3quietman + stefano battaglia “bartokosmos” recensione USA

Newsletter di Downtown
Music Gallery (NY) da Bruce Lee Gallanter (nov.2011)

3QUIETMEN & STEFANO BATTAGLIA – Bartokosmos (Auand 9018; Italy)
This is an ambitious undertaking as this trio/quartet play sections
from Bela Bartok’s “Mikro Kosmos Suite”. Their guest, Stefano
Battaglia, is one of the most well-respected and well-recorded
pianists from Italy with more than two discs out on the ECM and
Splasch labels. The 3QuietMen appear to be lesser known although Mr.
Marchesano has recorded with the equally prolific Carlo Actis Dato.
Although “MikroKosmos” was written for solo piano, it is hard to tell
with the way the entire quartet fleshes out the music. Each musician
is integral to the way the piece sounds, no one sounds like the
leader. Their daredevil bassist often kicks off most of these pieces
and is at the center of each running powerful lines. “Quietman Hymn”
is actually a solemn, hymn-like piece, soft and exquisitely performed.
On “Dialogue” it sounds as if Mr. Moro is playing electric trumpet,
with a sort of fuzztone or perhaps a kazoo. Strange, yet it still
works. The arrangements are quite different on each piece, you got to
hand it to these fellows. There are a number of unexpected surprises:
that glockenspiel on “Pentatonic Melody” and propulsive bass
throughout. You can tell that a great deal of work went into arranging
and playing this music as each piece reveals another delight each time
I listen. A fresh perspective considering how long ago this music was
first composed.