Franco Ambrosetti - Lost Within You

 © Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

Ithaka

BY C. P. CAVAFY

TRANSLATED BY EDMUND KEELEY

As you set out for Ithaka

hope your road is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:

you’ll never find things like that on your way

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

as long as a rare excitement

stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them

unless you bring them along inside your soul,

unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind—

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you’re destined for.

But don’t hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years,

so you’re old by the time you reach the island,

wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you wouldn't have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

C. P. Cavafy, "The City" from C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems. Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Translation Copyright © 1975, 1992 by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Reproduced with permission of Princeton University Press.

Before Jazz became elevated to THE ARTS, it remained for many years something to be played and listened to as a form of entertainment.

It was to be enjoyed and savored and not interpreted and analyzed to the point of distraction.

In recorded form, it was sometimes relegated to the role of easy listening, background music; something you put on to accompany you while you made dinner, or while enjoying a glass of wine with a friend or, with the advent of audio portability, while sipping an iced tea as you relaxed in the chaise lounge on the patio with a crosswords puzzle on your lap and a boom box at your side.

The form of Jazz used for purposes of rest and relaxation was usually music played at a slow tempo featuring ballads from the Great American songbook and/or original compositions with themes designed to be played quietly in a measured sort of way. 

Your ear was “in-and-out” of the music; sometimes listening attentively; sometimes, abstractedly. The sonority of the music took you on a journey; it revealed itself slowly, each time affording different delights depending on where your ear happened to fall.

This “easy listening music” could be orchestral or played by small groups or voiced by a single instrument.

Jazz performed this way need not sound apathetic; you can play quietly and still play with intensity. Put another way, Jazz can be played softly and still burn.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, over the years, quiet Jazz recordings become some of the most often played in a collection because they fit many circumstances and don’t demand our constant attention.

Yet, it would be wrong to think of music performed in this manner as somehow being less prized than Jazz which is upbeat and energetic.

In a way, we know balladic Jazz better because it unfolds slowly and grants us more time to appreciate its artistry. 

Sadly, there isn’t a lot of quiet beauty Jazz being recorded these days. The emphasis seems to be more on Jazz played at explosively fast tempos, or Jazz which showcases incredible instrumental technique or Jazz that incorporates elements from World Music, or Jazz that emphasizes that artist’s original compositions, or - [fill-in-the-blank].

Which brings me to Franco Ambrosetti’s Lost Within You which is due out on CD on Unit Records [UTR 4970] on January 29, 2021 as both a CD and a download and which it’s press release lovingly describes as a “beguiling ballads album.” You can watch a trailer about the recording by going to www.unitrecords.com.

It is an enchanting recording and an appealing one, as well, especially for all the reasons described above. The music envelopes you, it wafts over you and you feel it along with hearing it. It doesn’t demand your attention, it requests it. But once you’ve given it permission to enter your mind, you’ll find yourself enamored and engaged in Jazz that is designed to bring beautiful melodies and inspired solos quietly into your consciousness.

Ambrosetti explains how the conception for Lost Within You came about:

"As a young man, my goal was to play fast," recalled the Lugano native. "Then slowly but surely I started to discover ballads, and Miles Davis was one of the great inspirations for that. From listening to Miles play ballads I started to understand and I was able to go inside the ballad and play these long notes that he was playing. Miles showed me how you stretch the notes out like you're really singing or crying, and I think I can express my feelings better that way."

Ambrosetti's "less is more" approach to ballads has served him well for five decades. 

The sleeve notes for the recording are by Bill Milkowski who is an experienced and knowledgeable observer of the Jazz scene both past and present. We asked Bill if we could share his annotations with you as part of this blog feature and he graciously consented. 

© Copyright ® Bill Milkowski, copyright protected; all rights reserved; used with the author’s permission.

“At 78, Franco Ambrosetti is easily the most elegant man in the room. Poised, refined, charming, conversant in five languages - one being the language of jazz - he is the very embodiment of 'suave.' A man of means who carries himself with an abundance of confidence and grace rather than swagger, he also happens to possess a remarkable gift for conveying heartfelt emotion through his horn. And like one of his role models, Miles Davis, the iconic Swiss trumpeter-composer and bandleader is indeed a beautiful singer of songs, as he so capably demonstrates on Lost Within You, his third recording for Unit Records and 25th overall as a leader.

“Concentrating strictly flugelhorn, Ambrosetti digs deep on a beguiling program of ballads, pulling heartstrings on poignant pieces like Horace Silver's "Peace" and McCoy Tyner's "You Taught My Heart to Sing," the delicate Bill Evans-Miles Davis composition "Flamenco Sketches" and the enduring classic, "Body And Soul." Accompanied once again by an all-world crew of pianist Uri Caine, bassist Scott Colley, guitarist John Scofield and drummer Jack De-Johnette (all of whom appeared on his 2019 Unit Records outing, Long Waves) and joined on five songs by pianist Renee Rosnes, Ambrosetti imbues these nine tunes with a golden tone, his signature lyricism and a depth of feeling that comes directly from the heart. Mastering ballads, said Franco, is something that came much later in his career.

"As a young man, when I was playing in my father's quintet at age 23, my goal was to play fast," recalled the Lugano native. "I loved Clifford Brown and I just wanted to play a lot of notes. I grew up on bebop, it was in my DNA, so I had absolutely no fear and no problem playing fast notes. But my father used to tell me, 'You play a ballad in a very correct way, but I miss the feelings. There's nothing from the inside.' But then slowly but surely, I started to discover ballads, and Miles Davis was one of the great inspirations for that. From listening to Miles play ballads I started to understand and I was able to go inside and play these long notes that he was playing. Miles showed me how you stretch the notes out like you're really singing, or crying. And I think I can express my feelings better that way."

 Ambrosetti's "less is more" approach to ballads has served him well for five decades. That refined approach was particularly evident on 2018's lavish orchestral production, The Nearness of You. and it plays out in sublime fashion again on Lost Within You,

The collection opens on a delicate note with Jack DeJohnette in a rare turn on piano, providing a sparse intro to Horace Silver's aptly-titled "Peace." His notes resonate and hang in the air before Franco enters at the 1:30 mark, joining in a stark piano-flugelhorn duo. Bassist Scott Colley emerges at the 2:43 mark and guitarist John Scofield makes his presence felt with a potent solo at the 4:42 mark as DeJohnette comps forcefully behind him before launching into his own soulful solo. Franco's graceful, warm-toned solo culminates in a stirring cadenza.

With Rosnes on piano and Colley on bass, Ambrosetti fairly sings the Cy Coleman-Joseph McCarthy torch song "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Outta My Life," a tune popularized by Nat King Cole in 1955. Renee and Scott each deliver heartfelt solos on this elegiac number.

The program shifts to a more buoyant mood with Franco's Latin-tinged "Silli in the Sky," a piece he had originally written for a theater production of Harold Pinter's "The Lovers" that his actress wife Silli performed in. Scofield's flowing guitar solo here adds bite to the proceedings, spurring Franco to some daring flights of his own. Then on Dave Grusin's "Love Like Ours," he takes his time, emphasizing those Miles-influenced long notes on an especially lyrical reading of the romantic number previously recorded by Diane Schuur, Steve Tyrell and Barbra Streisand.

The wistful "Dreams of a Butterfly" opens with a fragile ascending figure that Ambrosetti doubles with pianist Ce before DeJohnette settles into an insinuating New Orleans flavored "Poinciana" groove on the kit. Franco delivers some of his boldest playing on his solo here while Caine contributes a brilliant solo. The inspiration for this Ambrosetti original came from a Jorge Luis Borges story. As the composer explained, "There was a man who dreamt to be a butterfly. And when he woke up, he didn't know whether he was a man that dreamt to be a butterfly or the other way around. And this gave me inspiration once I sat at the piano and I came up with this opening line, which is like a Butterfly that flies."

Their relaxed take on Johnny Green's "Body and Soul," a Broadway show tune popularized in a 1930 Louis Armstrong recording before Coleman Hawkins put his enduring stamp on it in 1939, opens with a light salvo from DeJohnette before Franco enters with heart-wrenching long tones from his flugelhorn. As the 11-minute piece develops, DeJohnette showcases his inimitable loose swing factor and remarkable instincts on the kit, spurring Ambrosetti, Caine and Colley to some spirited stretching in their respective solos.

Benny Carter's "People Time" is a melancholy number performed with graceful restraint by the trio of Ambrosetti, Caine and Colley. Uri offers a magnificent solo here while Franco alternately pulls at heartstrings with long burnished tones and invigorates with daring intervallic leaps and flurries into the high register.

Rosnes brings a luminous quality to a zen-delicate reading of "Flamenco Sketches," the innovative modal closer from Miles Davis' 1959 classic. Kind of Blue. That tune was the result of some impromptu magic in the studio, as Ambrosetti explained. "Jack had played piano on Horace Silver's 'Peace', which was the last tune of the first day. And as we were packing up to go home, he started to play 'Flamenco Sketches.' And just like that we decided to record it. Jack left the piano to go to the drums and Renee sat down at the piano, and it happened in one take."

They open the McCoy Tyner-Sammy Cahn tune, "YouTaught My Heart to Sing." on a tender note before shifting to a lightly swinging feel for Scofield's solo section. The piece then alternates between swing and ballad feels behind searching, expressive solos from Scofield and Rosnes. Franco's golden long tones put an exquisite bow on the proceedings.

Throughout the three days of sessions, the leader was very mindful of letting intuition play into the proceedings. As he explained, "Musicians of this caliber, you want them to play what they are. We think the same way so I trust them completely."

Trust and communication were the watchwords of this enchanting collection of ballads by Ambrosetti, one of Europe's living jazz masters, and his world-class crew.”

• Bill Milkowski

Bill Milkowski is a contributor to Downbeat. Jazziz and Absolute Sound magazines. He is also the author of Michael Brecker: Ode to a Tenor Titan [Globe Pequot/Backbeat].

Perhaps the following excerpt from ANTJE HÜBNER Hubtone Press Release is a fitting way to encapsulate and conclude what’s on offer in Franco Ambrosetti’s Lost Within You.

“The leader imbues each of the nine tunes on Lost Within You with a golden tone, his signature lyricism and a depth of feeling that comes directly from the heart. Combining all of those inherent qualities with a masterful sense of storytelling, he is able to pull heartstrings throughout the affecting program.”

If you are looking for a Jazz recording that compliments and complements your quiet time moods during your metaphorical  “Ithaka journey,” you might want to bring the music on Franco’s Lost Within You along with you.

Franco Ambrosetti - LONG WAVES

© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

As regular visitors to this page are aware, the editorial staff at JazzProfiles only does occasional reviews of new recordings.

The primary reason for this is that we are focused on other things to do with a historical perspective on Jazz and its makers.

But every so often, thanks to the good graces of our friends in media relations, we do come across a new recording that we think merits your attention, so we take the time to prepare a posting about it.

Such is the case with Long Waves, Franco Ambrosetti’s new CD on the Unit label [UTR 4907].

Franco has a very engaging style; thoughtful and reflective. He plays from the heart; he feels the notes. His tone on trumpet is reminiscent of the cooler sound on the instrument. He “comes from” Bix, Miles, Chet and Art Farmer. No pyrotechnics here, just expressive, beautiful trumpet and flugelhorn playing. 

There’s a quality in the music on Long Waves that can only be described as one of contentment. It permeates each of the seven tracks that make up this recording and stems in large measure from the fact that Franco has surrounded himself with Pro’s pros with John Scofield on guitar, Uri Caine on piano, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

How can you not make music that sounds happy, joyous and free with these guys in your band? 

Two standards - Old Folks and On Green Dolphin Street - are included with four originals by Franco and one by Swiss pianist George Gruntz, and these give the listener a chance to become acquainted with the musicians on familiar turf before branching out into their improvisations on the new tunes.

All but one of the tracks averages between 7-8 minutes which allows Franco and his band of all-stars to stretch out and demonstrate their considerable skills and talents at “making Jazz.”

Beautifully recorded with an in-the-room sound presence, the CD also comes with insert notes by Grammy-winning Jazz author and critic, Bob Blumenthal.

Unfortunately, today’s Jazz world is beset with recordings of self-produced mediocrity that blur the marketplace with advertisement which makes it difficult to find gems like Franco Ambrosetti’s Long Waves. But if you are looking for an exceptional and enjoyable Jazz listening experience, you need look no farther than this new CD from Franco, John, Uri, Scott and Jack.

There’s a wealth of background information about Franco and his career, as well as, more background information about the music and the musicians on Long Waves in the following press release from Antje Hubner at Hubtone PR.

Zürich, Switzerland, September 5, 2019 - One of the most revered figures on the European jazz scene, Swiss trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti has maintained a strong affinity for the music since debuting as a leader in 1965 with A Jazz Portrait of Franco Ambrosetti. Now approaching his 78th birthday in December, Ambrosetti is still swinging after all these years, which is very much in evidence by his latest recording, Long Waves. An all-star session recorded in January, 2019 in New York City, Ambrosetti's 28th as a leader overall and second for the Swiss-based Unit Records features celebrated guitarist John Scofield, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Scott Colley and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. Together they interact on an intimate level, displaying remarkable chemistry on seven tracks. "It was like a constant dialogue," said Ambrosetti of the empathetic session. "After one rehearsal, I felt like I had played with this group every night for the last five years."

From their relaxed, conversational interpretation of the poignant ballad "Old Folks" to their swinging treatment of "On Green Dolphin Street" to new Ambrosetti originals like his buoyantly swinging "Silli's Waltz" and the burning "Silli's Long Wave" (both named for his wife of 22 years) and his tango-flavored "Milonga," Long Waves stands as a crowning achievement in the long and storied career of the esteemed trumpeter-flugelhornist-composer.

Jazz has been a part of Ambrosetti's DNA since he was a child. Born in Lugano on December 10, 1941, he inherited a love of swinging music from his father Flavio Ambrosetti, an accomplished jazz saxophonist who founded the first jazz club in his hometown, organized the first jazz festival in Lugano and also played opposite Charlie Parker at the 1949 Paris Jazz Festival.

Though he studied classical piano from the age of nine, Ambrosetti eventually picked up trumpet at age 17. And while he may have patterned himself after Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan in his early years, the single biggest influence on his now signature singing quality on the trumpet and flugelhorn was Miles Davis. "Miles sometimes was playing just three notes but with so much intensity, and especially when he was playing a ballad," he noted. "So from listening to Miles I learned about stretching a note when you play a melody. Instead of playing the notes shorter or staccato, you stretch the notes out like you're really singing. And I think I can express my feelings more if I really cry that note."

In 1966, at age 24, Ambrosetti won a prestigious international jazz competition in Vienna directed by pianist Friedrich Gulda. With a jury consisting of Cannonball Adderley, Art Farmer, Jay Jay Johnson, Joe Zawinul, Ron Carter and Mel Lewis, Franco ended up outranking fellow trumpeters Randy Brecker, Claudio Roditi and Tomas Stanko for the first prize. The following year, he played his first concert in the United States, performing in his father's quintet, the Flavio Ambrosetti All-Stars, at the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival. Through the '70s, he led his own groups and also toured with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. During the '80s and '90s, he performed concerts and made TV appearances throughout Europe while recording most of his projects in New York City with such esteemed sidemen as pianists Hal Galper, Tommy Flanagan, Geri Allen and Kenny Kirkland, saxophonists Phil Woods, Michael Brecker, Steve Coleman and Greg Osby, bassists Dave Holland, Buster Williams and Michael Formanek, drummers Billy Hart and Billy Drummond. His 1993 album, Live at the Blue Note, featured tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Victor Lewis.

            

Ambrosetti's 2001 album, Grazie Italia, was a collection of beloved Italian folk and popular tunes, from "Volare" to "Roma Nun Fa Stupida" to Bruno Martino's "Estate." As he said of that beloved project, "Italy is my culture but I'm Swiss, so I was thanking Italy for giving me this kind of gift." In 2008, he appeared at Quincy Jones' 75th birthday celebration at the Montreux Jazz Festival, performing a sublime rendition of "My Ship" (recreating the Gil Evans arrangement from 1957's Miles Ahead) and a soulful muted trumpet reading of "Summertime" (recreating the Evans-Davis collaboration from 1959's Porgy And Bess). His 2015 Enja release, After the Rain, was a heartfelt tribute to John Coltrane that featured alto saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist Dado Maroni, bassist Buster Williams, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and his son Gianluca on soprano sax. In 2017, Ambrosetti marked the milestone of his 75th birthday by inviting an all-star cast of friends and colleagues to record Cheers. Pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Williams, drummers DeJohnette and Carrington, pianists Caine, Maroni and Antonio Faraòi, saxophonist Osby, guitarist Scofield and fellow trumpeter and longtime friend Randy Brecker were among the participants in that gala New York session. 

Ambrosetti's debut on Unit Records was 2018's lavish orchestral project, The Nearness of You, with strings conducted by Massimo Nunzi and brass and woodwinds conducted by Tonino Battista. That album, which included gorgeous renditions of Kurt Weill's "My Ship," Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Luiza" and Hoagy Carmichael's title track, also featured Franco's son Gianluca on soprano sax. That same year, the trumpeter received the Swiss Jazz Award presented at the Jazz Ascona Festival in Switzerland. In his autobiography, Two Roads, Both Taken, Ambrosetti addressed the issue of juggling careers as jazz trumpeter and industrialist. "Music won me over right away," he wrote, "whereas, the business activity took a few decades to seduce me."

While Ambrosetti decided to pursue his family's multi-million-dollar business for decades, he never put his trumpet on the shelf. "I would practice every day through the years and I still practice every day," he said. "Trumpet is an instrument that you have to practice every day, at least half an hour, or you lose your chops. So I do manage to play every day of my life." He pours a lifetime of experience into every note on Long Waves, pushed to some dramatic heights by his stellar crew of seasoned veterans in Scofield, Caine, Colley and DeJohnette.

TRACKS

Milonga [07:13]

Try Again [07:10]

Silli's Long Wave [08:44]

One For The Kids [07:16]

Old Folks [08:36]

Silli's Waltz [05:24]

On Green Dolphin Street [09:05]

Producer: Jeff Levenson

Executive Producer: Harald Haerter

Executive Producer: Silli Ambrosetti

Recorded at Sear Sound Studios, NY, January 30-31, 2019

Mastered by Greg Calbi, Sterling Sound

THE LABEL - For over three decades Unit Records has been documenting the best of jazz, modern classical and electronic music. Founded by guitarist Harald Haerter, it is an all-purpose music platform, covering the needs of the recording, performing and presenting communities throughout Europe. www.unitrecords.com