Dino Saluzzi Group - Juan Condori (2005)

Único en su belleza y experimentación asombrosa. En él fluyen naturalmente todos los estilos, la vanguardia, el jazz, el folcklore, el tango, lo atmosférico, y es todo y es la nada inclasificable a la vez, pero es hermoso màs allá de que sea uno de los más maravillos antiestilos del mundo de la música toda. Teníamos prometido más Dino y aquí volvemos con más Saluzzi.

Artista: Dino Saluzzi Group

Álbum: Juan Condori
Año: 2005
Género: Latin jazz
Duración: 76:47
Nacionalidad: Argentina

Lista de Temas:
1. La Vuelta De Pedro Orillas
2. Milonga De Mis Amores
3. Juan Condori
4. Memoria
5. La Parecida
6. Inside
7. Soles/La Camposanteña
8. Las Cosas Amadas
9. A Juana, Mi Madre
10. Los Sauces
11. Improvisación
12. Chiriguano

Alineación:
- Dino Saluzzi / bandoneon
- Felix “Cuchara” Saluzzi / tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet
- José Maria Saluzzi / acoustic and electric guitars
- Matias Saluzzi /double-bass, bass guitar
- U.T. Gandhi / drums, percussion

Dicen que es jazz pero no es cierto. Al menos no enteramente cierto. Nosotros lo catalogamos como "latin jazz" porque en algùn lado lo tenemos que meter pero sabemos que eso no lo representa en lo màs mínimo. Quizàs jazz-folcklore argentino, pero tambiés se queda corto. Ni siquiera Jazz-folklore-tango lo abarca en su totalidad. Y así le podrìamos ir sumando nuevos aspectos a su mùsica para tratar de definirlo bien, pero... ¿y para qué? ¿Cual es el sentido de tratar de definirlo si lo podemos disfrutar?...
Haciendo esta entrada dí por casualidad con este video que es una hermosura; el maestro Dino junto a Al Di Meola y la princesa del jazz Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, tocando juntos en el Festival de jazz de Lugano en el año 1998. Un lujo.

La música de Dino Saluzzi resiste una categorización. No es jazz, no es clásica, no es tango, no es folklore. Y contiene elementos de todos esos géneros para construir algo muy personal. Evocativa, atmosférica, repleta de imágenes y de sensaciones agridulces de una singular belleza. Juan Condori es el primer disco junto a su grupo desde Mojotoro (ECM, 1992), integrado por: su hermano Félix en vientos, su hijo José María en guitarra, su sobrino Matías en bajo, y el percusionista U.T. Gandhi (Enrico Rava). El comienzo es con la intensa y nostálgica La vuelta de Pedro Orillas; la vibrante Milonga de mis amores, de Pedro Laurenz; y los aires norteños de Juan Condori. También se destacan: la chacarera La parecida y la zamba La camposanteña. Saluzzi, quien suele utilizar formaciones más pequeñas, consigue aquí todos los matices que sus composiciones requieren para entregar quizás su mejor trabajo. ****

Soyo

Sólo Dino nos podìa regalar esta increíble versión de "Alfonsina y el Mar"...

Este es quizás uno de los discos màs hermosos de Dino y eso es mucho decir, con esa magia en los sonidos que crea, con esa atmósfera pesada y nostálgica, capaz de transportarte mejor que el màs delirante space rock, con trazos de vanguardia que deleitarían a Frank Zappa, con improvisaciones que podría imprimir Miles Davis o el sentimiento que conmoverían a Piazzolla, aquí tenemos un verdadero maestro de nuestra época, según mi opinión aún no reconocido como se debiera en estas pampas.
Otro gran disco de Dino que habíamos prometido, para placer del público cabezón más selecto.

Juan Condori is one of most heartfelt and deeply moving releases you will come across. It is about remembrance—of childhood, people and place, of things lost and regained, of relationships, of a life lived fully, with intent.
It actually does not matter what label you give this music, but if you must, let it be Argentinian folk jazz. Actually beyond category, and to these ears beyond words, the tunes on Juan Condori have a deceptive simplicity that hides much complexity and group cohesiveness.
The group is based around the musical Saluzzi family, plus the outstanding U. T. Gandhi (an "honorary family member") on drums and percussion. While Dino Saluzzi is the patriarch of the clan, each player provides memorable moments that emerge from the continually shifting ground that forms the group's "arrangements." Although there is an obvious structure to the proceedings, it is also quite clear that many cues are passed and a particular player might take off at any time while the others follow. The music breathes as it moves and its dynamics rise and fall. There is no shouting, but a feeling of calm effortlessness that masks a certain intensity and seriousness.
Dino Saluzzi's bandoneon is always bathed in a weeping pathos that nevertheless seems to be smiling at the same time. His inclusion on Tomasz Stanko's From The Green Hill (ECM, 1999) is considered by many to be a master stroke, and his ethos blended perfectly with that of Komeda on the two solo "Litanias," but it feels almost obvious in retrospect.
Felix "Cuchara" Saluzzi, who also plays tenor and soprano saxophone, is a standout on clarinet, with about as pure a sound as you will hear anywhere. It floats both above and within the music, caressing the ears, occasionally bringing a tear to the eye. Felix's clarinet is the perfect foil to Dino's bandoneon—both coming from the same deep emotional space that draws the sensitive soul inside.
José Maria Saluzzi's guitar playing, especially on the acoustic instrument, is also extremely pure, uncluttered and sensitive. His composition "Soles," which segues into "La Camposantena," owes a lot to Ralph Towner, with whom he studied, but also take note of his solo on "Las Cosas Amadas." His electric work, which many times has a Pat Metheny-esque sound and feel to it, always fits into this group's overall sound, and his solos have much in common with Felix's clarinet.
The rhythm section of Gandhi and bassist Matias Saluzzi is light as a feather and immediately responsive to the ebb and flow of the pieces. They are always there, but very subtly so, and obvious only upon their absence.
Juan Condori would be a gem in any genre on any label, but for ECM it signifies not just Manfred Eicher's catholic and superb taste, but also a triumph of emotional immediacy. Sit back and be swept away by this superb record.

Budd Kopman

With its own unique timbre—more pungent and bittersweet than its cousin, the accordion—the bandoneon is indelibly tied to the musical tradition of Argentina and forever associated with the revolutionary composer Astor Piazzolla. And while the late Piazzolla’s work remained steeped in the tango nuevo tradition throughout his career, his Argentine contemporary Dino Saluzzi has continued to push the boundaries with music that is at once abstract, evocative and incredibly soulful.
Since debuting on ECM in 1982, Saluzzi has documented his haunting sound in a number of settings, including solo (1988’s Andina), duo (2005’s Senderos), trio (1997’s Cité de la Musique) and in collaboration with the Rosamunde String Quartet (2000’s Kultrum). Juan Condori, named for a childhood friend who grew up with Saluzzi in the village of Campo Santo in Northern Argentina, is a closely knit quintet outing featuring Dino’s brother Felix Saluzzi on tenor and soprano saxophones and clarinet, son Jose Maria Saluzzi on acoustic and electric guitars, grandson Matias Saluzzi on bass and honorary family member U.T. Gandhi on drums.
Guitarist Jose Maria Saluzzi brings the jazzy element with his fluid, warm-toned Metheny-esque electric guitar playing on pieces like “A Juana, Mi Madre,” “La Vuelta De Pedro Orillas” and “Chiriguano,” while also contributing the gorgeous acoustic guitar showcase “Soles.” “Improvisacion” is a spontaneous creation and the sprightly, chamberlike “Milonga De Mis Amores” is a tango classic composed by Pedro Laurenz. Felix brings a rough-hewn quality to bear on “La Vuelta De Pedro Orillas” and “La Parecida” with his full-throated tenor sax work, reminiscent of early Gato Barbieri. The atmospheric “Juan Condori” resonates with nostalgia while the melancholy “Memoria” (written for victims of a 1994 bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires) carries a somber tone in Felix’s keening clarinet work. They also strike an evocative note on the spacious, harmonically intricate ballad “Inside” and take it out on the daring rubato vehicle “Los Sauces.” This warm-hearted family affair stands as one of Saluzzi’s best.

Bill Milkowski

Dino Saluzzi’s Juan Condori is an imaginary, evocative body of work that conjures images of 1960s-era Argentina, complete with sensual tangos, heartache and passion. The album’s 12 tracks are a masterful blend of styles native to the Saluzzis’ Argentina and other Western genres. Jose Maria Saluzzi’s guitar on "Soles/La camposanteña" reveals it as a beautiful flamenco-inspired piece, while the opening track, "La vuelta de Pedro Orillas," is a strong, inspired tribute to the wisdom of Argentina’s Indians. Songs about Saluzzi’s family and country benefit greatly from the cohesiveness of the musicians -- the sound ebbs and flows and rarely falters as each musician plays off and into one another. Juan Condori also features smooth-jazz inspired saxophone grooves and post-modern improvisation, especially on the appropriately titled "Improvisacion." And while other tracks take on the traditional sounds of Latin American folk tunes, the album never seems haphazard or unfocused with its menagerie of influences.
Saluzzi, accompanied by his brother, son and nephew, and an additional drummer, excels on the bandoneon, truly understanding the nature and potential of this instrument. He is as comfortable playing a soft pianissimo accompaniment as he is blaring away. The bandoneon’s sound is unique and well suited to the tunes Saluzzi writes. The accordion-like sound has resonance, and its lively nature contributes to the overarching energy and excitement of the album.
It is only fitting that for an album as focused and narrative as Juan Condori that the recording and production reflect its clarity of purpose. Each instrument’s sound rings true as crescendos and decrescendos are captured, preserving the aura and intention of each composition.

Katherine Silkaitis

Like Ayse Tutuncu's album, this is a set of haunting melodies that don't come from anywhere near the jazz tradition - but an improvisational spark keeps appearing.
Argentinian bandoneón legend Saluzzi works here with a family band, including his son on guitar, nephew on bass, and brother Felix on sax - a player with an attractively rough-hewn, wide-horizons sound. The drummer is UT Gandhi, who has worked extensively in trumpeter Enrico Rava's Electric Five group.
There's a tango classic (Milonga de Mis Amores) that develops dark, stealthy investigations in between visits to the main theme, and the title track is a captivating exchange between bandoneón and guitar. There's a short group improvisation as still as church music, and constant reflections of both the exhilaration and sadness of the tango. The sax sound and guitarist Jose Saluzzi's jazzy phrasing broaden this set's appeal and the spontaneous empathy of the players reaches out.

John Fordham

Aún nos falta mucho Saluzzi en el blog cabezón, pero sepan entender, hay tanta música buena y nuestro tiempo es tan limitado que hacemos lo que humildemente podemos...