Aldo Romano Quartet - Jazz À Porquerolles (2008)

Here we have a splendid concert by the Aldo Romano Quartet comprised of some of the best jazz musicians coming out of Europe. Drummer Aldo Romano has over many decades continued to composed and assemble an amazing array of bands showcasing his music. Many musicians have come into their own as a result of his expressive appeal through his love of jazz. This quartet is no exception, whereby he is joined by Italian virtuoso clarinetist Mauro Negri, the exciting French saxophonist Géraldine Laurent and bassist Henri Texier. Essentially, this band appears on Aldo's "Just Jazz" album released on Dreyfus Jazz (2008) with many of the tunes included here. The majority of the tunes for this date are penned by Aldo with the exception of two "Black And Blue" and "Maple Leaf Rag". The group as a whole presents an excellent program that truly verifies the soaring individual talents of all players, enjoy! 

Mezzo Live
Recorded during 2008 at Jazz à Porquerolles, Parc National de Port-Cros, France 

Musicians:
Aldo Romano - Drums
Géraldine Laurent - Saxophone
Mauro Negri - Clarinet
Henri Texier - Double Bass 

Tracks:
1. Blue Bamboo Blue (Aldo Romano)
2. Cité Soleil (Aldo Romano)
3. Chick Webb (Aldo Romano)
4. Handle With Care (Aldo Romano)
5. Black And Blue (Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Harry Brooks)
6. Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin)
7. Lontananza (Aldo Romano) 

Total Time: 52:37

Aldo Romano - Complete Communion To Don Cherry (2010)

At the helm of an Italian-French quartet composed of Fabrizio Bosso, Géraldine Laurent and Henri Texier, Aldo Romano pays homage to the figure of Don Cherry with the twelve tracks of Complete Communion, an impromptu project that later became stable and today a record for Dreyfus. It is a journey of great impact through the artistic journey of the American trumpeter - who passed away fifteen years ago - where several of his compositions are investigated, completed by some passages signed by Ornette Coleman and a single original title. At the heart of the proposed music is the great harmony between the members of the group - each with remarkable technical and expressive qualities -, the desire to elevate the music towards moments of absolute value and the desire to remember a musician who has a good slice of jazz was decisive. The album does not present - as one might have imagined - great moments of avant-garde tension and improvisation, while a sufficiently linear mainstream prevails. Modern record in being so tied to tradition, but sparkling and proactive in its decisive pace, which never loses the thread of the narrative discourse. Music with smooth outlines, but with points of interest within, such as the leader's inexorable and elegant drumming, the precision of sound developed by Bosso and the flexibility of Géraldine Laurent's interventions. An excellent opportunity, therefore, for those who want to frame the figure of Don Cherry differently, as well as for those - albeit out of time - who want to get closer to this essential icon. ~ by AAJI Staff, AAJ. 

Dreyfus Jazz, FDM 46050369662, 2010
Recorded 22nd & 23rd February, 2010 

Musicians:
Aldo Romano - Drums
Fabrizio Bosso - Trumpet
Géraldine Laurent - Saxophone
Henri Texier - Bass 

Tracklist:
01. Remembrance {Don Cherry} (5:25)
02. Elephantasy {Don Cherry} (5:18)
03. Music Man {Don Cherry} (4:20)
04. Spring Is Here {Don Cherry} (4:24)
05. Jayne {Ornette Coleman} (4:01)
06. Complete Communion {Don Cherry} (3:17)
07. Don Song {Don Cherry} (2:17)
08. The Blessing {Ornette Coleman} (5:02)
09. Mother Of The Veil {Ornette Coleman} (3:47)
10. Gush !! {Aldo Romano} (2:42)
11. Art Deco {Don Cherry} (4:05)
12. When Will The Blues Leave {Ornette Coleman} (4:12) 

Total Time: 48:50 

Credits:
Producer - Aldo Romano, Francis Dreyfus
Recording Engineer - Jeff Ginouvès
Recording Assistant - Cécile Coutelier
Mixing & Mastering Engineer - René Ameline
Mixing Assistant - Guillaume Dujardin
Mastering Assistant - Benjamin Joubert
Photos - Jean-Baptiste Millot
Artwork - Suite 303
Liner Notes - Philippe Carles

Géraldine Laurent - Around Gigi (2010)

For this album Géraldine Laurent moves away from her previous trio formation with just bassist Yoni Zelnik and drummer Franck Agulhon, to now evolve into a quartet with the addition of pianist Pierre de Bethmann. In doing so there is no faltering in Géraldine's ability to adapt and with this transition her power of expression remains intact, impeccably aided by this new grouping. The results are conclusive; whilst offering the listener a re-discovery of the music of too little-known past veteran Gigi Gryce. The group interprets his work with convincing enthusiasm and dexterity. Adding a pianist certainly raises the dynamism of the group up a couple of notches. Along with Gigi's tunes Géraldine forges ahead with five of her own and the set is rounded off with three well delivered standards. From the outset, the tone (the groove!) is set, enjoy! 

Dreyfus Jazz, FDM 46050 369562, 2010
Recorded 19th-21st January, 2010 At Studios Ferber, Paris, France 

Musicians:
Géraldine Laurent - Alto Saxophone
Pierre de Bethmann - Piano
Yoni Zelnik - Bass
Franck Agulhon - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Black And Tan Fantasy {Bubber Miley, Duke Ellington} (5:52)
02. Kerry Dance {Traditional, Arr. Gigi Gryce} (5:21)
03. Cordova Is Dancing {Géraldine Laurent} (4:17)
04. Minority {Gigi Gryce} (5:39)
05. Did You Remember You {Géraldine Laurent} (4:56)
06. Mau Mau {Art Farmer} (6:29)
07. Nica's Tempo {Gigi Gryce} (4:59)
08. Her Bets {Géraldine Laurent} (3:27)
09. Gallop's Gallop {Thelonious Monk} (1:41)
10. Smash {Géraldine Laurent} (4:04)
11. Smoke Signal {Gigi Gryce} (3:52)
12. Chains Smokers {Géraldine Laurent} (3:01) 

Total Time: 53:39 

Credits:
Producer - Francis Dreyfus
Engineer, Mastering - René Ameline
Engineer [Assistant] - Guillaume Dujardin
Mastering [Assistant] - Benjamin Joubert
Photography - Sylvain Gripoix
Photography [Pages 3 & 4] - Jean-Baptiste Millot
Artwork - Suite 303

Géraldine Laurent - At Work (2015)

A very personal approach to the alto saxophone, an incandescent playing whose sentences are imbued with an always surprising lyricism, a sound which belongs only to her: Géraldine Laurent is one of those figures who have proved that they have their word to say and that jazz was not just a men's business. 

Born in 1975 in Niort, Géraldine began her musical studies with the classical piano then with the saxophone at the age of 13. When she came of age, she was quickly noticed for her talent as a sidewoman and at 30 she took the plunge to form her own group, the Time Out Trio, in the company of double bass player Yoni Zelnik and drummer Laurent Bataille, with whom she skimmed the stages. national and international. 

Impressed by the volcanic sincerity of her playing, producer Francis Dreyfus invited her to join his label Dreyfus Jazz for which she recorded Time Out Trio (2007) and Around Gigi (2010). When the producer disappears, Géraldine leaves the label and takes part in a collective around the music of Charlie Parker with Manu Codjia on guitar and Christophe Marguet on drums. Together they record Looking for Parker (2013), an explosive record of delightful modernity. During this time, she does not neglect her pleasures as a sidewoman alongside Aldo Romano, Henri Texier, Ricardo Del Fra, Rhoda Scott or Terez Montcalm. 

In 2015, Géraldine decided to resume her career as a leader and gathered around her a group bringing together the rising stars of the new generation: Paul Lay on the piano, Donald Kontomanou on drums and the faithful Yoni Zelnik on the double bass. The resulting disc, At Work, is made up for the most part of personal compositions and a few historical standards, all approached with disconcerting freshness. To hear the result, one wonders what is the secret of Geraldine to keep intact the great lyrical tradition of jazz while radically renewing it with so much naturalness and talent. The answer is undoubtedly in her stubbornness to be in the music, always at work. ~ Inclinaisons.com. [Translated from French] 

Gazebo Records, GAZ 123, 2015
Recorded & Mastered in March, 2015 at MidiLive Studios (France) 

Musicians:
Géraldine Laurent - Alto Saxophone
Paul Lay - Piano
Yoni Zelnik - Double Bass
Donald Kontomanou - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Odd Folk {Géraldine Laurent} (3:19)
2. At Work {Géraldine Laurent} (6:15)
3. Another Dance {Géraldine Laurent} (5:12)
4. N-C Way {Géraldine Laurent} (7:01)
5. Room Number 3 {Géraldine Laurent} (5:50)
6. Up To It {Géraldine Laurent} (6:48)
7. Chora Coraçao {Antônio Carlos Jobim} (5:32)
8. Epistrophy {Thelonious Monk} (6:19)
9. Goodbye Porkpie Hat {Charles Mingus} (4:12) 

Total Time: 51:28 

Credits:
Producer - Laurent De Wilde
Executive Producer - Hélène Lifar
Recording & Mastering - Dominique "Dume" Poutet
Photography - Steve Wells
Photos [Session] - Benoît Erwann Boucherot
Artwork - Ugo Cab