The Lello Molinari Project
The Regattabar
Cambridge, Ma
April 1, 2003
Like everything at Cambridge’s Charles Hotel, the RegattaBar offers the best at what it does, which is to present outstanding jazz acts in an intimate atmosphere. This is the perfect arrangement for the Lello Molinari Project, a top-notch group of musicians that can always be counted on to deliver a performance of the highest caliber. Such was the case on the evening of April 1.
Bassist Molinari is the frontman of the talented combo that features Jeff Galindo on Trombone, Marcello Pellitteri on Percussion, Mick Goodrick on Guitar, and George Garzone on Saxophone. The performance began with a free jazz number in which each instrumentalist demonstrates his flair as an individual while simultaneously creating an ensemble work that is tight and cohesive. Pellitteri serves as more then a mere timekeeper; as the soul of the rhythm section his percussion playing is quite melodic in style, and he keeps his fellow musicians in tip-top rhythmic shape. Molinari’s solo opens with a walking bassline (albeit walking at quite an impressive clip!) and quickly develops into an improvisatory work built upon the whole scale.
Galindo joined the group in the set’s second piece, a number by Garzone entitled “Do You Know A Cheap Hotel?” Quite frankly, Galindo alone is worth the price of admission to the performance. His trombone playing is brash and in your face, his slide technique is impeccable, and as a soloist he cannot be topped. That said, Galindo is also a team player who is more then capable of holding his own as a member of the ensemble. Goodrick followed Galindo in the solo lineup by working the established tune of the piece into a swinging number that is at one moment smooth as honey and the next moment distorted. Garzone enters the musical fray in the rich, full low range of the saxophone; the facility with which he moves from low to high and back again is clear evidence of his skill on the instrument. The work closes with Galindo’s return to the musical free-for-all: a group improvisation that is anchored by the rhythm section of Molinari and Pellitteri.
Pianist Frank Albert took to the keyboard for a slow laid-back work that Molinari later revealed to be almost entirely made up on the spot. Molinari shines as he travels up and down the strings of the bass with fast, precise movements, supported by Pellitteri’s light brush strokes and Albert’s quiet chords. A wistful Italian tune gave Albert the opportunity to demonstrate his chops by improvising on the piece’s plaintive melody. Molinari’s “Tarantella” is an exciting dance that fans of the group are bound to hope will make each performance’s set list, for the piece – a lively romp based on a traditional folk tune – is never a disappointment. Galindo once again offers a solo that makes one wonder if there is any sound that this man is not capable of creating on the trombone.
The group’s second set began with a percussion solo in which Pellitteri again demonstrates how the drum can be a melodic instrument, especially when paired with Goodrick’s guitar. Goodrick uses his instrument as an amplified metronome; his repeating note sets the pace for the funky tune. Each soloist does an outstanding job in keeping the main theme as an integral part of the improvisation, which makes the complex piece easy to follow from a listener’s viewpoint.
“Nothing Cheap” an original work by Molinari, is a reprise of Garzone’s “Do You Know A Cheap Hotel?” from the first set. A gritty duet between the trombone and saxophone opens the tune, which has more of an edge then its first-set predecessor. This edge is especially evident as the saxophone and trombone mock each other by playing that minor third taunt so familiar from childhood. “Nothing Cheap” belongs to Garzone; his high notes could wake the dead, and his speed and technical ability are beyond astonishing as he alternates between slurred and staccato phrases. A solo by Galindo is set against a creepy, organ-like reverberating echo in Goodrick’s guitar; who knew the guitar could sound like a Wurlitzer?
Garzone’s “Echoes of Rome” and a Dixieland jazz number let to the set closer, Molinari’s “Anthony Goes To Mardi Gras”. With this work, each player comes together to create an amazing wall of sound that is carefully orchestrated and designed to showcase both soloists and ensemble at their individual and collective best. That is the hallmark of the Lello Molinari Project.
-Katie DeBonville
