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Product Description
Product Description
Carta de Amor means "love letter" and Egberto Gismonti says, "think of it as a message in a bottle that has taken this long to reach the shore." In the interim the musical message has lost none of its pertinence or potency. This recording finds the protagonists two years along the road from the albums Magico and Folk Songs, opening up the repertoire to admit extended improvising, changed by their experiences as a touring band, bringing in new pieces but still maintaining the taut balance of energies that made their first studio dates so arresting. The concentrated cry of Garbarek's saxophones, the restless movement of Gismonti's guitars and his focused, lyrical piano, and the dark tones of Haden's bass, anchoring the music...
Repertoire includes five pieces from Gismonti's pen: 'Cego Aderaldo', 'Don Quixote', 'Branquinho', 'Palhaço' and the title track, heard in two versions which open and close this enthralling double album. Also heard here are Garbarek's folk song arrangements and an extended, freewheeling version of his composition 'Spor'. Charlie Haden brings in 'La Pasionaria', from the repertoire of the Liberation Music Orchestra and 'All That Is Beautiful', not previously documented on disc.
Personnel: Jan Garbarek (tenor and soprano saxophones), Egberto Gismonti (guitars, piano), Charlie Haden (double-bass)
Review
Garbarek went on to record the celebrated albums Eventyr (1980) and Paths, Prints (1981), and his career took a different turn. However, in 1981, the trio was briefly reunited, and recorded by ECM in concert at the Amerika Haus in Munich. Two albums’ worth of material from these sessions had been languishing in the vaults, but now ECM has collected the recordings into a double-CD package. On learning of the release, Gismonti commented that it was “like a message in a bottle that has taken 31 years to reach the shore”.
There is so much dazzlingly effective music here that it is extraordinary it took this long to appear. Haden’s La Pasionaria, better known in versions by his Liberation Music Orchestra, gets an intense, punchy reading from Garbarek. The saxophonist spits out notes with venomous feeling, before withdrawing to allow space for a shimmering guitar solo from Gismonti. Over 16 minutes, the piece never flags.
Garbarek’s disjointed, vocal-toned style (reminiscent of his early work on the recently repacked Dansere set) comes to the fore on an otherworldly version of his Spor, with Haden bowing shrieks from below the bridge of the bass, creating an eerie overall landscape.
Haden’s All That Is Beautiful, with Gismonti on piano, gets the kind of lyrical treatment we might have heard from a Keith Jarrett group at the time; Gismonti’s own Palhaço is a more sombre showcase for his pianism.
The main benefit of hearing this music freshly now, as if it was entirely new, is the passionate commitment of all three protagonists. The punchy spark in Garbarek’s playing is not quite so omnipresent nowadays, and even in his own Quartet West, Haden is seldom so totally on show, so exposed and so daring. Gismonti anchors it all, matching his European and American counterparts at every turn.
--Alyn Shipton
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Customer Reviews
It was against the backdrop of this (perhaps undue)expectation that I was slighlty underwhelmed on the first few listens, especially by the second disc. The sound is clean, clear and perfectly presented but, compared with the thrill of "Dansere" and "Sleeper" (or indeed much of Charlie Haden's own work, whether with Ornette Coleman or subsequently), Magico seemed beautiul, perfectly realised on its own terms but slightly too stately. Even the audience applause seemed muted.
But thrills there are, albeit not of the pyrotechnic variety. "Cego Aderaldo" features particularly compelling interplay from all three (with Gismonti's guitar playing more visceral and spiky than elsewhere) while the version of "La Pasionaria" is particularly, well, impassioned, even by the standards of the many other versions over the years.
In short, despite the imbalance between the two discs (meriting 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 stars respectively, overall this is a love letter full of magic
This is an unissued concert from Munich in 1981,and shows tthe trio in sparkling form.
CD ONE(64.18)
1.....Carte de amor.....7.25...... A Gismonti original,this features a lovely solo by Garbarek,which sweeps and soars as only he can.
2.......La passionaria......16.26......Perhaps one of Charlie Hadens best known tunes,this version is stretched to sixteen minutes and features wonderful interplay between all three musicicians
3......Cego aderaldo.......9.50.....another original from Egberto,once again the playing on this is magnificent by all concerned,there is a slight feeling of Johm McClaughlins shakti to this track.
4......Folk song......8.08......the first song written by Garbarek,it is a flowing and fluid tune that suitd them well.
5......Don Quixote...8.25......great piano playing is the main feature on this track,
6......Spor......14.01......a more avant garde piece and.in consequence less tuneful piece that brings CD one to a close.
CD TWO(43.40)
1......Branquinho......7.37......the guitar intonations remind me somewhat of Ralph Towner,this is another fine example of Gismonti's composing taalent.
2.....All that is beautiful......15.35.....another fine Haaden composition,the fluidity of the instrumentation is absolutely breathtaking
3......Palhaco......9.12......Garbareks saxophone playing complements this Gismonti composed song well.
4......Two folk songs......3.39.....is precisly what it says on the tin.
5......Carta del amor,var......7.35.....a fitting finale fromthe pen of Egberto.
This double CD is a great reminder Of how good these musicians are,and how years later Garbarek and Haden went on to greater things,Gismonti should be up there with them,but his recordings of late have ben hit and miss affairs.
I have never heard the original studio recording,i have ordered it,and will be giving my opinion soon.
RECORDED IN MUNICH IN 1981
RELEASED IN 2012
ECM
CD ONE......64.18
CD TWO ......43.40
JAN GARBAREK.......TENOR AND SOPRANO SAXOPHONES
EGBERTO GISMONTI.....GUITARS AND PIANO
CHARLIE HADEN......DOUBLE BASS
BEST TRACKS......LA PASSIONARIA.CEGO ALDERALDO,ALL THAT IS BEAUTUL
VALUE FOR MONEY......££££
PACKAGING......DOUBLE JEWEL CASE,BOOKLET,SLIPCASE
PRODUCTION
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