Dino Battaglia Alpini

Argentinean Dino Saluzzi manages to be a great bandeonist and sound different from great Astor Piazzolla. His music is much closer to new age than to "nuevo tango" invented by Piazzolla and Co, his approach is more "down-to-earth" and "minimalistic" yet still bears an influence on Argentinean music . That's what makes him interesting for me and I love this album in particular because of "chamber sound" if you know what I mean. Like you seat in a big dark room next to a fireplace and the guys are playing for you.

Dino Saluzzi can still surprise us. Who knew that the master of the bandoneon had, for decades, been stockpiling compositions for other instruments? This album of pieces for piano features music written between 1960 and 2002, variously conceived in Salta, Buenos Aires, Stuttgart and on the road. It is music of great diversity, both distinct from and connected to Dino’s work as storytelling, improvising bandoneonist.

Dino Saluzzi as a solo performer is one of the more remarkable musicians in contemporary music, in that he plays several instruments, including his beloved bandoneon with such precision, balance and subtle power. Kultrum is indeed a multi-cultural project that taps into the folkloric, ancestral, and traditional sounds of Native American Indians and his South American roots, enhanced by producer Manfred Eicher's Eurocentric notions. The blending of deep drums, rattling percussion, and chanted vocals with the bandoneon or wood flutes creates a vista of deeply spiritual and ancient ritualistic music.

This recording, from 1985, presents bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi in a small-group setting, accompanied by some of the finest musicians in the ECM roster: Palle Mikkelborg (trumpet and flugelhorn), Charlie Haden (bass) and Pierre Favre (percussion). As usual with ECM releases, the recording is crystalline - their audio standards have always set the highest standards for sound reproduction, clear and pristine. It puts the listener right into the room with the players.

The music throughout this set, which consists of Dino Saluzzi originals, is quite charming. The combination of Saluzzi's bandoneon, acoustic guitarist Jose Maria Saluzzi, and bassist Palle Danielsson works quite well, and both the arranged and improvised ensembles are melodic. Some of the music consists of modern tangos and there are also ballads and more jazz-oriented pieces. The mood is sometimes wistful and nostalgic, but it is not derivative of the past. A delightful set.