Valdambrini-Piana Quintet
Afrodite

The names Oscar Valdambrini and Dino Piana are inextricably linked to the history of Italian jazz; and even if these names are tied to the old school of the 1950s and '60s, in 1977, the year of the release of "Afrodite", while maintaining the peculiarities of their style that had granted them the status of trailblazers, they managed to reinvent themselves despite other musicians who failed due to laziness, inability, or lack of receptivity to keep up with the times.

Just a couple of years before, in 1975, another one of their familiar figures, Gianni Basso, with his "Hit" straddling the hardbop tradition and jazz/rock, had demonstrated the regeneration of his sound; and it was no coincidence that behind the drums of both "Afrodite" and "Hit" was always Tullio De Piscopo, whose inventive drumming acted as a kind of generational and consequently musical link. To complete the lineup in "Afrodite" were Oscar Rocchi on piano and especially Giorgio Azzolini on double bass, a historic acquaintance of both the Valdambrini-Piana duo and the aforementioned Basso. Azzolini’s role, so discreet yet so present and defining in the sound, manages to bind everything together: Azzolini made his mark in the history of Italian jazz not only as a skilled and reliable "accompanist" but also as a fine composer. Certainly, showcases as a leader in pieces like "Bangkok" and "Spanish Portrait"—also with De Piscopo on drums in this case—demonstrate how at ease he is in pieces with strong exotic appeal, something he would further illustrate with an Arabian-style introduction complete with bow on Rocchi’s ethereal electric piano backdrop in "Arabian Mood," the opening track of "Afrodite", in which Piana and Valdambrini shine with captivating melodies, set within an unusual harmony that is pressed by De Piscopo.  

Throughout, the quintet delivers other noteworthy performances, and certainly, "I Due Modi", a piece that opens with a recognizable Horace Silver-style introduction, confirms the quintet's skill and the aesthetic beauty of the music they offer. In this case, it features a full swing solo by Rocchi on the electric piano. Subsequently, tracks like "Palpitazione" with a daring groove, or "Parkeriana" itself, understandably more rooted in tradition, maintain the high level of this album. A smooth, evocative record, starting from the title and the cover itself.

Valdambrini and Piana, along with their collaborators, new bearers of the myth of Aphrodite translated into jazz, with their exceptional class, created this album of rare beauty that definitely deserves a spot in the collection of every true jazz enthusiast.