Enrico Granafei - It's Hard To Say Goodbye (2024)

With It's Hard to Say Goodbye, multi-talented Italian guitarist and harmonica player, Enrico Granafei and a group of standouts offer eleven Latin-flavored jazz selections. The effort, recorded over an extended period, also features two artists who have unfortunately passed—trumpeter Claudio Roditi and pianist, Mike Longo. Granafei has dedicated the album to them and to the memory of Granafei's mentor, Toots Thielemans.

"Claudinho," a Granafei original samba, opens the session. Upbeat in tempo, Granafei and Roditi make the most of the melody and its texture by offering it in unison and with extended solos. The rhythmic platform is energetic and vibe optimistic. "Night Train," from the pen of session pianist Amina Figarova, is a darker portrait with varying tempos. Granafei expresses melody using dynamics and articulation nuances to flavor things. Things build over a drum solo ultimately ending with harmonica and piano alternating statements before the envisioned end of the line. "PIA," an acronym for "Parasailing in Aruba," is a classic reggae-rhythmed platform under Granafei's melody. He stretches out, dipping and spinning lines in accord with the imagery before Figarova's keyboard solo. "Medo De Amar," composed by legendary Brazilian composer/lyricist and author, Vincius de Moraes, has Granafei singing the bossa nova in perfect Portuguese before his faux-strings- accompanied harmonica solo. Keyboardist, Neil Nail Alexander provides a Fender Rhodes ride.

Granafei was originally a conservatory-instructed guitarist and teacher. He became interested in the chromatic harmonica after hearing Thielemans. He was initially self-taught and later became a student and disciple of the Master (who, like Granafei, also played guitar and composed). Three of the tracks on this album are Thielemans' originals. Like his mentor, Granafei generously incorporates and flavors his playing with both tonal and dynamic nuances, thus expanding those textures on the instrument.

Leaving his harmonica aside, Granafei's "Calabrossa" is a gentle bossa nova. It is sung by Granafei in his native tongue. It has a delicate, continental flavor reminiscent of songs from those 60s Italian romance films. "What Goes Around Comes Around" is a faster samba— think a modern and furious version of "Mas Que Nada" from Sergio Mendes. Granafei's harmonica states the punctuated melody over a high-energy rhythm bed. Neil Nail Alexander provides a keyboard ride before Granafei takes it all out. The rhythm section here shines.

Although the album was recorded over time and there are multiple players involved, the playing across the album is consistent and in fine support of Granafei. Each of the pianists, bassists, drummers and percussionists make contributions, lending to the album's appeal.

The final three tracks are well-known Thielemans compositions. The classic waltz, "Bluesette" is covered virtually verbatim to the original, with Granafei's adding personal signature "yodel" trills. Mike Longo takes an understated solo. Bassist Christian Fabian and drummer Gordon Lane provide pulsating under rhythms in solid support. "To My Lady" is taken a hair faster than Thielemans' original recording he did with the Shirley Horn Trio (EmArcy, 1991) and where it was actually named "For My Lady." It is a lighter, four-beat melody with a faux double-time bridge. Longo again provides a fine solo. "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" closes the session in a heartfelt tribute. It is a slower, triple-metered frame. Longo's thick block chords and Granafei's tasteful playing end things.~By Nicholas F. Mondello