With: Tiziana Simona (vocals), Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), Enrico Rava (flugelhorn), Giulio Visibelli (alto flute)
Record date: August and September, 1988
There it is, another vocal album. This time with quite a line-up. Next to Waldron there’s Steve Lacy and Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava. And yes it was a challenge for me again to listen to it.
Tiziana Simona could sing a little bit, though her voice is not something very special. The starting Flakes and Little One are really turning me off instantly. She sings a little like Irene Aebi… Very different voice but that same theatrical voice which makes you almost think you’re at some cabaret. The thick accent almost makes me laugh, but not in a good way. She goes off key a few time also on this record. Rava is nowhere to be found, Lacy only plays a small bit. Visibeli takes a bigger role but doesn’t really do something special. Mal’s role is really mainly somewhere in the background with only a little bit of space to solo. Bo If Cinese, with Tiziana singing in her native tongue is a bit better. But Flowers for Albert is really making me nauseous again. I could hardly take it serious. Really big highlight of the whole album is Lacy’s intimate dueling with Mal on the beautiful ‘Left Alone’. Mal played that song plenty of times but as far as I know this is the only one with Lacy on soprano saxophone. Very unfortunate, but at 3:28 Simona starts singing and the magic is gone.
If you’re interested, you should definitely buy the original ITM issue. The ‘reissue’ on Phantom Sound and Vision is incomplete and shares space with another session with Kenny Wheeler and without Mal. Plus: it’s a CD-R. Big shame on them for selling it as a regular cd. For lovers of Lacy and Rava: their role on this album is very, very limited. Be warned.
No comments:
Post a Comment