Mariano di Nunzio: new album Sonata a 3 + 2

Mariano di Nunzio: new album Sonata a 3 + 2 ( English) - Mariano di Nunzio brengt nieuwe plaat uit: Sonata a 3 + 2 (Nederlands)

Grazie a Oscar Wilde e alle sue poesie che hanno ispirato questo disco
MARIANO DI NUNZIO: New Album SONATA 3 + 2
Hans Koert

Mariano di Nunzio and his Trio released a new album entitled Sonata a 3 + 2. The trio, full named Trio Barracina features Mariano di Nunzio trumpet, Massino de Stephanis double bass and Daniele Fusi on drums. For this project two musician were added: Sandro Marra on alto saxophone and clarinet and Andrea Rellini on cello. This explains the mysterious title of the album: Sonata a 3 + 2.

Cover of Mariano di Nunzio Trio Barracina: Sonata a 3 + 2 (Dodicilune Dischi Ed274)

I learned about Mariano di Nuzio thanks to three of his previous records. The album, dedicated to the music of Kurt Weill is played by Il Volo di Lindbergh, a group of five musicians featuring Mariano di Nunzio on trumpet and flicorno, which is the Italian word for a flugelhorn. This album was recorded in March 1999. At that time Mariano, who is a professional trumpet player since the early 1990s, teached at the Centro Nazionale Studi sul Jazz in Siena, wich still is one of the most active jazz foundations of Italy. Nowadays he's still active, of course as the leader of his Trio Barracina +2, XQuartet and teaching the Siena Jazz school of music ( as its English name is)

In 2000 he founded his own trio featuring the two musicians still active in his group: Massimo de Stephanis on bass and Daniele Fusi on drums. There first album was entitled Barracina. Barracina, or Barra, is the name of one of the suburbs of Naples, the city were Mariano was born and raised and where he got his first music lessons from his father, who was a trumpet player too, and where he worked as a musician. I was surprised by this first album, which combines the Neapolitan tradition with contemporary jazz. I wrote about it in a previous blog, entitled Mariano di Nunzio - trumpet player .
Mariano di Nunzio Trio Barracina + 2 ( f.l.t.r.: Massino de Stephanis - Mariano di Nunzio - Daniele Fusi - Andrea Rellini - Sandro Marra)

In 2005 he founded a quartet featuring himself at the trumpet, Domenico Caliri at the (electric) guitar, Silvia Bolognesi at the bass and Simone Bosco on drums. This XQuartet released a Suite For Quartet, dedicated to the victims of the December 2004 tsunami - really a fascinating record too.

Mariano di Nunzio

The album Sonata a 3 + 2 by the Mariano di Nunzio Trio Barracina is dedicated to the poems of Oscar Wilde - Grazie a Oscar Wilde e alle sue poesie che hanno ispirato questo disco, the cover reads ( = Thanks to Oscar wilde and all his poems, which inspired us to make this record). It contains one Sonata which is structured in five parts, with names like Allegro, Adagio, Andantino, Scherzo and Finale: con brio. You don't have to be an expert in music to know that these terms are used to indicate the different speeds in classical music. Allegro means fast - Adagio: slow and stately - Andantino: a "bit faster then a walking pace" - Scherzo: (which means "a joke" in Italian), refers to a fast-moving humorous composition. The final track Finale con brio means that it has to be played with vigor and spirit. This album, this Sonata is not the reconstruction of a classical sonata of Brahms or Claude Debussy, but a pure jazz recording, although the cello and clarinet in parts like in the second track: Adagio, play elements that sounds like a classical piece of music. The third track, Andantino opens with a nice fragment of Mariano di Nunzio on a muted trumpet accompanied by the brushes of Daniele and the bass of Massino. Personally I like the last track the best: Finale con brio, with a unison intro played by Mariano di Nunzio and Sandro Marra.

It is a pity that Mariano di Nunzio and his Trio Barracina is rather unknown outside Italy and that is a shame if you realize that the recordings I heard are from a high professional level. It would be great to hear these men in concert once, but up to that time we'll have to do with their albums .................

The album can be ordered at the Dodicilune site or a your specialized record shop.

Hans Koert


keepswinging@live.nl


Mariano di Nunzio, trumpet player and composer, released a new album with his Trio Barracina enlarged with a cellist and an alto saxophone - clarinet player. The title, Sonata a 3 + 2, broke up into five parts, suggests that it contains classical music, but nothing is further from the truth. Mario di Nunzio created with his enlarged group a balanced sound which shows what great jazz musicians they are ........ Mariano's trumpet - the sustained rhythms of the brushes and the great bass sound make, that this album will fascinate a lot of jazz fans .......... Keep Swinging loves to point you to such little treasures and if you don't want to miss any, ask for the newsletter.



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