Just Music Trio - Standpoint (2012)

The piano–guitar–double bass trio runs through the history of jazz since the 1940s, much appreciated for its chamber dimension, especially by enthusiasts who love a soft and linear jazz, not angular, refined and enjoyable at the same time. So we start from Art Tatum and Nat King Cole, we necessarily pass through Oscar Peterson and today we arrive at Ron Carter/Mulgrew Miller/Russell Malone. These are the references of the Just Music Trio, a formation born almost by chance during the rehearsal interval of a much larger group, which seeks an approach to a formula that is often too "plastered" as original and open as possible, new however possible, trying to privilege an introspective vision, which sees moments of sophisticated lyricism alternate with intense and engaging episodes. These are aspects that the chamber ensemble helps to emphasize, allowing you to hear the voices of the individual instruments "naked" by the sound of the drums and thus better highlighting the personalities of its components. Roberto Olzer, pianist but also composer and arranger with a solid classical training behind him, and guitarist Fabrizio Spadea, who started off as self-taught but then completed his training up to graduating from the Jazz Department of the Milan Conservatory, have found in the Russian double bass player Yuri Goloubev, in Italy since 2004, an ideal partner, capable of giving rhythmic solidity to the dense dialogue between guitar and piano, but also, if necessary, of taking over the melodic-harmonic textures of the trio, thanks to an uncommon instrumental virtuosity . Theirs is a magical and evocative world, which leads them to explore ever-changing territories. This is also demonstrated by the choice of repertoire, which ranges from classics such asStella by starlight to little-known songs such as the delightful Chovendo na roseira by Jobim, from original compositions to a compelling tribute to the never-forgotten Petrucciani with Song for Michel, from the evocative soundtrack of Nuovo Cinema Paradiso , one of Morricone's many masterpieces, to ironic reinterpretations of songs by modern-day idols such as Giovanni Allevi or Ludovico Einaudi, to whom, among other things, Goloubev dedicates the successful Standpoint , chosen as the title of the album.