THE IRVING BERLIN SONGBOOK
€ 18,00
I had the idea to produce this recording, starting from the wish to make the best of the original sound of this wonderful piano. This is an instrument that hands back the sounds that Irving Berlin himself could listen to while he was writing his songs.
And I choose a very special location to record this CD: the Main Hall of an ancient country-house, located at the Euganei Hills, near Padova and Venice, and build on the 19th Century. This hall guarantees a sound absolutely similar to the sound you can listen to inside the main halls of the old and classic American buildings.
This recording is my personal tribute to the greatest American Music, the American "Classic" Music, whose Irving Berlin is one of the most important composers, with no doubt.
And last but not least, this recording is the opportunity to enhance the value of Paolo Birro and Alfredo Ferrario, two of the most interesting Italian Jazz players, who deliver to the future an innermost and ardent performance of these timeless songs.
Marco Lincetto
24bit / 192kHz original recording made strictly Live-in-Studio at Main Hall of Villa Centanin e Masiero, Arquà Petrarca, Italy on September 25th, 2013
THE IRVING BERLIN SONGBOOK
Velut Luna CVLD 243
Paolo Birro plays on Steinway & Sons Mod.O, New York, 1909. This piano belonged to Maestro Adriano Lincetto, and now it is one of the antique pianos' collection of the "Museo di Pianoforti Antichi" of "Fondazione Musicale Centanin e Masiero", which restored and gave a new life to this wonderful piano.
I had the idea to produce this recording, starting from the wish to make the best of the original sound of this wonderful piano. This is an instrument that hands back the sounds that Irving Berlin himself could listen to while he was writing his songs.
And I choose a very special location to record this CD: the Main Hall of an antique country-house, located at the Euganei Hills, near Padova and Venice, and build on the 19th Century. This hall guarantees a sound absolutely similar to the sound you can listen to inside the main halls of the old and classic American buildings.
This recording is my personal tribute to the greatest American Music, the American "Classic" Music, whose Irving Berlin is one of the most important composers, with no doubt.
And last but not least, this recording is the opportunity to enhance the value of Paolo Birro and Alfredo Ferrario, two of the most interesting Italian Jazz players, who deliver to the future an innermost and ardent performance of these timeless songs.
Marco Lincetto
Paolo Birro was born in Noventa Vicentina, Vicenza, Italy in 1962. He completed his classical piano studies at the Vicenza Conservatory with a summa cum laude degree in 1987, afterwhich he devoted himself to the jazz language which had fascinated him from his childhood. In 1992, in trio with Sandro Gibellini e Mauro Negri, he won the first prize for the performing group section at the Barga Jazz International Contest. In 1996, after the releasing of his first trio album “Fair Play”, he was nominated “Best New Talent” by the critics of the magazine “Musica Jazz." His career has offered him the opportunity to perform with jazz legends such as Lee Konitz, Buddy De Franco, Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin and many other internationally-known artists including Scott Hamilton, Gianni Basso, Ruud Brink, Eliot Zigmund, Bobby Watson, Ronnie Cuber, Harry Allen, Tom Kirkpatrick, Charles Davis, Enrico Rava, Erwin Vann, Aldo Romano, Richard Galliano, Robert Bonisolo, Paolo Fresu, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Chuck Israels, Matt Renzi. As a sideman he has contributed to the recording of over 50 albums by some of the most important jazzmen working in Italy; in particular the artistic relationship with saxophonists Pietro Tonolo, Emanuele Cisi, Claudio Fasoli and the american trumpet player (living in Italy) J Kyle Gregory has been more continuative, as documented in a series of works published by independent labels, including Egea, Splasc(h), Soulnote and Velut Luna. He is a regular member of the Lydian Sound Orchestra directed by Riccardo Brazzale, one of the most critically acclaimed Italian bands in the recent years. As a leader or co-leader he has released several albums in solo, duo and trio: his last releases include “Sbàndio” (Almar Records), a solo piano performance based on the cultural traditions of his native region in Italy, and “Passion Flower” (Philology) an homage to the music of Billy Strayhorn recorded together with the saxophonist Lee Konitz. As an educator he has taught Jazz piano, improvisation and ensemble at the ”Civici Corsi di Jazz” (Milan), International Jazz Master Classes at Siena, Jazz Department of the Bologna Conservatory, “Il Suono Improvviso” (Venice), Perugia Classico, Summer stages at Loano, and the Jazzinty Workshop in Novomesto (Slovenia). He has been teaching at the Conservatory of Vicenza since 2003.
Alfredo Ferrario was born in Como in 1964, he began to study classic music at the Conservatory in Milan, but he was soon fascinated by the world of Swing and classic Jazz.
Thanks to his instrumental talent, he has been appreciated and also requested in the jazz circuit of Milan. Since the 1980's he improved his technical and professional qualities guided by Paolo Tomelleri.
So, he started to be in the spotlight of all the most prestigiuous jazz spots, as the American festival of Sacramento, the Caveau de la Huchette and the Slow Club (both in Paris), the festival of Barcelona and also Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Netherland and, that goes without saying, Italy (for example, he played at the Blue note in Milan). All these events has given him the chance to play with some great artists such as Sammy Price and Ralph Sutton.
Alfredo Ferrario is endowed of a remarked sensibility, instrumental technique and an excellent jazz taste: that's the reason why he is considered as one of the best swing clarinetists in Italy.
He is member of the following bands:
Carlo Bagnoli & Born to swing Quartet – with Rossano Sportiello and Stefano Bagnoli /
Louis Armstrong tribute all stars – with luciano Milanese /
tringology with Roberto Colombo /
Clarinet Summit – led by Bruno Longhi /
and of two glorious traditional bands too: Ticinum Jazz Band and the Riverboat Stompers.
As a homage to an historical “father” of the clarinet, in 2001 he founded the quintet Benny Rides again with andrea Dulbecco, Rossano Sportiello and Luciano Milanese.
In 2005 he won the prize for the best solo player at the International Festival of Breda (Nethrlands) and he was also invited as a guest star at Kobe festival in Japan.
Alfredo Ferrario also played with Renzo Arbore and Lino Patruno for some RAI television broadcasts. He plays also with Duccio Castelli in two of his music projects called Duccio Swingers and Jazzpo (jazz music anc poetry).
