Richard Galliano-Brussels Jazz Orchestra • Ten Years Ago

 

Review from All About Jazz (by Chris May):
An energetic recording artist who since 2007 has been averaging three albums a year, accordionist Richard Galliano appears even more prolific because of the quick-fire diversity of contexts in which he places himself -- solo, with his Tangaria quartet, with European and American jazz groups ranging from duos to larger lineups, and with strings. Between them, Galliano's albums have embraced tango, jazz, chanson and the classics. In a long career as leader however, he has never recorded with a big band -- until now and Ten Years Ago, his first release of 2009 and a thumping five-star triumph.

The album partners Galliano with the undersung but brimming-hot Brussels Jazz Orchestra on nine Galliano compositions and Astor Piazolla's "Michelangelo 70." Five of the arrangements are by Galliano, another five by trumpeter and composer Bert Joris. There are just two tangos, "Michelangelo 70" and "Tango Pour Claude," both of them arranged by Galliano, and the main thrust of the album is the American jazz tradition tempered by chanson. In this respect Ten Years Ago resembles its immediate predecessor, Love Day: Los Angeles Sessions (Milan, 2008), made with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Mino Cinelu.

There are few precedents for accordion/big band collaborations -- Gil Evans' orchestra once featured Gil Goldstein, Maria Schneider's Gary Versace -- and no generally accepted arranging parameters. Galliano and Joris approach the project from contrasting, but compatible directions. Galliano plays the orchestra as though it was an accordion, using closely harmonized brass and reed sections to recreate the intense chordal signature of the instrument and its intermittent, percussive, stabbing emphases. The transference is at its most literal in the tangos, both of which are given dramatic, full-on arrangements. On the swinging "Rue De Maubeuge" and "Take Eleven" Galliano stays a little closer to the American jazz big band tradition, with the soft and pretty "Poeme" a chanson-informed interlude.

Joris, who in addition to leading his own small groups has since the late 1970s played in and composed/arranged for many of the leading European big bands, takes a more traditional approach -- but one distinguished by boundless energy and fresh-painted instrumental colors. He brilliantly succeeds in integrating the accordion into the orchestra, alternatively allowing Galliano to ride over screaming brass (as in "Teulada" and "Coloriage"), be caressed by lush, velvety woodwinds (as in "Ten Years Ago" and "Giselle"), or be driven along by raw, Middle Eastern-inspired dance rhythms (as in the closing "Taraf.")

In his liner notes, Galliano dedicates this album to a lover who died ten years ago, and reproduces the words of Guilliaume Apollinaire's anguished lament for lost love, "Le Pont Mirabeau," whose words he says sum up his feeling about the music. More than this, Ten Years Ago evokes the unquenchable vitality that imbued Apollinaire's work, and his own reading of the poem recorded in 1913. Galliano's solos, be they close-to-berserk, two-handed whirlwinds, or, less frequently, quieter lyrical reflections, share the same luminosity. There are strong solos too from Frank Vaganee on soprano saxophone, Kurt Van Herck on tenor, Pierre Drevet on trumpet and Marc Godfroid on trombone. An altogether brilliantly realized album.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-years-ago-richard-galliano-milan-records-review-by-chris-may

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Resena de All About Jazz (por Chris May):
Un artista discografico energico que desde 2007 ha promediado tres albumes por ano, el acordeonista Richard Galliano parece aun mas prolifico por la rapida diversidad de contextos en los que se coloca -- en solitario, con su cuarteto Tangaria, con grupos de jazz europeos y americanos que van desde duos hasta formaciones mas grandes, y con cuerdas. Entre todos ellos, los albumes de Galliano han abarcado el tango, el jazz, la chanson y los clasicos. Sin embargo, en una larga carrera como lider, nunca habia grabado con una big band -- hasta ahora, con Ten Years Ago, su primer lanzamiento de 2009 y un rotundo triunfo de cinco estrellas.

El album asocia a Galliano con la infravalorada pero ardiente Brussels Jazz Orchestra en nueve composiciones de Galliano y "Michelangelo 70" de Astor Piazzolla. Cinco de los arreglos son de Galliano y otros cinco del trompetista y compositor Bert Joris. Solo hay dos tangos, "Michelangelo 70" y "Tango Pour Claude", ambos arreglados por Galliano, y el nucleo del album es la tradicion del jazz americano matizada por la chanson. En este sentido, Ten Years Ago se parece a su predecesor inmediato, Love Day: Los Angeles Sessions (Milan, 2008), grabado con el pianista Gonzalo Rubalcaba, el bajista Charlie Haden y el baterista Mino Cinelu.

Hay pocos precedentes de colaboraciones acordeon/big band -- la orquesta de Gil Evans conto una vez con Gil Goldstein, Maria Schneider con Gary Versace -- y no hay parametros de arreglo generalmente aceptados. Galliano y Joris abordan el proyecto desde direcciones contrastantes pero compatibles. Galliano toca la orquesta como si fuera un acordeon, utilizando secciones de bronces y vientos estrechamente armonizadas para recrear la intensa firma acordal del instrumento y sus enfasis percusivos e intermitentes. La transferencia es mas literal en los tangos, ambos con arreglos dramaticos y a pleno. En el swingueante "Rue De Maubeuge" y "Take Eleven", Galliano se acerca un poco mas a la tradicion americana de la big band de jazz, con el suave y bonito "Poeme" como interludio de influencia chansoniere.

Joris, que ademas de liderar sus propios pequenos grupos ha tocado y compuesto/arreglado desde finales de los 70 para muchas de las principales big bands europeas, adopta un enfoque mas tradicional -- pero distinguido por una energia ilimitada y frescos colores instrumentales. Logra brillantemente integrar el acordeon en la orquesta, permitiendo alternativamente que Galliano cabalge sobre los bronces ensordecedores (como en "Teulada" y "Coloriage"), sea acariciado por maderas suaves y aterciopeladas (como en "Ten Years Ago" y "Giselle"), o sea impulsado por ritmos de danza en bruto e inspirados en Oriente Medio (como en el cierre "Taraf").

En sus notas del liner, Galliano dedica este album a una amante que murio hace diez anos y reproduce las palabras del angustiado lamento de Guillaume Apollinaire por el amor perdido, "Le Pont Mirabeau", cuyas palabras dice que resumen su sentimiento sobre la musica. Mas que esto, Ten Years Ago evoca la vitalidad inextinguible que impregnaba la obra de Apollinaire y su propia lectura del poema grabada en 1913. Los solos de Galliano, ya sean torbellinos casi enloquecidos a dos manos, o con menor frecuencia, quietas reflexiones liricas, comparten la misma luminosidad. Hay tambien solos destacados de Frank Vaganee en saxofon soprano, Kurt Van Herck en tenor, Pierre Drevet en trompeta y Marc Godfroid en trombon. Un album brillantemente realizado en todos los sentidos.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-years-ago-richard-galliano-milan-records-review-by-chris-may

www.richardgalliano.com ...

Tracks:
1 - Michelangelo 70
2 - Teulada
3 - Ten Years Ago
4 - Rue de Maubeuge
5 - Tango Pour Claude
6 - Poeme
7 - Coloriage
8 - Giselle
9 - Take Eleven
10 - Taraf


Credits:
Richard Galliano - Accordion
Frank Vaganee - Lead Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Artistic Director
Dieter Limbourg - Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute
Kurt Van Herck - Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Bart Defoort - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Bo Van Der Werf - Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Serge Plume - Lead Trumpet
Nico Schepers - Trumpet
Pierre Drevet - Trumpet
Jeroen Van Malderen - Trumpet
Marc Godfroid - Lead Trombone
Lode Mertens - Trombone
Ben Fleerakkers - Trombone
Laurent Hendrick - Bass Trombone
Jos Machtel - Bass
Klaas Balijon - Drums

Compositions:
Michelangelo 70 - Astor Piazzolla
All other compositions - Richard Galliano

Arrangements:
Richard Galliano (tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Bert Joris (tracks 2, 3, 7, 8, 10)

Label: Milan Records 3984-17047-2
Country: France / Belgium
Released: January 2009 (recorded 2008)
Genre: Jazz
Style: Big Band, Jazz, Tango, Chanson, Contemporary Jazz
Duration: 56:52

Sources:
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ten-years-ago-richard-galliano-milan-records-review-by-chris-may
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ten-years-ago-brussels-jazz-orchestra-mw0001283462
https://www.mercadolibre.com.ar/richard-galliano--brussels-jazz-orchestra--ten-year-ago-cd/up/MLAU248903339

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