One of my “go to” albums for reinforcing a mood of contemplative serenades with a dash of Mediterranean flavor has been 2007’s Mare Nostrum that had Jan Lundgren’s lyrical and impressionist piano, Richard Galliano’s bohemian accordion and Paolo Fresu’s warm trumpet and flugelhorn. They finally got back to doing a reunion album, and it’s just as rewarding.
The mix of horn, squeeze box and piano evoke images of Latin Quarters, Old World Plaza’s and late night walks in villages, as Fresu uses his horn both open and muted to created autumnal breezes on “Apnea” and “Le Livre D’Un Pere Sarde.” The weaving of piano and Galliano’s accordion or bandoneon are as fragrant as roasted chestnuts on “Giselle” and his arrangement of Satie’s “Gnossienne No. 1” is, like a Monet, more telling the further you step back. Whether the style is in chanson as in “Giselle” or a South American tango during “Blue Silence” the colors always coalesce to create a palate of pastels, some more deeply hued, but all alluring with their own specific brush strokes. This one’s a keeper!
The Act Company