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"No More Mr. Nice Guy" Reviews No More Mr. Nice Guy Lello Molinari, an Italian bassist and recent graduate of Berklee, could easily be doing the 1960's modal thing too. But those Bostonian eclectics have gotten hold of him (he's recording for Accurate, after all). "C'era Chi?" is an exercise in conflicting lines, the sort you might get from the Jazz Composers' Alliance or from Either/Orchestra (of course, it's Doug Yates who contributes the blistering alto solo). When the Italian of the title ("That was who?") is correctly pronounced, it sounds just like a certain bop chestnut - nuff said. The foundation to "Blues Anyone?" is Molinari's Monkish lope with tap-dancing complicity from Matt Wilson (another denizen of the Either/Ork). "Stuntman," Luigi Tessarollo's frantic tribute to cars skidding on oil slicks and the people who drive them, features the wild tenor of George Garzone, who's been on the Fringe for 20 years. Tessarollo is believable when he goes straightahead, even when he threatens to uproot trees with his bare hands, but I find him overly fond of Frisellian swells. Garzone also contributed the sardonic romp "No More Mr. Nice Guy", the ballad "Your Child", and a brief thrash called "The Wall," which must have cracked loose from Ronald Shannon Jackson's workshop. Molinari's "Goodnight Sweetheart" makes for a meditative conclusion; Yates' bass clarinet and Garzone's soprano could be the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble contemplating pagodas by moonlight - all that's missing is the African thumb piano. A nicely varied debut outing; there's just one snag. 38 minutes is LP length but this recording is too recent to have been intended for LP release. - Robert L. Cambell Paul Robicheau, Campus Calendar No More Mr. Nice Guy It's increasingly evident that jazz fans can count on superior releases from Cambridge's own Accurate Records. The latest proof comes in this challenging yet accessible disc from Italian-born, Boston-based bassist Lello Molinari. To begin, Molinari, a relative unknown, shows impeccable taste in his supporting cast, which includes Fringe saxophonist George Garzone and Either-Orchestra drummer Matt Wilson. Garzone, in particular, gets plenty of space, and like Molinari, contributes three numbers including the memorably melodic title track. Garzone really pushes the hinges of his tenor, though, in a robust soliloquy of stops, starts, squeal and screeches in "Stuntman," a tune composed by guitarist Luigi Tessarollo, who steps out with jazzy chordings that slide into choked atonalities pointing to a Sonny Sharrock influence. Tessarollo tastefully shadows Garzone on the latter's "Your Child", one of two ballads. The other, Molinari's closing "Goodnight Sweetheart," features pensive interplay between Douglas Yates on bass clarinet and Garzone, over a tinkling brook of percussion. It's a striking bit of counterpoint - and quite a contrast to Molinari's short, preceding "The Wall," where the quintet engages tangled, tumbling Ornette Coleman-styled momentum. Earlier, Molinari nods to Thelonius Monk's rhythmic flavor in "Blues Anyone?" and sets the tone for the disc in the lead track of "C'era Chi?," juxtaposing a mainstream melody with avant garde atonal jabs. It was inspired by a rehearsal room where Molinari heard different music on the other side of a wall. Wherever these sounds come from, this album swings with a fresh intensity. - Paul Robicheau No More Mr. Nice Guy Lello Molinari has the perfect answer to those who believe that European Jazz lacks authenticity: namely, emigration. A native of Italy, the bassist has worked out of Boston since 1986. No More Mr. Nice Guy draws on a diverse pool of influences, but never strays too far from the fundamentals of blues and bop (including a clever reconsideration of "Cherokee"). Molinari's compositions are built up from bluesy, infectious bass lines, combining familiarity with an eccentricity that set tunes apart. Although Molinari is the designated leader, the most assertive voices in this quintet belong to his countryman, guitarist Luigi Tessarollo and tenor George Garzone. Garzone steals the session. He wails like Ayler or Coltrane on "Stuntman" and his "No More Mr. Nice Guy" explores the tenor's lower register while doubling Molinari's plunging bass. Tessarollo fills multiple roles: he can contribute lyrical solos, as on the title track, or move into a Frisellian mode, adding delicate clouds of sound or bursts of dissonance, as on "C'era Chi?" Exchanges among Garzone, Tessarollo and altoist Ralph Yates establish the group dynamic, and Molinari's ensemble shifts gears smoothly through an engaging set, negotiating harmolodic frenzy as well as ballads and lullabies. - Jon Andrews No More Mr. Nice Guy Raffaelle Sanzi, the Renaissance artist obsessed with purity of form, has a namesake whose prime directive is to question and recreate bebop in a new image. Raffaelle Molinari's premiere album, No More Mr. Nice Guy (Accurate), blends subtle writing skills with sturdy playing by saxophonists Doug Yates and George Garzone, guitarist Luigi Tessarollo, and alert drummer Matt Wilson. Born in Napoli on January 17, 1962, "Lello" Molinari bought an electric bass when jamming friends were already playing drums and his mom's piano. "I was listening to English rock (Yes, Genesis) until I heard my teacher play in a bebop band". Then it was Miles, Monk, Mingus: classicist, innovator, rebel. Emigrating with his family to The North at 20, Lello was ripe for classical studies with Maestro Manfredini at Milano's Conservatory. So it went: baroque day and bebop nights. Work with the Italian Vocal Ensemble (3rd prize, 1985 Jazz Cup Competition) earned him a scholarship to Berklee College (BA, 1989). His quartet played UmbriaJazz in 1988, but the lure of Boston had hooked Lello: he met and worked (gigs, Europe twice) in the quartet of saxophonist/educator George Garzone (whose wild trio The Fringe is taking off after 20 years), toured Canada with Either/Orchestra, became a daddy. He stayed on, won a Boston Jazz Society Scholarship, earned a Masters from New England Conservatory, but still had to sell his fine old Italian bass for a new plywood one. "Nothing comes easy," he says with an Italian shrug. Lello titles tunes with questions marks ("C'era Chi?", "Blues Anyone?") and writes unusually (parallel duets, 12-tone touches, a tart, odd-intervalled lullaby). "Writing for horns and guitar offer chances" says Lello, "for the bass to be more in the foreground, not just playing roots." So Lello plays nice walking things on his debut, but bends ears, too. Lello Molinari has made a fine gambit by hiring in-demand Bostonians: Doug Yates and Matt Wilson are Accurate rosterians in Either/Orchestra and Mandala Octet; Garzone is a world-class bopster/outster. His quintet copped third (again) in the 1992 Hennessy Cognac Jazz Search at Charles Hotel's Regattabar. But somebody told Molinari "Nice Guys finish last," so he's changing his tunes. - Fred Bouchard Matthew Bowman, New England Performer No More Mr. Nice Guy Just about every track on this CD is a gem. The writing is just phenomenal. The melodic content of the tunes is at some points structured, and at others challenges the listener to follow where the song is going. The interplay between the group's members in achieving subtle nuances and free playing is just wonderful. The most notable soloist on this CD was George Garzone. His squeaks and wails on "Stuntman" along with his fluid lines on "Your Child" proved to me he is an incredibly diverse musician. Tessarollo's boppish lines on "Blues Anyone", and his Metheny-esque textures on "Your Child" were also standouts. My favorite track on this recording was "Goodnight Sweetheart". It's brooding, moody, watery feel was perfectly complemented by Yates' bass clarinet and Garzone's soprano sax. The voicings that they're playing on top of that feel are simply beautiful. It's simply one of the coolest tunes I've heard in some time. These guys are pretty regular about the dates they play in the area, so catch them. If this recording is any indication of their live performances, you're in for a treat. - Matthew Bowman No More Mr. Nice Guy Transplanted Italian bassist/composer leads a quintet through an interesting, avant garde-leaning set with a crew that includes members of fellow Bostonian label mates the Either/Orchestra and the Mandala Octet. Most intriguing tracks are the tough-swinging "Stuntman", the nearly arrhythmic, melancholy "goodnight Sweetheart", and "C'era Chi?", a Molinarized twist on standard "Cherokee". - Billboard B. Patterns, Ithaca Times No More Mr. Nice Guy The opening cut "C'era Chi," a translingual pun on "Cherokee" uses the familiar Ray Noble melody in a new setting. The song begins with a slow, bluesy vamp from the rhythm section of guitar, the leader's bass, and drums. Two saxes play the A theme in a different tempo. For the B theme the whole band moves into double time. There are two post-bop solo choruses before the B theme signals the cold ending. Three minutes and out. This track introduces many of the disc's qualities. Molinari wisely features strong frameworks for group performance rather than showing off their chops. He and his band continually go one step further than necessary. They flirt with gimmickry, but their emotional clarity, especially George Garzone, keeps the music down to earth even during the few "out" passages. At 8 1/2 minutes, "Blues Anyone?" is the longest track. It has a Monkishly skeletal melody/structure and good solos all around, including a drum solo by Matt Wilson of extreme quiet and tunefulness. "Your Child" is a moody ballad with a chord sequence that hesitates and then melts away. An adventurous and accomplished release. - B. Patterns Crosswinds No More Mr. Nice Guy The Boston/Cambridge area is breeding some adventurous jazz, and Accurate is documenting a fair chunk of it. Bassist Molinari anchors a top-notch group featuring guitarist Luigi Tessarollo, drummer Matt Wilson and reedmen George Garzone and Douglas Yates. This is a band that keeps one foot in the present and one in the future while bestraddling the past. - B. Patterns |