This aptly named set was recorded on November 28, 1972, in Barcelona, Spain. Although many of Ben Webster's European sessions suffered when compared to his American ones, this outing is one of the exceptions, due in no small part to the fluid piano work of Tete Montoliu. Supported by a rhythm section of Eric Peter on bass and Peer Wyboris on drums, both Webster and Montoliu have plenty of room to breathe, and the result is a wonderful and pleasant set highlighted by the opening track, "Ben's Blues," and an easy, elegant version of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Webster's trademark breathy tenor sax tone is in full supply here, but the real revelation is Montoliu, who proves to be a marvelous jazz pianist, making Gentle Ben somewhat of an overlooked gem.
Tete Montoliu's fourth CD for Steeplechase is primarily a fun-filled trio date with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, frequent collaborators with the blind pianist.
Reedición del álbum de “Temas Brasileños” grabado por Tete Montoliu en el Casino de la Aliança del Poble Nou de Barcelona el año 1973, donde nos deleita con esa fusión de nueva música brasileña y jazz, versionando clásicos de Jobim, Baden Powell, de Nascimento o Mendonça como ‘Orfeo Negro’, ‘La chica de Ipanema’, Corcovado’ o ‘Desafinado’ entre otros. El cuarteto lo completa Pedro Díaz a las tumbas, Miguel Angel Lizandra a la batería y Alberto Moraleda al bajo.
The blind pianist Tete Montoliu was a marvel to listen to, though most of his recordings were made for European labels which were poorly distributed in the U.S. This 1977 solo effort for Timeless finds him in top form. A pair of his original compositions are thinly disguised (but enjoyable) reworkings of standards, including "Yellow Dolphin Street" (adapted from "On Green Dolphin Street") and "I Hate You" (from Cole Porter's "I Love You"). But the pianist more than does justice to two great jazz ballads: Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday" and Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now." The highlight of the date may very well be his dazzling composition "Napoleon." Although this may be one of Tete Montoliu's more obscure recordings, it is also one of his finest.
Until it was swept aside by the pop explosion of the 1960s, jazz was the most popular modern sound on earth. From the New World and the Caribbean to Africa, across the Soviet Bloc and the British Empire to the Far East, jazz music was embraced, adopted, played and enjoyed.
For this session, recorded only six weeks after Afrika on Steeplechase, South African bassist Johnny Dyani continued the use of a six-or seven-member ensemble and inched closer to the sort of music Abdullah Ibrahim, one of his mentors, was creating at around the same time with his band Ekaya. The edgy roughness and avant-garde affinity shown in his earlier ensembles with John Tchicai and Dudu Pukwana have been replaced by a slightly smoother (though, certainly, still rambunctious) sound and more song-oriented pieces. The band's a strong one, however, the compositions are engaging and the soloing imaginative. A couple of the pieces, including "Song for the Workers," still have the aching, bitter quality of his best work…
An outstanding veteran pianist from Spain, Tete Montoliu was born blind. He learned to read music in Braille when he was seven and developed impressive technique on piano. He recorded with Lionel Hampton in 1956, had his first session as a leader in 1958, and played with the touring Roland Kirk in 1963. Through the years, he also worked with such visiting Americans as Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson, and even Anthony Braxton. Tete Montoliu's visits to the U.S. were very infrequent, but his SteepleChase albums (starting in 1971) are generally available; he also cut one date for Contemporary (1979) and recorded for Enja and Soul Note.
Reedición del álbum “Per sempre, Tete” grabado en la Jazz Cava de Terrassa el 6 de Marzo de 1997, durante el concierto celebrado dentro del XVI Festival internacional de Jazz de Terrassa con el genio barcelonés Tete Montoliu al piano, Horacio Fumero al contrabajo y Peer Wyboris a la batería. Interpretan dos suites, la primera en memoria de Thelonius Monk bautizada como ‘Monkiana’ y la segunda ‘Pensando en Coltrane’. Presentado en formato de digipack cuadrado desplegable, a modo de mini replica de vinilo, incluyendo un libreto de 12 páginas con textos en español e inglés.