Tete Montoliu Trio - Catalonian Rhapsody (1992) [2017 SACD]

Tete Montoliu (1933-1997) was a bebop-oriented pianist from Barcelona whose influences included Bud Powell, Al Haig, Lennie Tristano, Oscar Peterson, and Wynton Kelly as well as Art Tatum and Bill Evans. He began to be recognized outside of Spain in the late 1950s, recording with Lionel Hampton in 1956 and playing with the touring Roland Kirk in 1963. He also worked with Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson, and Anthony Braxton, and eventually became one of the most celebrated jazz pianists in Europe.

Catalonian Rhapsody is a very special album Tete recorded in his late period. This recording, which took place in Barcelona in 1992, captured Tete playing traditional Catalonian melodies in a trio setting, supported by bassist Hein Van de Geyn and drummer Idris Muhammad. This great album is now remastered by Venus Records and presented to jazz fans with superb sound quality!

Tracks:

01. The Lady From Aragon (La Dama D’Arag?) 《 Traditional 》
02. Catalonian National Anthem (Els Segadors) 《 Traditional 》
03. Three Young Ladies (Hiru Damatxo) 《 Traditional 》
04. The Singing Of The Birds (El Cant Dels Ocells) 《 Traditional 》
05. Song Of The Robber (La Canso Del Lladre) 《 Traditional 》
06. Words Of Love (Paraules D’Amor) 《 J. M. Serrat 》
07. Don’t Smoke Anymore (Ja No Fumo) 《 T. Montoliu 》
08. My Street (El Meu Carrer) 《 J. M. Serrat 》

Personnel:

Tete Montoliu - piano
Hein Van de Geyn - bass
Idris Muhammad - drums