Da Roma a New York [LP/CD] in Bloomington, MN

In 1957, Italian jazz composer and arranger
Piero Umiliani
was excited about the jazz renewal that was happening commercially and musically. He felt the success of
Ellington
's band on a global scale, the popularity of
Count Basie
and
Shorty Rogers
, and the work of arrangers like
Gil Evans
, who was creating bold new forms for larger groups.
Da Roma a New York
was written and recorded in 1957 for
RCA Italia
. Uncharacteristically, the label gave
Umiliani
complete freedom in the studio to create and record as he pleased. He enlisted a nonet of notable Italian jazzmen, including trumpeter
Giulio Libano
, who arranged and conducted all of
Chet Baker
's sessions in Milan. All ten tunes are his; and in his liner notes he claims he wanted to express himself "...in a way which was contemporary but classic, without experimental pretensions, focusing on a good sound and effective rhythms." Does he ever succeed! Each of these tracks swings like mad though the vibe is often relaxed. The interplay between musicians -- the way reed, brass, and winds engage with one another in counterpoint, lyric phrase, and extrapolated harmony -- is not only musically sophisticated but utterly enjoyable. The title track, "Blues for Tony Sciacca," and "Vasi a Samo" use the golden age of swing as inspirations, but what transpires is anything but nostalgic. Despite its Pacific Ocean title, "Kon-Tiki" is actually a rhythmic exercise in Afro-Latin jazz with eye-opening contrapuntal interplay between trombone and tenor saxophone. Closer "I Sette Peccati" is a fingerpopping exercise in large group bebop with each soloist getting a chorus to let it rip.
was popular in Italy in the late 1950s. Based on its quality, film director
Mario Monicelli
invited
to score his crime caper/comedy film, I Soliti Ignoti (known in English as Big Deal on Madonna Street). This album is absolutely classic Italian jazz that in its own way began a real creative renaissance. [
Schema
's
Reward
imprint reissue contains pristine sound and the original liner notes in Italian with an English translation.] ~ Thom Jurek