Ralph Alessi Quartet - It's Always Now

March 13, 2023

Label: ECM Records, 2023

Personnel - Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Florian Webber: piano; Bänz Oester: bass; Gerry Hemingway: drums.

Trumpeter and composer Ralph Alessi’s lovely new release, It’s Always Now, offers a special and intimate musical atmosphere that distinguishes it from past ECM works such as Baida (2013), Quiver (2016) and Imaginary Friends (2019). Here, Alessi is found at the helm of a classy new European-American quartet composed by German pianist Florian Webber (who co-penned three cuts), Swiss bassist Bänz Oester, and New Haven-born drummer Gerry Hemingway.

There’s no rush in the music but rather a spontaneous urge to connect and communicate by telling beautiful stories with both composed and improvised sequences. The first two numbers are penetrating piano-trumpet duets that reveal a perfect balance between vulnerability and strength. The opener, “Hypnagogic”, carries a strange dreamy feel, living not only from the trumpeter’s stunning range and strong narration, but also Webber’s impeccably textured comping, whose delicacy continues to “Old Baby”, a bearer of the pure, ethereal ECM sound.

“Migratory Party” flows effortlessly with a parallel three-note figure, brushed drums, and confident bass trajectories in support. The docile danceability of “Residue” finds the four musicians in close communication - Alessi and Webber share synchronicity in the movements while Oester and Hemingway keep the bottom ambulatory and focused. Also taking the shape of a graceful dance, “Hanging by a Thread” displays an iterative balance in the groove and a deceptively simple melody.

“His Hopes, His Fears, His Tears” is another compelling narrative with much beautiful insight and strange beauty. “It’s Always Now” feels like a distant Eastern chant with many possibilities to explore. If Webber’s prepared piano sounds like a gong on this one, then on “Diagonal Lady”, he participates in an enchanting flow that starts off with Oester and sort of dissolves after a while. Alessi’s crystalline notes illuminate the way like powerful rays of light. His piercing sensibility and intricate lyrical language gains preponderance with the breathy, hushed murmurs of the double bass and the subdued luster of the drums. Having said that, “Portion Control” smears the process with tension and disquietude.

This album makes the listener all the more grateful with its remarkable breath and scope, providing a marvelous sense of fulfillment.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Hypnagogic ► 04 - Residue ► 07 - Diagonal Lady

Ferdinando Romano - Totem

May 6, 2020

Label: Losen Records, 2020

Personnel - Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Tommaso Iacoviell: flugelhorn; Simone Alessandrini: alto and soprano saxophones; Nazareno Caputo: vibraphone, marimba; Manuel Magrini: piano; Ferdinando Romano: double bass; Giovanni Paolo Liguori: drums.

The music of Italian bassist Ferdinando Romano beautifully captures the melodicism and relaxation so characteristic of the Italian jazz scene, but also ventures outside this scope at some point. On Totem, a collection of eight original compositions, Romano’s base quintet is augmented by American trumpeter Ralph Alessi, an esteemed ECM artist and improviser to be reckoned with, and flugelhorn player Tommaso Iacoviello, on six and three selections, respectively.

Helming the ensemble with personality, Romano devises the opener, “The Gecko”, with an uncluttered aesthetic. His bass pedal, a laid-back projection of the rhythm team’s simpatico support, sets a cool pace with Alessi bringing more light into the setting, whether through brisk phrases full of rhythmic intention, whether through the injection of dulcet melody. This number also counts on the soloing capabilities of vibist Nazareno Caputo and pianist Manuel Magrini.

“Evocation” works as a bass prelude to “Wolf Totem”, an odd-metered piece inspired on the novel of the same name by Jiang Rong. You may enjoy the soprano-trumpet unisons as part of the theme, seamless modulations, and absorbing improvisations - Magrini’s refined rhythmic touch is complemented with underlying harmonic fits, while Alessi shows off a sophisticated language with a great sound and extended pitch range.

On the ballad “Curly”, a bass solo emerges right after the main statement, and then Alessi conjures up Miles Davis during his muted trumpet improv. Also utterly relaxing, “Memories Reprise” is an evocative brushed waltz introduced by arco bass and enriched by resplendent melodies shaped by Iacoviello. Yusef Lateef, Enrico Pieranunzi and Kenny Wheeler are some of the names that popped up into my head while listening to this old Romano tune, rewrote and rearranged for this album.

“Sea Crossing”, probably inspired by the immigration problem that Italy keeps facing over the years, is divided into two parts, the first of which denoting a funny cadence with horns and vibes in complete communion with the piano, which ends the piece unaccompanied and in a melancholic way. In between, my attention turned to Paolo Liguori’s conspicuous drumming, especially during the trumpet solo, and Simone Alessandrini’s saxophone stretch, here placed on top of a noisier accompaniment.

“Mirrors”, one of the most absorbing pieces on the album, has the band performing curious mutations within a dedicated interplay. Probing other territories, the ensemble’s procedures flow from relative introspection into layers of shape-shifting energy.

Investing in the collective’s unity, Romano does a pretty competent job.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Wolf Totem ► 07 - Memories Reprise ► 08 - Mirrors

Ralph Alessi - Imaginary Friends

January 29, 2019

Label: ECM Records, 2019

Personnel - Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Ravi Coltrane: tenor, sopranino; Andy Milne: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Mark Ferber: drums.

Trumpeter supreme Ralph Alessi reconvenes his longtime quintet, known as This Against That, for its third ECM album. Imaginary Friends comprises nine mature originals fully developed while touring in Europe. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist Andy Milne, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Mark Ferber are the remaining members of the group.

They make a wonderful first impression on the soulful opening track, “Iram Issela”, whose strange title consists of the name of Alessi’s eight-year-old daughter spelt backwards. Piano and trumpet set up reserved moments of pure beauty, after which Alessi flies in a solo full of brightness and expression. At a certain point, already with bass and brushed drums as accompaniment, he gets Coltrane’s voice leading running in parallel with his melodies. The saxophonist then departs for a glorious improvisation full of art and spirituality. By the end, unison lines and circular harmonic progressions raise the intensity, a propitious time for Ferber to expand drumming chops.

“Fun Room” and “Improper Authorities” are formidable cuts presented with insatiable imagination and controlled friction. Whereas the former boasts an odd way of swinging and reaches a peak with Alessi’s fluttering soloistic impulses, the latter wields an ostinato that whether works as an electronic dance pattern or a funk rock-based motif. Colorful unisons and virtuosic solos by Coltrane and Milne come into existence, with the pianist excelling on this one by competently outlining melodic symmetries and rhythmic figures.

“Oxide” merges improvisatory discipline with oneiric melodicism. While Milne devises chromatic descents with purpose, Gress’ round notes are responsible for letting the music breathe. The horns switch from parallel movements to dialogue, and Milne concludes with cadenced intervals that resemble raindrops falling from a tree. Divergent in nature, this song doesn’t have the grooving quality of “Melee”, whose light-footed propulsion rules in most of its passages. The spotlight shifts from the trumpet to the piano to the expansive sopranino, which dances over the fidgety drumming without reservation. An instant avant-garde dish is served with some funk on the side.

“Pittance” reveals as much introspection as the rubato trumpet/piano duet “Good Boy” or the title track, which amasses cymbal legato, bowed bass, and unclouded reflective polyphony. However, there’s a slight tension throughout, even with the prepared piano conferring it a distinct lyrical erudition.

The methodical, unfolding narrative arc of Imaginary Friends makes it an exceptional collection of impassioned, free-shimmering tone poems where the musical personality of Alessi shines through.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Iram Issela ► 03 - Improper Authorities ► 08 - Melee