Paul Giallorenzo's GitGo - Emergent [Leo]

Paul Giallorenzo - piano
Jeb Bishop - trombone
Mars Williams - saxophones
Anton Hatwitch - bass
Marc Riordan - drums


Leo Records 2012

Chicago's vivid and vibrant jazz scene is an endless source of musical surprises and here's another one for you as the piano player Paul Giallorenzo assembles together a heavyweight jazz quintet with Jeb Bishop and Mars Williams in the frontline and Anton Hatwitch with Marc Riordan to provide the rhythmic backbone.

There's a keyword to this music and I have to steal it from Andrew Choate who wrote the liner notes of the album - bounce. This is jazz and it bounces joyfully, jovially, exuberantly. The music strolls nicely with a jazzy swagger over the melodic themes and bounces with panache the same way Mal Waldron's used to, it strolls with million-dollar smile as Mingus's blues would or Bud Powell's stride. It can be jumpy chords of the initial "On Your Marks", the bluesy "The Swinger", circus new-olreans funhouse of the "Spring Chicken" or the lazy walking of the "Slowed Roll".

Mars Williams goes crazy with his saxophone out-there rides while Jeb Bishop's roaring tone and bluesy solos keeps the music on the more down to the earth track. Minor, dark  and solemn "Imprograph"  is a change of pace  with its furious and skyrocketing sax agains the ominously bowed bass, a piece where madness is held together by the majestic theme, wild and adventurous (abstract trombone - piano duo follows and the music shifts dynamically between the dangerous levels of abstract and energetic).

Paul Giallorenzo's project is possible a great example of where the mainstream jazz should be, had it taken notice of the avant-guarde progress. The music is sharp, right on the edge, while the musicians clearly enjoy themselves, not afraid at all to jump on the risky note from time to time, as well as not afraid to admit they like to play it the "right" way once in a while. I mostly adore the cd for the bluesy and robust trombone's tone by Jeb Bishop, but it's a listening pleasre through and through.

some tracks from the cd are presented in this radio playlist.

Paul Giallorenzo's GitGO, Chicago Jazz Festival, Sept 4, 2010 from Paul Giallorenzo on Vimeo.