For instance, "Salem-Hester Pryne" is a gorgeous ballad in 3/4 with a 24-measure form that allows the piano and flugelhorn to relax and really explore the alluring harmonies for two choruses each. The band sounds most at home on these types of tunes, while Malinverni's composing and playing is at its greatesthis playing always excellentin the slower, reflective pieces. "Istanbul," "Chicago" and "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York" swing beautifully, Melito's drumming having a Mel Lewis quality and Okegwo with exemplary tone and pulse. It sounds like it might travel through new urban territory (particularly welcome after the overly cute arrangement of "Chicago"), but this adventure is short: 'head-in,' a tasty and skillful piano solo and then 'head-out,' the shortest track on the CD. "Cities & Time," for instance, is a piece that starts with an ostinato in the bass and drums and then brings in the horns of trumpeter Tim Hagans and saxophonist Rich Perry almost as if in another, slower tempo.
#Invisible cities album full
Though the CD is full of good jazz improvisation (with a truly wonderful rhythm team of bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Tom Melito), it also seems to be in conflict: whether to be as ambitious in concept as the book might suggest or simply to play some good, honest swinging jazz. Highly recommended.A concept record of sorts, pianist Pete Malinverni was initially inspired to put his Invisible Cities project together after reading the Italian novelist Italo Calvino's book of the same name. His deliberate interpretation brings out the lyrical magic of this timeless piece. The leader's heartfelt take of Leonard Bernstein's "Lonely Town" showcases Perry's lush tenor, while his rollicking piano is the centerpiece of the infectious scoring of George Gershwin's "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York." It is hardly surprising for Malinverni to close the disc with the old gospel hymn "A City Called Heaven," as he has long been active as a music director in a Brooklyn church. Malinverni's dissonant setting of the oldie "Chicago" is charming, highlighted by his off-center piano solo. His interpretations of others' works are also essential. The bittersweet "Salem - Hester Prynne" is named for the scorned adulterer in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a moving portrait of a complex character. Malinverni blends several stylistic influences in his lively "Cities & Time," which is powered by an infectious ostinato bassline.
The dark mood of the pianist's "New Orleans - Cities & Desire" reflects the somber mood after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, with Hagans' mournful muted trumpet backed by the somber rhythm section. Recruiting a top-flight band for the date, including tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, trumpeter/flügelhornist Tim Hagans, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and drummer Tom Melito, Malinverni delivers a CD with a striking mix of originals and familiar songs (the latter reshaped dramatically). Many of the pieces on pianist Pete Malinverni's Invisible Cities were inspired in part by the book of the same name by Italo Calvino, though in Malinverni's case, the cities he portrays in his composition are not figments of his imagination.
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