2008-10-06
JazzWise by Robert Shone - Review
It's been a long journey into the American jazz tradition for German-born, Italian-raised pianist Ciacca, who having trained as a classical musician, only made up his mind to make it a career of jazz at the age of 20 after seeing Wynton Marsalis perform. As a director of programming for Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ciacca now works closely with his early hero, who is artistic director of JALC, and the opening cut on his fourth album as a leader - 'Squazin' (one of Marsalis's sobriquets) - is dedicated to the trumpeter. Ciacca has a nice Horace Silver-ish touch, his bop instincts finding supplementart powers of expression thanks to his classical training. His compositions meanwhile show a fine understanding of Ciacca's place in the jazz tradition. Rush Life features a cluster of "reimagined classics" - 'Chipewha' is built around the chord sequence from 'Cherokee,' while the title track is inspired by 'Body and Soul' and features suitable Coleman Hawkins-ish tenor from Dilard. Hardly revolutionary but always engaging.
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