Contemplazione

Great. I can't picture a dictator who truly loves and understands jazz. Those who genuinely love jazz value freedom too much to not repudiate any form of tyranny. Maybe he liked it a bit, a nice cheerful tune, some singles from a swing band that pumped him up before heading to the casino to indulge...

I speak from the bleak perspective of someone who is paid to conceive these "summits," and how they sometimes rightly insult the recipients of the product. I repeat, I don't think it's musically worthless (nor something five-star), I only emphasize the forced nature of the meeting and blame its motivations and execution. I deliberately placed quotation marks around the words "sesso" and "cultura," as such a record is, in my opinion, the antithesis of sex and culture; yet, despite being devoid of erotic and cultural values, it is subliminally presented as if it were brimming with them. From the distorted viewpoint of those who thrive in the commercial sector of record labels, sex and culture are two points to leverage in selling products to "borderline" consumers, a generally musically ignorant audience but with the ambition (real or pretentious) to redeem themselves. So what do they do? They simplify the path, otherwise the poor souls get discouraged and don't buy, serving them on a silver platter two musical genres in one, et voilà, jazz+tango buy 2 pay 1, super deal, a nice enlightening and convenient smoothie for gentlemen (jazz) and ladies (tango). A nice album for the Borghesucci Family, even the frustrated little wife, who dreams of romantic adventures and whirlwinds of passion (now dormant in the gray marital bed), can fantasize, while dad in slippers, waiting to watch Don Matteo, will have suitable background music that’s just the right amount of engaging.

For Muff from comment 11: damn, how do you remember? It flatters me a lot! It's true it's not among my favorites; I find it underwhelming by Bill's standards...

How terrible it is when the lineup changes with every track. Really terrible! Regarding comment 5: I’m with Muff, how can you compare such different artists? You can only say who you prefer, and to really understand who you like more, you should have a thorough knowledge of both discographies or the albums they play on in general. However, if we really wanted to do an "analysis," you could argue that Herbie (besides his leader albums and masterpieces with Davis — live and studio) appears as a sideman on many modernist Blue Note records in the '60s and is a master of versatility, a quality that Bill wasn't particularly known for. Also, the complexity of the improvisations, the capacity for abstraction, the adventurousness of the playing style (I'm talking about '63-'68), are also in Herbie's "favor." That’s why Davis kept Herbie in his quintet for more than five years (and here I agree with VOODOOMILES — for me that lineup is the pinnacle of jazz). As for beauty of sound, lyricism, and note selection, well, Bill surpasses everyone, but during his golden period, Herbie closely follows even in that field! In short, if we really want to be painfully objective, I fear that Herbie is the more complete musician; certainly, Bill's style is made with diamond and is universal. However, I repeat, apart from the "analysis" game, I would say it's fair to place them at the same artistic level!

Can you imagine a more mainstream record than this? Something meticulously crafted for housewives, who are all, more or less, fascinated by tango (a sensuality they lack), so let’s throw in the most notorious musician of tango. And let's also throw in Mulligan, because jazz is so chic, and Mulligan is right at home here; even the stones have heard his name (for heaven's sake, not the music). Even the ignorant who don't want to feel that way are thus satisfied; there's something for every taste. The formula, then, is: "sex" + "culture," two things that attract like flies anyone lacking them and aspiring to elevate themselves. I would also have a morbid curiosity to hear it, and I don’t doubt it will be listenable, but it repels me with such violence starting from the cover that I’ll pass on it.

So, if someone can play like a god, are they showing off? Is it a flaw? Where exactly do you think they go overboard, then? Are you mistaking them for some hyper-technical virtuoso devoid of ideas?

Great interpretation by Robinson!

His dialogues with the bartender are priceless!

I miss this, I think just a little longer! Copernicus, Bobo Stenson is a pianist... he has a fantastic trio with Anders Jormin and Jon Christensen that records for ECM ("War Orphans" and the double "Serenity" are great albums, abstract and with a quiet fire beneath).

Exceptional!