Cue Gato

Gato Barbieri - Che Corazón (1999) {Columbia CK 69690}
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© 1999 Columbia / Sony Music | CK 69690
Jazz / Smooth Jazz / Latin Jazz / Jazz-Pop / Saxophone

When Gato Barbieri re-emerged on Columbia in 1997 after a long hiatus from recording, long-time followers wondered whether he would record straight-ahead jazz or embrace the type of lush pop-jazz he had recorded for A&M in the late 1970's. The distinctive tenor saxman opted to go the commercial route, but he kept his dignity intact. 1997's Que Pasa picked up where Barbieri's A&M output left off, and he has a very similar CD in Che Corazon. With guitarist Chuck Loeb producing, he delivers another album of sleek, romantic mood music.

An accomplished cellist and a composer in the service the same Cardinal as Arcangelo Corelli, the name of Pietro Gaetano Boni has long been forgotten along with his compositions and technical achievements on his instrument. Fortunately, a delightful set of 12 sonatas for cello and basso continuo has survived to be performed by cellist Andrea Fossà (only 8 of the 12 are heard on this Dynamic album) accompanied by a continuo of a second cello or viola da gamba, archlute, and harpsichord. Boni's familiarity with the cello is apparent from his melodies that play to the cello's strengths while still exploring what, at the time, would have been considered an extended range and technical challenges.

Gato Barbieri - Fiesta Caliente! - Live '76 (2016) {Hi Hat ‎HHCD3060}
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© 1976, 2016 Hi Hat ‎| HHCD3060
Jazz / Latin Jazz / World Fusion / Jazz-Pop / Saxophone

Gato Barbieri live at Paul's Mall, Boston in 1976. Gato Barbieri left his native Argentina for Europe in 1962. By the end of the decade he was based in America, and established as one of the world's leading jazz-fusion saxophonists and composers. Best-known for his classic score for Last Tango In Paris (1972), he also recorded many albums, finding his greatest success with Caliente! in 1976. The superb performance here was broadcast on WBCN-FM that October, and finds him at the peak of his powers. It's presented here together with background notes and images.

While it's true that the first chapter in Gato Barbieri's musical life – at least on records – had been that of an explorer, from his vanguard outings on ESP with Don Cherry and Dollar Brand to his showcasing the music of his native Latin America on Impulse, Fania, and Flying Dutchman as it intersected with modern jazz, it is the third chapter that concerns this release. Barbieri became deeply interested in commercial music and its possibilities for Latin jazz and the funk and salsa scenes in the early and mid-'70s.

In 1973, Argentinean saxophonist Gato Barbieri contemplated a move to a more commercially viable, accessible sound, one that appealed to both North and South American audiences. He moved from the jazz vanguard toward it's exotic center (and finally into the commercial world altogether) with a number of records, including this one, which explored the various rhythms, melodies, and textures of Afro-Cuban and Latin American sounds. Bolivia features Barbieri immediately prior to his Impulse recordings that resulted in the celebrated four-chapter Latin America series.

Gato Barbieri, one of the most distinctive instrumentalists in jazz, is in top form on Que Pasa. Barbieri's tone and sense of melody is stunning–evoking a myriad of emotions with just one phrase. This is no more evident than on the opening track, "Straight into the Sunrise" which is dripping with sensual and moving lines that are unsurpassed in jazz today. Barbieri's rare ability to use his instrument to convey his emotions is amazing; it's as though he is baring his most intimate thoughts and feelings to the listener.