Today, All About Jazz published
my interview with Dino and Jose Saluzzi, a father and son musician team whose work straddles jazz, tango, folklore, and classical music. Dino, at 73, is considered by many to be the world's premier bandoneonist (the bandoneon is the large accordian used in tango) and has a recording contract with the immaculately tasteful German label ECM.
My friend Ale Demogli told me an anecdote about Dino that has prompted Ale and to start referring to him as "El Padrino" (The Godfather). Ale, Jose, and Dino went to a computer store to buy Dino a Mac. Ale and Jose arrived early and started to question the salesperson about what computer would suit a 73-year-old not particularly computer literate world-class bandoneonist. Then, the great man himself arrived and made his request: "give me the most expensive!"
This isn't to say that Dino is some kind of materialistic snob; rather, after a long career of serious artistry he enjoys his role as patriarch. I think some of this comes across in the interview, which is filled with Dino's thunderous and insightful pronouncements.
A note on ECM: I started working with ECM three years ago when, as a green college jazz writer, I requested the then-upcoming Lovano/Motian/Frisell release
I Have The Room Above Her. Not only did I get the CD, but I was placed on the official "journalist" list by the company's director of US publicity, Tina Pelikan. Tina is, by leaps and bounds, the best in the business that I've encountered. She's a professional in every way, seems genuinely excited about the music, and doesn't seem to care if you're a sophomore at University of Chicago or Nat Henthoff. I think largely due to Tina's work, ECM gets a lot of love in the jazz press, especially from less mainstream outlets like All About Jazz.
Trying to get a CD from Blue Note is like pulling teeth, involving phone calls, unanswered emails, and a endless stream of publicists and outside media consultants. In my experience, Blue Note CDs arrive about half the time, and often late.
ECM also may be the only record label in jazz today that has a distinct sound and style. ECM records are tranquil and pristine in their fidelity, and searching and open in their musical approach. If you're looking for bebop fire, ECM is definitely not your place. If you're more into
Kind of Blue with an international slant, then ECM is chock-full of offerings.
I'm generally attracted to jazz that's a little hotter than a typical ECM album, but through the tremendous access I've been given (as a perk of being on their "journalist" list, I can download legally every new ECM release) I've come to have a deep respect for what they do. There's a lack of personality in much of the contemporary jazz world: Mainstream publications are sterile; labels are a hodge-podge and have lost a lot of their status; and clubs often lack a coherent program. People responsible for promoting jazz (the press, labels, clubs) would do well to make their marketing of the music shine with as much spunk as the music itself. ECM with its hip black and white photographs, minimalist style, and distinctive sound does this; and, for that, deserves a lot of praise.
A quick post to let T&T readers know that not only has my interview with Argentine pianist and band leader Guillermo Klein been published at All About Jazz, but also the site has taken the opportunity to assemble an entire Guillermo Klein Day. Accompanying my interview are John Kelman's review of Guillermo's new album, Filtros, which will be released tomorrow, and a free MP3 download of the opening track, "Va Roman."
