Raccolto

• Artist: Stefano Battaglia
• Rating:
• Release Date: February 14, 2006
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Milanese pianist and composer Stefano Battaglia has walked on both sides of the classical and jazz street with ease and comfort. Whether performing Bill Evans or Pierre Boulez, he plays with integrity and authority. The double-disc Raccolto is his ECM debut, and he performs in two different settings to illustrate his tremendous gifts as both an improviser and a composer. His romantic leanings and sometimes pointillistic playing reveal his influences, from Evans to Paul Bley to Keith Jarrett. He carries his mentors with ease inside his gig bag. Disc one showcases Battaglia in a jazz trio setting with bassist Giovanni Maier and percussionist Michele Rabbia (who plays on both discs). Here, lush lyricism folds into free improvisation as the dreamy movement between the opening title cut gives way to the long, abstract "Triangolazioni." And though the latter track is completely outside, it has no edges, no burrs, no dissonances that are not enveloped inside the whole. Likewise, the skeletal space of "Triosonic" provides breathing room in contrast to the dense, more fluid post-bop improvisation in "All Is Language," where Battaglia dazzles with his multivalent ostinati. The second disc in this collection features Rabbia and Battaglia with violinist Dominique Pifarély, a member of Louis Sclavis' group. These 12 tunes are full of bracing improvisations and textural tension. The edgy "Porquoi?" and the hissing string introduction to "Il Circo Ungherese" are enough to send most jazz fans screaming for the hills. Those new music fans who haven't heard Pifarély or Battaglia before will be delighted at their structured approach to the outside. There is no self-indulgence here, only disciplined listening and authoritative execution. These 12 pieces are without reservation explorations into unknown sounds and combinations of sounds. The two discs together are all but irresistible to fans of the new European music. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Raccolto	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(5:43)
Triangolazioni	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(14:42)
Triosonic I	Stefano Battaglia, Giovanni Maier, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(3:47)
All Is Language	Stefano Battaglia, Giovanni Maier, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(11:01)
Our Circular Song	Stefano Battaglia, Giovanni Maier, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:25)
Coro	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:24)
Trisonic II	Stefano Battaglia, Giovanni Maier, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(1:22)
In Front of the Fourth Door	Stefano Battaglia, Giovanni Maier, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:33)
L 'Osservanza	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:21)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Lys	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(5:02)
Canto I (Dell'agonia Della Terra)	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:11)
Riconoscenza	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:05)
Réminiscence pour Violon et Piano	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(4:09)
Pourquoi?	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(3:47)
Il Circo Ungherese	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(3:27)
Veritas	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(1:55)
Velario de Marzo	Stefano Battaglia	Stefano Battaglia	(5:04)
Recitativo in Memoria di Luciano Berio	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(5:40)
Canto II (Dell'agonia Dei Cieli)	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(3:01)
Trois Brouillons	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(6:02)
...Dulci Declinant Lumina Somno...	Stefano Battaglia, Michele Rabbia	Stefano Battaglia	(3:53)

Credits

Stefano Battaglia (Piano), Giovanni Maier (Double Bass), Dominique Pifarély (Violin), Sascha Kleis (Design), Mephisto (Photography), Aldo Venga (Photography), Stefano Amerio (Engineer), Michele Rabbia (Percussion), Pietro Bandini (Photography)