GERARDO FRISINA Note Book: A Journey In Sound
(Italian Schema, 2007)
1) Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac 2) Guarapiranga 3) Dis-Ka-Ndombe 4) Stardust from Tomorrow 5) Black Forest Stomp 6) Calle De Candela 7) Alborado 8) Windly Coast 9) Es Diferente 10) Zanja 11) Ghetto Stomp 12) Tokyo's Dream
If you are unfamiliar with the Schema label then I suggest you start sitting up, take notice and do some research. If, like me, you are sick to the back teeth of the lift Muzak which is laughingly passed off as Jazz from the US, and you yearn for some real feet movin', head bobbin, foot tappin' hard edged real Jazz then look no further than Schema. It may be unusual to think of Italy as the home of contemporary Jazz but Milan has definitely got something to be proud of with this tremendously inventive, invigorating and exciting label.
Remixer and producer Gerado Frisinahas rooted around the jazz world for suitable material to remix and re-present in a new, unique light. Fans of Nicola Conte and his remixes for the likes of Sabrina Malheiros and Big Bang will immediately want this CD in their collection – and rightly so, Rarely these days does a new album meet the high standards that we as music connoisseurs demand. No such fears with this set.
The Schema sound, it has to be said, is intriguing. It is intriguing as it has a classic Jazz/Dance edge with elements of 60s Bossa Nova rhythms yet it is feels and sounds totally fresh. The bass drums kick and the melodies are perfectly contemporary at the same time. There is some programming here – but is perfectly blended with a score of bona fide real musicians with more passion for their craft than we could ever hope for.
Dizzy Gillespie's “Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac” is given a masterful and joyous remix
and should, if justice be served, be a heavy hitter on the dancefloor. The sheer hedonistic
groove is as sexy as you want it and the pounding bass sits well with the jostling and often
maniacal Afro-Cuban beats and chanting. This is exactly the sort of Jazz I want to hear!better
still is the KILLER dancefloor monster “Guarapiranga”. This Brazilian Beat Samba masterpiece
comes courtesy of Rio's very own mega talent, Toco. The track starts off in a
seriously uptempo mode but really fires on all cylinders from 90 seconds in. The thumping
bassline, the Latin percussion and mean, growling trombones auger for what may be one of
THE tracks of 2007. This cannot be ignored by lovers of jazz and Brazilian music, such
is its magnificence.
Jorge Graf wrote the sax-filled belter “Dis-Ka-Ndombe” and the double bass and drums
harmonise perfectly in yet another dancefloor winner. Germany's Ralph Kiefer is the
man behind Hipnosis and their aptly titled “Black Forest Stomp”- a track that would
not be out of place on the Vega Record label or something equally excellent from the
Masters At Work stable. Similarly, “Calle De Candela” and “Alborado” has a sprightly
Nuyorican Soul flavour with its pounding rhythm, dreamy vibes and Cuban percussion.
The Art Blakey sound is addictive – think Cubana Chant – and is updated here on the attention
grabbing Ghetto Stomp, a tune reworked from Combo Moderna. The horns and percussion
really hit the mark. This is one seriously Jazzy and uptempo album and is absolutely essential.
Keep watch on Schema – there is so much more out there and a lot more to come!
- Barry Towler
