Stefano Di Battista - Parker's Moods

[Tanager]

Bless you all for saving me from ever spending $$$ on a di Battista record.

(edit) Why the hell is my post showing up as first in the thread? What setting did I accidentally trigger?

(edit) did the clock get messed up on the JC server?

[mke]

The absurdity of what is written on the Blue Note Europe site surpasses any vitriol that I could pour on this album (and that's a lot of vitriol):

Di Battista's interpretations of Parker's celebrated melodies remain very close to the original versions (in some cases, he replays Parker's score note-by-note, as on Embraceable You and Night in Tunisia) because he feels that Bird's music is self-sustaining

The legacy incites such artists to consider the music of their masters as the stick against which they measure their own worth: by cleaving as closely as possible to the master's music, they hope to earn some of the latter's soul and proficiency

Di Battista pretends to be Parker, Barron pretends to be Powell, Boltro sort-of pretends to be Miles. Should one laugh or cry?

[Steve Reynolds]

I bought a recording of his on blue note (because Elvin Jones was the drummer) a few years ago - and he tried to sound as close to Coltrane as possible

maybe he has other records where he tries to sound like Dexter Gordon or maybe Jackie McLean

one of the worst jazz recordings I've ever heard

answer to the question - laugh and cry

[mke]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

edit: Oh well, he most certainly has the licks/phrases and the technique to execute them down. But do not dozens, if not more, of alto players who have yet to lead a date let alone release records that will get one tenth the distribution and exposure?

Yes, he has the technique, but I'm not quite sure what the intellectual/creative challenge was. Most musicians make and study transcriptions, but how many have "audacity" to actually record and release one?

"Here's some music I prepared earlier."

[gnhrtg]

Well, I sampled to a couple of tracks - in full - from this on a listening post and can't bring myself to say anything positive at all. It does provide, however, ample (many minutes isn't it, the disc) food for thought as well as a twisted take on the age-old originality issue. The comments, Battista's, but add to the absurdity.

edit: Oh well, he most certainly has the licks/phrases and the technique to execute them down. But do not dozens, if not more, of alto players who have yet to lead a date let alone release records that will get one tenth the distribution and exposure?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I thought di Battista's first record with Elvin was OK but if you truly want to gack, take a listen to his second Blue Note CD, "'Round About Roma". If he tried for "Coltrane" on his first and he's trying for "Parker" on his 3rd, he definitely tried for "Gorelick" on his 2nd.

Later,
Kevin

[mke]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bresnahan

I thought di Battista's first record with Elvin was OK but if you truly want to gack, take a listen to his second Blue Note CD, "'Round About Roma". If he tried for "Coltrane" on his first and he's trying for "Parker" on his 3rd, he definitely tried for "Gorelick" on his 2nd.

Later,
Kevin

Indeed. With strings-induced grotesque sappery.

I've never seen him live, so I wonder if it's the label making him do this kind of stuff or if he really is like that.

[frankiepop]

how original to use the words parker and mood in the title of your cd.