There’s nothing like a great accordion recording–really. There’s something inherently romantic and charmingly evocative about the Italian (or French) style of music and performance on this instrument that in other hands and in other repertoire can be so, well, irritating. Jazz musician Richard Galliano shows this much-maligned and abused instrument at its best–you know, recalling those enticing scenes of old-world cafés, lonely, narrow, meandering streets, and many moods of love and longing, that even in gaiety carries a melancholy undertone. And Galliano has chosen a master evocateur in Nino Rota, whose film music has captivated millions while memorably capturing all manner of moods, characters, scenes, places, and periods.
Interestingly, the first sound we hear is not an accordion but a solo trombone (played by Galliano), intoning a mournful rendition of the famous theme from The Godfather. Lest we wallow too much in that nostalgic moment, we’re immediately transported to the earthy world of Fellini’s La Strada, where Galliano is joined by his fellow musicians–John Surman (saxophone; clarinet); Dave Douglas (trumpet); Boris Kozlov (doublebass); Clarence Penn (drums)–who together fill the program with one delightful take after another on Rota’s unforgettable tunes and musical theme-paintings. One of the more affecting is the group’s soulful, faithfully rendered “Love theme” from the Godfather.
And indeed, these interpretations are not “take-offs” but true tributes to Rota’s original conceptions, so if you already know the music you will be able to easily get into the groove and appreciate whatever personal coloring and flavoring these fine musicians may offer. If you don’t know this music, well, where have you been for the past 50 years? The program ends with Galliano’s own tribute to “Nino”–and, as the composer says, it’s a “charleston that mediates between New Orleans and Italy.”
You could say that the whole album mediates between old world and today, between classical and jazz, between folk and popular music–a confirmation of Galliano’s assertion that Nino Rota’s music is “universal”. Most people I know do not have an accordion disc on their list of next CD purchases; but what about a really cool, jazz-flavored program of some of the best, most memorable music of our lifetime? Have I convinced you? Just let me say that this is an offer that you shouldn’t refuse.
