (PI) 

Musicians:
Enzo Pietropaoli - Double Bass
Battista Lena - Guitar
Fulvio Sigurtà - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Tracks:
01. La Notte {Battista Lena} (6:25)
02. Tre Voci {Enzo Pietropaoli} (2:53)
03. Follow The Heron {Karine Polwart} (4:26)
04. Agostino {Battista Lena} (4:25)
05. L'Ombra Della Sera {Battista Lena} (5:44)
06. El Vuelo De Lobato {Enzo Pietropaoli} (2:54)
07. Peach Trees {Rufus Wainwright} (5:46)
08. Turn Out The Stars {Bill Evans} (6:11)
09. Canzone Per Chiamarti {Enzo Pietropaoli} (4:00)
10. Polecra's Spring {Fulvio Sigurtà} (5:01)
11. Il Cuore E L'Azzurro {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:31)
12. All Through The Night {Cole Porter} (7:09) 

Total Time: 58:29 

Credits:
Producer, Conception - Giulio Cesare Ricci
Recording - Giulio Cesare Ricci
Recording Assistant - Paola Liberato
Digital DSD Editing - Antonio Verderi
Art Direction - Cecilia Valli
Cover Photo - Chiara Pietropaoli
Liner Notes [Italian] - Battista Lena, Enzo Pietropaoli, Fulvio Sigurtà

Enrico Pieranunzi, Enzo Pietropaoli, Roberto Gatto - Moon Pie (1987)

Here we have an early trio grouping of Italian piano/keyboardist Enrico Pieranunzi joined by compatriots, bassist Enzo Pietropaolo and drummer Roberto Gatto. Recorded in mid-1987, at a time when jazz fusion was evolving and it's no surprise that this trio portrays their ability to adapt to the times. As a result, the band favours utilising the modern sounds of electric piano, synthesizer on Enrico's part but also the inclusion of electric guitar and bass by Enzo with Roberto's dynamism matching in. The twelve tunes found on this album are composed and split equally amongst both Enrico and Enzo. Many recent Enrico Pieranunzi fans will be initially confused as to what's happened to Enrico's normal classic acoustic trio formation. All the compositions are relatively short, the longest being just three a half minutes, but don't be put off because these musicians are masters of their individual instruments and can easily adapt and improvise with the ability to play all styles of jazz. Listeners will be enthralled by the sonic range of the tunes, being swept along by the power of musicianship of the group leaving them with an experience and journey of pure entertainment, something that can be enjoyed over and over. 

yvp music, 3011, 1987
YVP Music, yvp music 3011 CD, 1991
Recorded May-June, 1987 at Soundvideocat Studios, Rome, Italy 

Musicians:
Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer
Enzo Pietropaoli - Bass, Guitar
Roberto Gatto - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Today {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:01)
02. Occasions {Enrico Pieranunzi} (2:35)
03. Martina {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:12)
04. Skies {Enrico Pieranunzi} (3:35)
05. Before The Wind {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:37)
06. I'm Looking For You {Enrico Pieranunzi} (3:18)
07. No Exchanges {Enrico Pieranunzi} (3:01)
08. Autobahn {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:18)
09. Uptown Style {Enrico Pieranunzi} (3:01)
10. After The Rain {Enzo Pietropaoli} (3:29)
11. Blue And Golden {Enrico Pieranunzi} (3:06)
12. Speedy Girl {Enzo Pietropaoli} (2:57) 

Total Time: 38:10 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - York v. Prittwitz
Recording Engineer - Gianrico La Rosa
Cover Photo - Micha Wolfson
Cover Design - Michael Koehler
Notes [Translation] - Claudia v. Prittwitz

Phil Woods & Space Jazz Trio - Phil's Mood (1990)

Phil Woods has made many fine recordings for Philology, the Italian label named in his honor, and this one is no exception. He's backed by the Space Jazz Trio, anchored by the fine pianist Enrico Pieranunzi (who wrote nine of the 11 compositions heard here) and also featuring bassist Enzo Pietropaoli (who contributed the two takes of "Upstairs") and drummer Alfred Kramer. Woods' potent alto brings out the best in the pianist's strong post-bop charts, especially the driving "New Lands," the lyrical ballad "Chet," and the bittersweet waltz "Hindsight," which features Woods' hypnotic clarinet. ~ by Ken Dryden, Amazon.com. 

Philology Records, W 27.2, 1990
Recorded 15th November, 1988 at Soundvideocat Studios, Rome, Italy 

Musicians:
Phil Woods - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet
Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano
Enzo Pietropaoli - Bass
Alfred Kramer - Drums 

Tracks:
01. New Lands [Take 2] {Pieranunzi} (6:07)
02. Night Bird [Take 1] {Pieranunzi} (6:34)
03. Chet {Pieranunzi} (6:38)
04. Phil's Mood {Pieranunzi} (5:58)
05. Blue Ballad {Pieranunzi} (6:34)
06. Upstairs [Take 2] {Pietropaoli} (4:18)
07. Hindsight {Pieranunzi} (6:31)
08. New Lands [Take 1] {Pieranunzi} (4:39)
09. Upstairs [Take 1] {Pietropaoli} (4:46)
10. New Lands [Take 3] {Pieranunzi} (5:50)
11. Night Bird [Take 2] {Pieranunzi} (7:01) 

Total Time: 65:00 

Credits:
Producer - Paolo Piangiarelli
Photography - Carlo Pieroni
Graphics - Maria Virginia Piangiarelli
Liner Notes - Richard Palmer

Enrico Pieranunzi - In That Dawn Of Music (1990-93)

A marvelous compilation of works by Enrico Pieranunzi spanning the years 1990 till 1993. All tracks are taken from live dates spread across venues in Denmark, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. As a result, he is accompanied by unique players from those countries whilst on tour. Many of these groupings have appeared on some of his Soul Note records from this period, but like other ‘giveaways’ by the Musica Jazz magazine these tracks have been compiled from unreleased ‘live’ recordings. So many thanks to that magazine for promoting and perpetuating another fantastic resource for Jazz Lovers throughout the world. 

Musica Jazz/Soul Note, SNMJ 003-2, 1993
13th August, 1990 (#1) Broadcast from Danish Radio, Copenhagen, Denmark
12th March 1993 (#2) at Ivrea Jazz Festival, Turin, Italy
27th August, 1992 (#3) at Roccella Ionica, Calabria, Italy
21st November, 1992 (#4) at "Fabrik", Hamburg, Germany
13th December, 1990 (#5) Broadcast, Radio Suisse Romande, Lausanne, Switzerland
27th August, 1992 (#6) Live at Roccella Ionica, Calabria, Italy
18th April, 1990 (#7) in Rome, Italy
20th November, 1992 (#8) at "Jazzhouse", Copenhagen, Denmark 

Musicians:
Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano (All Tracks)
Pietro Tonolo - Tenor Saxophone (#4)
Stefano D'Anna - Tenor Saxophone (#7)
Mads Vinding - Bass (#1)
Enzo Pietropaoli - Bass (#4,7,8)
Marc Johnson - Bass (#5)
Alex Riel - Drums (#1)
Paul Motian - Drums (#3,6)
Fabrizio Sferra - Drums (#4,8)
Roberto Gatto - Drums (#7) 

Tracks:
1. Someday My Prince Will Come {Larry Morey, Frank Churchill} (7:57)
2. Impromptu No. 5 {Enrico Pieranunzi} (4:30)
3. Anthropology {Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie} (6:52)
4. What's What {Enrico Pieranunzi} (12:06)
5. Je Ne Sais Quoi {Enrico Pieranunzi} (8:52)
6. Straight No Chaser {Thelonious Monk} (4:48)
7. In That Dawn Of Music {Enrico Pieranunzi} (7:39)
8. Someday My Prince Will Come {Larry Morey, Frank Churchill} (11:22) 

Total Time: 64:06 

Notes:
Given away free with "Musica Jazz" Magazine, n. 10/93

Paolo Fresu - Here Be Changes Made (2002)

Here we have an excellent compilation gleaned from Italian maestro trumpeter Paolo Fresu's prolific discography, especially so from his earlier albums. Many of the compositions appeared on his Italian Splasc(h) and French Owl and BMG/RCA Victor releases. This disc came bundled with the Musica Jazz Magazine and includes three unissued tracks. From 1985 till now he has been a force majeure on both the continent and abroad. There's not much more to add other than just sit back and enjoy! 

Musica Jazz, MJCD1148, 2002 

Musicians:
Paolo Fresu - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Tino Tracanna - Tenor Saxophone
Roberto Cipelli - Piano
Nguyen Le - Guitar
Enzo Pietropaoli - Bass
Ettore Fioravanti - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Here Be Changes Made (2:59)
02. Tempête À Florence (5:12)
03. Ton Kohz (2:06)
04. Tango Della Buona Aria (4:14)
05. Ninna Nanna Per Vale (4:19)
06. Nautilus (3:10)
07. Wanderlust [Composition N.5 - KM.5341] (4:47)
08. Palazzina Americana (5:44)
09. Start Eleven O'Clock [Dedicated To Antonin Artaud] (3:01)
10. From Station To Station (3:39)
11. Ossi Di Seppia (4:47)
12. Onomatopée [Da Un Testo Di Raymond Queneau] (1:43)
13. Cortoum (4:57)
14. Mélos [Variazione Nove] (4:39)
15. L'Homme Nu (4:42)
16. Opale (4:55)
17. L'Indagine (3:13)
18. Variazione Tre [Tema di Mirphy] (4:27)
19. Madre Notte (3:21) 

Total Time: 75:54