 
Christian Riganelli (accordion) Massimo Mazzoni (sax soprano and contralto) Klezmer, the traditional music of the Jews (Aschenazi) of Eastern Europe, has spread and evolved on an international level through various contaminations beginning with American jazz at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. A genus that, after its revival since the early 1970s, has had a growing appreciation over the last few decades. An accordion and saxophone (soprano and alto): two instruments that, although not belonging to the original music, have long been considered typical of the genre. Two performers, accordionist Christian Riganelli and saxophonist Massimo Mazzoni, are both sensitive and affectionate, and at ease in the interpretation of this singular type of music, which genuinely expresses the various human feelings. The CD includes traditional and new songs composed for the duo for this particular project, with the intention of enriching and somewhat updating the genre, already very varied in itself. In short, the ingredients for a great CD are just about everyone! The composers who created new songs in the spirit of klezmer are: Angelo Biancamano (songs 3, 5), Roberta Silvestrini (track 6), Enrico Blatti (songs 11, 12), Paolo Picchio (track 8) and Tonino Tesei (track 10 ). Their "musical tales" - in which popular elements, contemporary music, counterproductive techniques and jazz brushstrokes coexist - certainly enrich the klezmer genre, but at the same time the musical literature of the respective instruments ... The precise performances are enriched by two Special Guest: Gabriele Mirabassi on the clarinet and Gabriele Pesaresi on the double bass (tracks 7, 11, 12). The booklet of the CD is also embellished with a fine presentation by Moni Ovadia. Review by Alessandro Mugnoz, October 2017 |
