Dado Moroni - "Five for John" [Via Veneto Jazz/Jando Music]

© -  Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

In many ways, pianist Edgardo “Dado” Moroni has earned the reputation of being one of the most distinguished members of the Italian Jazz community, let alone, a musician of stature on the International Jazz scene.

He has performed with such Jazz luminaries as Clark Terry, Jimmy Woode, Freddie Hubbard and Ray Brown along with a host of Jazz musicians who are his contemporaries such as George Robert, Tom Harrell, Bill Goodwin, Joe Locke, Bert Joris and Alvin Queen.  Dado even moved to the U.S. in 1991, becoming part of the New York jazz scene, and appearing regularly both as a leader and sideman, in some of the city's most prestigious clubs, including Blue Note, Birdland, Village Vanguard as well as recording several CDs.

Not surprisingly, Dado has also played with many of the principals in Italian Jazz including Rosario Giuliani, Stefano Bagnoli, Paolo Recchia, Danilo Moccia, Roberto Gatto, Giuseppe Bassi, and Daniele Scannapieco. He’s even made a duo piano CD with another most, admired Italian Jazz pianist - Enrico Pieranunzi!

In 2010 he was appointed Professor of Jazz Piano at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in Turin, a position he currently holds.

So what does such an accomplished musician do to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2014?  Of course, Dado selected a stellar cast of musicians to pay tribute to legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and the musical innovations he contributed to the jazz language and recorded an album.

The music was release on CD in February 2014 as Five for John [Via Veneto Jazz/Jando Music 089].

Honoring Trane’s lasting legacy, this album includes some of Coltrane’s best known compositions such as After the Rain, Mr. P.C.  and Naima, the hauntingly beautiful ballad dedicated to his wife, some tunes closely associated with him such as Fred Lacey’s Theme for Ernie, Contemplation by McCoy Tyner and Gershwin’s But Not for Me. Dado contributes two original compositions by Dado Moroni: Sister Something [for which, he no doubt, had Horace Silver’s Sister Sadie in mind] and Mr. Fournier [dedicated to drummer Vernel Fournier who established the now famous Poinciana beat as part of the legendary Ahmad Jamal Trio of the late 1950’s].

Far from a conventional celebration of Coltrane’s work, this project demonstrates the influence of Trane’s singular jazz style which Moroni and his colleagues take in some different directions. The musicians that accompany Dado on this CD are:

Joe Locke: considered by many to be the most gifted jazz vibraphonist of his generation and recipient of many national and international industry and artistic rewards.

Alvin Queen: a true icon and major innovator in the world of jazz drumming  and a pupil of Elvin Jones who was part of John Coltrane’s quartet.

Marco Panascia: an internationally-acclaimed, highly talented bassist and composer, long-time resident of New York City.

Max Ionata: considered among the most important saxophonists in the Italian jazz scene. Highly appreciated particularly in Europe and Japan, his longstanding collaboration with Dado Moroni gave birth to the remarkable 2012 album Two For Duke [Via Veneto Jazz/Jando Music VVJ 077]. You can read the JazzProfiles feature on this collaboration between Dado and Max by going here.

The following audio-only track features Dado’s original composition Sister Something.

More information about Via Veneto Jazz can be found on its website - http://www.viavenetojazz.it/index.html. Via Veneto Jazz’s latest releases can be acquired through www.forcedexposure.com. You can also find its music at Amazon.com both as CD’s and Mp3 downloads and through Marco Valente’s online retail source - www.jazzos.com.