This is my second 'jazz-photographic' project dedicated to the iconic images of Gianni Berengo Gardin considered the Italian 'Cartier-Bresson'.
I wanted this new CD to be rich of cinematic motifs inspiring myself from the likes of composers such as Ennio Morricone and singer song writer Fabio Concato. feeling the need to work with my quartet on compositions with strong melodies, in tune with the elements that make Italian music so famous throughout the world.
Improvisation is still present but in a less important role: it is the melodies that accompany and bring to life the images that tell a tale.
The photos I chose to compose music on are shots taken in different parts of Italy from Milan to Siena, Palermo, Venice, Naples hence the title 'Italian Short Stories'. Given the large number of pieces (14), I decided that the tracks should be short while still leading the listener on a journey into each image.
I should like to explain that the ten compositions presented here were written with my musician friends Tommy, Michele and Attilio in mind. I am glad that Paolo Fresu was able to take part in this project: he is the perfect musician to express the poetry and “Italian-ness” of the photos we interpret.
13 of the compositions are original: 10 composed by myself and 3 by Michele, Attilio and Tommy. There's one composition by Maurice Ravel, the Adagio Assai from the G Major piano Concerto, which I arranged for quintet.
This CD is a tribute to the beauty of my country and the black and white cinema from the golden age of the 50's in Italy.
The CD was recorded in December 2013 and January 2014 and is out on the Universal/EmArcy Label label.