Max Ionata - LIKE - Mingus Records

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

As I have written previously:

“Max Ionata is a monster tenor player: technique to spare; a big, bossy, blustery tone; a sense of swing reminiscent of the great “big horn” players of the past including Chu Berry, Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins.

But, in many ways, Max is so hard to classify, that once I stopped trying, I recognized him for who he is - a true original on the instrument with his own voice and his own style of improvisation. You’ve heard it all before and yet you haven’t. He is unique and he impresses with each and every song rendering and improvised solo.”

As is the case on all his recordings, with Max, the swing is the thing.

Max uses a number of sophisticated devices to keep his sets fresh for the listener including a variety of tempos, song structures and rhythmic devices.

Nobody “teaches” you this stuff. You’ve got to have “big ears,” listen closely and know how to apply what you are picking up on.”

 - JazzProfiles.blogspot.com

I first heard Max on a series of albums released in 2014 by Albore Records including: Roberto Gatto Quintet’s tribute to his fellow drummer Shelly Manne on Remembering Shelly [Albore Records ALBCD 007]pianist Luca Mannutza’s The Sound of Six sextet on My Music [Albore Records ALBCD 018]; Max Ionata Organ 3+ Fabrizio Bosso Coffee Time [Albore Records ALBCD 011].

Since then, Max has ventured out on his own and has a number of recordings under his name in his growing discography. He prefers smaller settings - sax plus rhythm section, primarily - and he enjoys taking his horn on the road to club and concert venues throughout Italy, Europe and Japan.

Whatever the musical or geographical setting, Max continues to be a surprising treat to the ears. His tone may be reminiscent of Sonny Rollins and, at times, that of Joe Henderson’s, but his phrasing is like no other tenor player that I’ve ever heard before.  He takes so many chances and while he escapes from some of his improvisational adventures, he also crashes by placing himself in situations from which there is no extraction other than by taking a deep breath and going on to build the next sequence. What fun!

When I listen to Max I am reminded of Don Pate’s, son of the Jazz bassist, Johnny Pate, following observation in Paul F. Berliner’s brilliant Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation:

“What’s intense about a solo is where somebody does something and it makes you think: ‘What’s THAT he’s playing?’ or ‘WHERE is he coming from? Or ‘HOW did he ever do that.”

Of course, this description [what Pate calls “otherwhere”] is akin to The New Yorker’s long-standing Jazz critic, Whitney Balliett’s famous phrase – “The Sound of Surprise.”

Recently, the peripatetic Ionata has found himself in the company of bassist Jesper Bodilsen and drummer Martin Maretti Andersen in what he casually refers to as his “Danish Trio.”

They have a new CD coming out at the end of August on Mingus Records and as you can see from the tune and song selection in the above tray plate graphic, it is comprised of nine tracks with selections ranging from the Jazz Standards and the Great American Songbook to three originals - two by Max and one by Jesper.

The trio format without a piano gives Max, Jesper and Martin plenty of space and they use it well as each “voice” has the opportunity to be heard, expansively and expressively.

The music is thoughtfully presented from the unison melody played by Jesper and Max on Thad Jones’ Three in One to the soulful two-beat that frames the beginning of Hank Mobley’s Soul Station to the bouncy boogaloo beat that propels a funky version of Eddie Harris’ Cold Duck Time.

A slow Latin beat caresses Michel Legrand’s marvelous You Must Believe in Spring - talk about a composer with a gift for melody! - and the “Latin tinge” is also evident in the group’s introduction of George Gershwin’s Who Cares? [for fear of understatement, another first-rate melodist].

Martin demonstrates his mallet drumming skills on Astor Piazzola’s moody Oblivion as he and Jesper’s bass ostinatos create a quasi Tango beat over which Max’s glides and weaves a series of lyrical improvisations.

Like finds Max and Jesper playing a unison, low register version of this interesting, bebop inspired melody which, when it goes into time, has Jesper demonstrating a monstrous walking bass line while also beautifully framing the chords harmonically.  

Max’s But could just as easily have been named - Boogie Back Beat - and Martin certainly lays one down and provides a setting for wonderfully “looping and lopping” solos by both Jesper and then Max. This track is just one of many examples throughout the recording of Martin’s sensitive drumming which never overpowers and serves the music in the best example of an accompanist.

Everyone listens to one another on this gorgeously recorded album. The sound impeccably captures the work of the musicians and gives the listener the sensation that the music is being performed in their living room.

Like is a showcase for the quiet intensity that Max Ionata brings to his Jazz interpretations.

He is an artist with the integrity that respects the best that the Jazz tradition has to offer while at the same time shaping the future direction of the music with his artistry.

If you are a fan of the best in Jazz, then you are not gonna want to miss this one.

Rewinding with Max, Alberto and Frits

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

Rewind is a co-release from Via Veneto Jazz and Jando Music. Italian saxophonist Max Ionata is among the leading players in the contemporary jazz scene and released his thirteenth album Rewind; his fourth recording produced by Via Veneto Jazz. With Rewind Max Ionata marks a turning point and repositions himself at the head of an entirely different ensemble: a Hammond trio. The group features an exceptional array of talents, comprised of master musicians of international stature with whom he established a remarkable synergy during numerous concerts in the past few years; namely the organist Alberto Gurrisi and the premier Dutch drummer Frits Landesbergen - also considered one of the best vibraphonists in Europe. This album truly represents a rewind - a transition veering from his traditional path - where Ionata starts anew with an abundance of creativity and bold stylistic innovations. An energetic swerve following an intense artistic career during which Max Ionata performed both as leader and as a special guest at international jazz festivals and clubs, collaborating with the greatest musicians in the world. The album contains two jazz standards, one song composed by Frits Landesbergen and arranged by Max Ionata, and six original by Ionata.

Of the nine songs in the album, six are autobiographical: "Drum" is a tribute to the great Italian trumpeter Marco Tamburini, with whom Max shared key moments in his musical career; "Bob's Mood" is inspired by Bob Mintzer and his unique style of composing; "Mr G.T." (with Amedeo Ariano at the drums and Frits Landesbergen on the vibraphone) is dedicated to his friend and colleague Gege' Telesforo, who inspired Max with his unique way of experiencing the stage and with his passion for funk. "North Sea" is a ballad, played on the soprano sax, enthused by the coastal landscapes; "Sunflower" stems from the effect of the intense colors of Van Gogh's sunflowers. Antonio Carlos Jobim's pulsing and rhythmic "Chovendo Na Roseira" and George Coleman's "Amsterdam After Dark" are a few featured covers. "At Vic's" is written by Frits Landebergen and dedicated to one of the greatest musicians in jazz, Victor Feldman.

http://www.forcedexposure.com/Artists/IONATA.MAX.html

The editorial staff tries hard [sometimes, perhaps too hard?] to find catchy titles for its blog postings.

This one gets it name from Rewind  (VVJ 109) the title of a soon-to-be-released CD by one of our favorite Italian Jazz saxophonists - Max Ionata -  on which he is joined by Frits Landesbergen the Dutch drummer and vibraphonist and Hammond Organist Alberto Gurrisi. This is his fourth recording produced by Jando Music | Via Veneto Jazz.

As is the case with his previous recordings, with Max, the swing is the thing.

Max uses a number of sophisticated devices to keep the set fresh for the listener including a variety of tempos, song structures and rhythmic devices such as playing the initial choruses in 2/4 before switching to 4/4 to really propel things forward on the solos they take on At Vic's.

Nobody “teaches” you this stuff. You’ve got to have “big ears,” listen closely and know how to apply what you are picking up on.

Max is a monster tenor player: technique to spare; a big, bossy, blustery tenor tone; a sense of swing reminiscent of the great “big horn” players of the past.

Ionata is so hard to classify, that once I stopped trying, I recognized him for who he is - a true original on the instrument with his own voice and his own style of improvisation. You’ve heard it all before and yet you haven’t. He is unique and he impresses with each and every song rendering and improvised solo.

If Max is reminiscent of anyone with his hard-charging, finger-poppin’, and full-bodied sound, the late Dexter Gordon’s name comes to mind. But Max puts things together using modern harmonies in a completely different manner than Dex. He has very much become his own man on his instrument. Respectful of the tradition, but still charging ahead to put his own stamp on it.

I had written about Frits - a dynamite Jazz vibraphonist, drummer and percussionist - previously when I posted a review of his Dynavibes Mons CD [MR 874-794] to the blog. Joining Frits on that recording are Larry Fuller, piano, Lynn Seaton, bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums.

Born in Voorschoten in 1961, Frits, whose father is an amateur guitarist and bassist, became interested in jazz around the age of 12 and, at 14, decided to become a professional musician. He studied at Amsterdam Conservatory, graduated in 1985, having studied tympani, classical snare drum, vibraphone and marimba, and began working extensively in Holland both as a drummer and vibraphonist. He also developed his skills as a composer and arranger.

Says Frits. "I enjoy having the possibility to work both as a drummer and as a vibraphonist because in the one case you are primarily an accompanist, giving support to the soloists and helping to keep things swinging and in the other case you are a soloist and have the opportunity to express your musical ideas and personality."

His musical associates over the years have included Rita Keys, Pirn Jacobs, the Rosenberg Trio, Madeline Bell and Louis van Dijk. He has also performed with Georgie Fame, Milt Jackson, Toots Thielemans, Eddie Daniels, Scott Hamilton, Barney Kessel, Joe Pass and Buddy de Franco, among others, and has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the WDR Big Band and the Metropole Orchestra.

His performance with Milt Jackson was for a television show, and Frits recalls: "It was very exciting to be able to play and talk with Milt for three days in a row. That's a memory I'll treasure."

Rewind was presented “live” with an Italian tour that kicks off on May 10 in Rome, at the BeBop Jazz Club, and will then play dates in several cities including Pescara (Friday, May 13 at the Conservatory Auditorium “Luisa D’Annunzio”) and Milan, Sunday May 15 at the Blue Note.

Here are excerpts from the Via Vento Jazz/Jano Music press release:

“With  “rewind”  Max Ionata marks a turning point and repositions himself at the head of an entirely different ensemble: a Hammond Organ trio. The group features an exceptional array of talents, comprised of master musicians of international stature with whom he established a remarkable synergy during the numerous concerts in the past few years; namely the organist Alberto Gurrisi and the premier Dutch drummer Frits Landesbergen - also considered one of the best vibraphonists in Europe.

This album truly represents a “rewind” - a transition veering from his traditional path - where Ionata starts anew with an abundance of creativity and bold stylistic innovations.  An energetic change-of-direction following the intense early years of an artistic career during which Max Ionata performed both as leader and as special guest at the world’s most important jazz festivals and clubs, collaborating with the greatest musicians in the world.

 

The album contains two jazz standards, one song composed by Frits Landesbergen and arranged by Max Ionata, and six original songs Ionata composed at the piano in August 2015, at his house in Abruzzo. Max has reached a time during which he is intensifying his musical research, starting with his great passion for American jazz, particularly modern hard bop, and unveiling new layers of that musical genius and intuitive melodic sense that distinguishes his music.”  

Order information about the new CD can be located by going here. It is also available as an audio CD from www.amazon.com

Other websites that contain information about the principals involved in Rewind are http://www.maxionata.com/ www.jandomusic.com and www.viavenetojazz.it

The following video features the group on Frits At Vic’s as arranged by Max Ionata.

Max Ionata and Dado Moroni - "Two for Stevie"

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

“The Jazz duo is an affirmative exercise in self-denial, a musical fast in which one gives up some expected ingredient in the cause of the greater good; intimacy, freedom, self-exploration, name your poison. Without the ballast of a beat, the emptiness leaves the duo in the back alley of the experimental where expectations are discouraged.”

- John McDonough, Down Beat

When I took a quick look at the title of the latest Via Veneto Jazz - Jando Production CD entitled Two for Stevie [VVJ 096] I thought that tenor and soprano saxophonist Max Ionata and pianist Dado Moroni [who also plays some bass of this recording] had dedicated an album to me!

But after closer review, I realized that the “Stevie” referenced in the CD title was composer and keyboard artist Stevie Wonder and not me. Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Stevie Wonder composed a host of songs so recognizable and broadly popular that a few notes from their melodies brings immediate recognition. To say that the music of Stevie Wonder is universally revered would be an understatement.

Even those of us whose singing in the shower can make ceramic tiles crack can effortlessly sing or hum along to the following lyric of Stevie’s smash hit - You Are The Sunshine of My Life:

“You are the sunshine of my life,

that’s why I’ll always be around.

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you’ll stay in my heart.

I feel like this is the beginning,

‘though I’ve loved you for a million years.

And if I thought our love was ending,

I’d find myself drowning in my own tears.

Whoa, whoa.

You are the sunshine of my life,

that’s why I’ll always stay around.

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you’ll stay in my heart.

You must have known that I was lonely,

because you came to my rescue.

And I known that this must be heaven,

how could so much love be inside you?

Whoa.

You are the sunshine of my life,

that’s why I’ll stay be around.

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you’ll stay in my heart.”

By way of additional background on the project, Via Veneto Jazz and Jando Music, the co-producers of the CD, sent along the following media distribution on their latest release.

“After their Ellington tribute record - Two for Duke [VVJ 077] - Dado Moroni and Max Ionata are back together again in a project dedicated to another music icon: the legendary and incomparable Stevie Wonder (who, by no coincidence, wrote a tribute song Sir Duke for Ellington and musicians who influenced his work).

Considered one of the most prominent artists in the history of black music, Stevie Wonder built the foundation for the evolution of soul and R&B, thanks to his personal style, resulting from an infusion of pop, funk, reggae and jazz.

With jazz as their starting point, Dado and Max embark on an explorative quest of the "wonderful" Stevie,  playing his best-loved,  international hit songs in an innovative and distinctive style.

Produced by Jando Music, in collaboration with Via Veneto Jazz, the Two for Stevie [VVJ 096] retraces the stages of Stevie Wonder’s formidable artistic career:  from the enormous success of Songs In The Key of Life to the enchanting melodic effusiveness of  Hotter than July….

The intriguing interplay between Moroni’s piano and double bass and Ionata’s sax are featured on the following tracks:

> 1) Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder)

> 2) Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing (Stevie Wonder)

> 3) Isn’t She Lovely (Stevie Wonder)

> 4) I Wish (Stevie Wonder)

> 5) Chan Song (Herbie Hancock – Stevie Wonder)

> 6) Love’s in Need of Love Today (Stevie Wonder)

> 7) Have a Talk with God (Stevie Wonder)

> 8) Send One Your Love (Stevie Wonder)

> 9) You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder)

> 10) The Secret Life of Plants (Stevie Wonder)

> 11) Ribbon in the Sky (Stevie Wonder)

You can locate the previous JazzProfiles feature on Two for Duke by going here.

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.  

The following audio-only music file features Max and Dado on Stevie Wonder’s - You Are The Sunshine of My Life.

Max Ionata and Luca Mannutza on Albore Records

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

“It's like going out there naked every night. Any one of us can screw the whole thing up because we're out there improvising. The classical guys have their scores, but we have to be creating, or trying to, anticipating each other, taking chances every goddamn second. That's why when jazz musicians are really putting out, it's an exhausting experience. It can be exhilarating too, but there's always that touch of fear, that feeling of being on a very high wire without a net.” 
- Nat Hentoff, Jazz Is

Have you ever noticed that certain national cultures seem to have an affinity for Jazz?

England, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Russia, Canada, Australia, Poland, Ukraine, Japan and China constantly lead the list of “visitors” to this blog.

The editorial staff at JazzProfiles welcomes audiences from all countries and it certainly hopes the use of the “Google translator” feature assists them in reading the features that appear on its pages.

With the recent arrival of tenor saxophonist Max Ionata’s Inspiration Live [ALBCD 024] and pianist Luca Mannutza’s Sound Six: Tributo Al Sestetti Anni 60 [ALBCD 008], two new CD’s from Satoshi Toyoda’s Albore Records in Tokyo, Japan, we have once again been reminded of the universality of Jazz and the Japanese and Italian affinity for the music.

Jazz has evolved so greatly from its origins in the US and become so cosmopolitan that these recordings feature Italian Jazz musicians appearing on recordings produced in Japan!

Artistic excellence, stylistic integrity, quality in craftsmanship - all have deep meaning and are given great reverence and respect in both Italian and Japanese culture. Given these cultural propensities, it is not surprising that Italy and Japan would “find one another” in relationship to Jazz.

Whatever the reason, we are very happy that Max and Luca hooked up with Satoshi because the music on these recordings is absolutely brilliant.

Max Ionata’s Inspiration Live [ALBCD 024] features Luca Mannutza on piano, Giuseppe Bassi on bass [Is that not a great name for a bassist?]] and Nicola Angelucci on drums. The CD is a sequel of sorts to Max’s 2009 Albore Records CD Inspiration [ALBCD 004] on which Luca also appears.

Inspiration Live was recorded in performance at the Uefillion Music Club in Gioia Del Calle which is located near Bari, Italy just above “the heel” on the Adriatic Sea coast.

It seems to have been recorded on one evening in January, 2013 and if this is the case it was a blistering series of sets as everyone in the band is in fine form.

The music is so well recorded that it jumps out at you and envelops you in its sound. The audio is mixed and mastered but this does nothing to detract from its “presence” which is vital and alive. The sound is not hollow or distant. If you close your eyes while listening to the music, you have the sense that you are actually in the club with the musicians performing in front of you.

And oh how well they perform. With a great mixture of three originals by Max, one by Luca, Jazz standards by Frank Foster and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and a roaring version of The Great American Songbook-Irving Berlin Classic The Best Thing For You Is Me, this is one of the best paced lived dates to come along in quite a while.

The group uses a number of sophisticated devices to keep the set fresh for the listener including a variety of tempos, song structures and rhythmic devices such as playing the initial choruses in 2/4 before switching to 4/4 to really propel things forward on the solos they take on The Best Thing For You Is Me.

Nobody “teaches” you this stuff. You’ve got to have “big ears,” listen closely and know how to apply what you are picking up on.

Max is a monster tenor player: technique to spare; a big, bossy, blustery tenor tone; a sense of swing reminiscent of the great “big horn” players of the past. Max also plays soprano sax on his original Jazz waltz, Aurora, and on Ornette Coleman’s When Will The Blues Leave with great restraint thus avoiding the undesirable “fish horn” and “nanny goat” vibrato that undermine the instrument’s legitimacy with some Jazz fans.

Ionata is so hard to classify, that once I stopped trying, I recognized him for who he is - a true original on the instrument with his own voice and his own style of improvisation. You’ve heard it all before and yet you haven’t. He is unique and he impresses with each and every song rendering and improvised solo.

The same can be said of Luca Mannutza. What a player. Hard-charging; finger-poppin’: he’s all over the piano in a way that leaves you breathless. There are overtones of McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, and Keith Jarrett in Luca’s approach, but he puts things together using modern piano harmonies in a completely different manner. He, too, has very much become his own man on his instrument. Respectful of the tradition, but still charging ahead to put his own stamp on it.

Max and Luca’s playing engrosses you.  Chorus after chorus, they bring you under their spell with a series of unrelentingly creative solos. Giuseppe Bassi on bass and Nicola Angelucci provide the perfect accompaniment with Bassi making the most of the solo space he is given and Angelucci making things happen from the drum chair without being overbearing. They cook when they need to, provide perfect support on the ballads, and keep the time flawlessly. You can set your metronome to their timekeeping. How many modern-day Jazz rhythm sections can you say that about?  [Too many of them rush.]

Max and Luca’s playing over the two chord tag that oscillates up and down at the end of the opening tune - I Hope You Wish - will leave you gasping for metaphorical “air” because of the intense atmosphere it generates..

Am I enthusiastic about this recording? You bet. Inspiration Live [ALBCD 024] is an instant classic. It has become one of my favorite Jazz recordings to the point where I can’t bring myself to pull it out of the CD changer.

Although recorded during two, studio dates in November, 2009, pianist Luca Mannutza’s Sound Six: Tributo Al Sestetti Anni 60 [ALBCD 008] is equally as compelling.

Max Ionata returns the favor by playing tenor on Luca’s session and joining them in rounding out the sextet are Andy Gravish on trumpet, Paolo Recchia on alto saxophone, Renato Gattone on bass and Andrea Nunzi on drums.

As is the case with Bassi and Angelucci on Max’s CD, Gattone and Nunzi form a powerful rhythm section on Luca’s album that magnifies the intensity of everyone’s solo efforts. They listen well and provide energy and drive while demonstrating amazing maturity for players who are so young.

Luca’s CD is a tribute to the Jazz of the 1960’s with the group performing George Russell’s Ezz-thetic, Kenny Dorham’s Una Mas, Wayne Shorter’s Sweet ‘n Sour, The Big Push, and On the Ginza, Chick Corea’s Litha, Duke Pearson’s You Know I Care and Mulgrew Miller’s Grew’s Tune.

This is a formidable collection of tunes played by a group of Jazz musicians who are equal to the task.

In the insert notes booklet, Luca Mannutza explains that “this project was born just from the desire to record these tunes that have a particular sense for me, that I’ve listened to a thousand times over.”

Mannutza’s arrangements inject a new vitality into these tunes, many of which are exceedingly difficult to play and require well-developed “chops” [technique] to solo on.

For example, while George Russell’s Ezz-thetic may be based on the changes [chord progressions] to Cole Porter’s Love for Sale, its substituted melody line is very complicated and demands precise implementation to prevent it from becoming a train wreck.

Wayne Shorter’s music is never easy either in conception or execution, yet it is a testament to the skill of the musicians on Sound Six: Tributo Al Sestetti Anni 60 that they are able to tear through three of them effortlessly.

All of the musicians on this recording can also play with great sensitivity as they demonstrate on Duke Pearson’s lovely ballad You Know I Care or on Mulgrew Miller’s slow-moving burner Grew’s Tune.

Both Max Ionata’s Inspiration Live [ALBCD 024] and pianist Luca Mannutza’s Sound Six: Tributo Al Sestetti Anni 60 [ALBCD 008] are well worth adding to your Jazz collection. They are available through www.amazon.com, www.dustygrooves.com and www.eastwindimport.com.

I, for one, am certainly glad that Max, Luca and Satoshi have an affinity for one another and for Jazz.