Available in: CD, HD FILE 88.2kHz • 32bit

Tracks

1. Invitation (Bronislau Kaper)

2. Song for Peace (Alessandro Bianchini)

3. Mud for Bud (Alessandro Bianchini)

4. 10 / 5 (Alessandro Bianchini)

5. Alice (Alessandro Bianchini)

6. Bud Powell (Chick Corea)

7. Thank you Armando (Alessandro Bianchini)

Line up

Alessandro Bianchini | vibraphone - marimba
Simone Brilli | drums
Marco Micheli | double bass

Special guest vocals: Beatrice Sberna (10/5; Alice)

Description

10/5 is the result of a contamination between different genres and styles, which reflects Alessandro Bianchini's musical education: from the academicism typical of classical music to improvisation, through the sounds of traditional jazz.

These elements indelibly mark the aesthetics and musical language of the vibraphonist, which are then embellished by a constant and meticulous search for detail, such as to allow the identification of his compositions.
When asked about his music he says:
"The choice of timbre of the sticks that change depending on the song, the idea of ​​putting together vibraphone and marimba, and the almost maniacal emphasis on dynamics are the elements that, in my opinion, give the album a jazz sound, with important notes and recognizable elements that are intentionally refined. Another aspect is certainly evident to listeners and that is the presence of an element that I personally always put in the foreground and that is the basis of improvisation and interplay: Timing. It is precisely timing that allowed me to create a natural sound, an almost instinctive feeling with the other members of the group: Marco Micheli on double bass and Simone Brilli on drums".
Short description of the songs:
"Invitation" The choice to arrange this jazz standard comes from the desire to include rhythmic and timbral elements of one of the most significant pieces of the bop repertoire. This standard was composed by Kaper, a prominent composer of the American jazz scene of the 20th century. Despite being a piece from 1952, it immediately seemed very current to me, almost as if it were a contemporary composition. The arrangement creates free moments in the Intro and Outro, which encourage musical exploration and give spontaneity to the improvisation and interaction between the musicians of the trio. From the first notes you can immediately perceive the contaminations of percussive, almost prehistoric, tribal music.

"Song for peace", Classic jazz waltz, inspired by the sounds and interplay typical of Bill Evans' first piano trio, with Scott LaFaro on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. In the piece, moreover, the melodic lines are undoubtedly influenced by another composer who had and still has a lot of importance in my musical aesthetics, Johann Sebastian Bach.

"Mud for Bud" is essentially a tribute to the two musicians who have influenced my studies of the bebop repertoire: Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. The first is a saxophonist, the second a pianist. The harmonic structure and form are nothing more than a counterfeit of "Donna Lee", one of the manifesto songs of the bebop era, with a deliberate departure from the original tone. "Mud for Bud" is in Eb Maj as opposed to Donna Lee which is in Ab Maj. In the last solo vibraphone refrain part of the original theme of the song made famous by Bird is quoted.

"10/5" is the song that gives the album its name, drawing inspiration from the repertoire of Egberto Gismonti, a composer who inspires me. The title is given by the metric that guides the music, in the sense that it can be counted and interpreted both in 5/4 and in 10/16. In my opinion it is the most intense composition, being the result of a melodic line created on a clave in 5/4, which is always present as a groove in the development of both the themes and the improvisation. From a compositional point of view, section A differs from section B only for a change in harmonic rhythm, while maintaining the thematic line unchanged.

"Alice", dedicated to my wife, is a traditional ballad with post-bop tension interferences. This song features the extraordinary participation of Beatrice Sberna on vocals.

"Bud Powell" This jazz standard captures two of my great passions. The bebop language and the compositional mastery of one of my favorite pianists in contemporary jazz, Chick Corea. The song is dedicated to Bud Powell, an infinite artist for me, and is included in an album entirely dedicated to the pianist who died prematurely, entitled "Remember Bud Powell" (Stretch label 1997).

"Grazie Armando" is a piece conceived and dedicated to Chick Corea and is imbued with timbres and grooves typical of the Latin jazz repertoire. The dynamism of the composition is given by the alternation in the themes of the two instruments: the vibraphone and the marimba. The introduction is played on the vibraphone and then moves on to the marimba, where the theme is played in the lowest register of the instrument. This creates a clear contrast with the vibraphone solo, making the listening fluid but at the same time dynamic.

Five of the seven tracks were composed and arranged by Alessandro Bianchini, while the first and sixth tracks on the album are two jazz standards rearranged for the trio formation: vibraphone/marimba, double bass and drums.

The album is strongly influenced by the typical stylistic features of traditional jazz and is the result of a musical language and aesthetic that the vibraphonist has developed over the years.