BOLLANI,STEFANO TRIO/BERLINER PHILHARMON - Jazz At BP VIII - Mediterraneo (Sealed) (CD)

To put the “Sound of Europe” on the big stage is the mission of “Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic” and of its curator Siggi Loch. Earlier concerts in the series – tracking down “Celtic Roots” or strolling through “Norwegian Woods” – have shown how the sheer plenitude of European music has left its mark on the jazz of our time. Many of the roots of European music are to be found in Italy. The country was an early hub for Western classical music, and was where opera was born. From Sicily up to Venice, all kinds of gloriously diverse and many-hued folk music heritages are nurtured. There is a nationwide tradition of the “cantautore”, and in film music, Italy sets the trend: Nino Rota's and Ennio Morricone's movie scores are known worldwide. “Mediterraneo” avails itself of this cornucopia of inspiration – and sets off on a journey of discovery. The 17th concert in the “Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic” series was a major event which took place in the sold-out main hall of the hallowed temple of classical music. The central figure of the evening is Stefano Bollani. This maestro of the jazz piano, born in Milan in 1972, is a figure of unrivalled prominence on the Italian jazz scene. His creative arc is uncommonly far-reaching. It ranges from working with senior figures like Lee Konitz, through luminaries like Chick Corea and Pat Metheny and French innovators such as Michel Portal and Martial Solal, and on to world music greats such as Caetano Veloso and Richard Galliano. So, for “Mediterraneo”, it was important for Bollani to cast his net wide, to shape an evening that would be full of variation and surprise; the Italian is not content just to perform for the audience, above all he wants to entertain them: alongside Monteverdi, Rota and Morricone, Puccini and Rossini, there was also the evergreen sixties pop song “Azzurro”, made famous by Adriano Celentano. Bollani emerged as the ideal travel guide for this Italian night