Dan Moretti - Brazilia Live at the Pump House: Celebrating Wayne Shorter

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 51:09
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 117,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:51) 1. Black Nile (Live)
(5:52) 2. Fee Fi Fo Fum (Live)
(6:34) 3. Night Dreamer (Live)
(5:58) 4. Speak No Evil (Live)
(6:51) 5. Witch Hunt (Live)
(5:57) 6. Yes or No (Live)
(7:09) 7. Oriental Folk Song (Live)
(6:55) 8. Footprints (Live)

While everyone has ideas, some ideas are admittedly better than others. Saxophonist Dan Moretti and Brazilia's notion to salute the music of Wayne Shorter by reshaping and Latinizing eight of the legendary saxophonist's splendid compositions was a good idea. Doubters need only survey the finished product, recorded in front of an enthusiastic audience in December 2024 at The Pump House Music Works in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Shorter's unique and engaging melodies, several of which are now enshrined in the jazz canon, lend themselves readily to Brazilia's fresh interpretations, wherein the core elements are preserved even as they are enriched by Latin rhythms that add spirit and fire to an already handsome image. Moretti's razor-sharp and focused ensemble is clearly enjoying the moment and leaving no rhythmic stone unturned as it digs hard into every theme with awareness and gusto.

Moretti's partners in Brazilia are pianist Maxim Lubarsky, bassist Oscar Stagnaro, drummer Steve Langone and percussionist Ernesto Diaz, each of whom punches above his weight to enhance what is truly a group endeavor. There is solo room for all, with Lubarsky especially impressive whenever his number is called. As for Moretti, he is eloquent on tenor sax (six numbers) or soprano ("Speak No Evil," "Yes or No)," while Diaz' heavy-duty percussion is an indispensable part of the equation.

The swaying "Black Nile" is first up, read here as a mambo, followed by a cha-cha version of "Fee Fi Fo Fum" and the reggae-infused "Night Dreamer." The ensemble slips easily into a samba-style rendition of "Speak No Evil," followed by the mambo "Witch Hunt," a rhythmically intense "Yes or No" and sauntering "Oriental Folk Song" before bowing out with one of Shorter's best-known and most-often covered compositions, "Footprints."

This is a very good concert by any measure, enfolding an ample reservoir of upbeat and pleasurable music while shedding new light on the impressive compositional skills of the renowned saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
By Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-pump-house-celebrating-wayne-shorter-dan-moretti-and-brazilia-self-produced

Brazilia Live at the Pump House: Celebrating Wayne Shorter

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Don Braden, Dave Liebman, Dan Moretti - Latin Genesis

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:38
Size: 130,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Vail Jumpers
(5:08)  2. Calling Miss Khadija
(6:07)  3. Have You Met Miss Jone?
(4:43)  4. PP Phoenix
(5:33)  5. For All The Other Times
(6:12)  6. Three Card Molly
(5:11)  7. Tiara
(7:14)  8. Cecilia Is Love
(7:13)  9. Brite Piece
(5:02) 10. Trippin'

Latin Genesis, Dave Liebman writes in the liner notes, marks the thirtieth anniversary of a groundbreaking session in which he took part with drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Gene Perla and saxophonists Joe Farrell and Frank Foster. This time around, the front line consists of Liebman, Don Braden and Dan Moretti, all doubling on soprano and tenor sax, with bassist Oscar Stagnaro replacing Perla and three others (drummer Mark Walker, percussionists Pernell Saturnino and Jorge Najaro) supplying the group’s rhythmic backbone in lieu of Jones. Rhythmic it is, with an abundance of energy to boot, but as a consistently pleasing musical experience the session is less than wholly successful. Blame it on personal preference, perhaps, but to me a number of the solos, while undeniably full of sound and fury, seem to embody more flash than substance. Aside from that, everything nestles tidily into place, with an admirable choice of material and splendid charts on which to blow. Braden’s saucy “Vail Jumpers,” a charming opener, is followed by another excellent “Latin” number, Rodgers and Hart’s “Have You Met Miss Jones.” Liebman (on soprano) takes his first extended solo on Perla’s sensuous “PP Phoenix,” and it’s good to hear him playing in a more straight–ahead manner than is usually the case. 

Perla also wrote “For All the Other Times,” on which each of the front liners solos, while Jones composed “Three Card Molly,” a drum–driven vehicle with impassioned commentary by Walker. Moretti’s full–throated flute is featured on his sparkling “Tiara,” and he shares the stage with Liebman on Foster’s brash “Cecilia Is Love.” Liebman wrote the gladsome “Brite Piece” (on which his soprano solo follows Braden’s), Moretti the rhythmically powerful “Trippin’” (taking his turn on soprano with Liebman moving to tenor). The group wraps things up with Lee Morgan’s bop Latin hybrid “Calling Miss Khadija.” Here, as throughout, Walker and the percussionists, Saturnino and Najaro, are an awesome force, hammering the session into shape while driving the horns relentlessly forward. Everything is sunny and sharply drawn, and if the solos were a touch less strident and more coherent (our opinion, of course) the album would earn near perfect marks. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/latin-genesis-dave-liebman-whaling-city-sound-review-by-jack-bowers.php#.VBtiNBawTP8
 

Personnel: Dave Liebman, Don Braden, tenor, soprano sax; Dan Moretti, tenor, soprano sax, flute, alto flute, bass clarinet; Oscar Stagnaro, bass; Mark Walker, drums; Pernell Saturnino, Jorge Najaro, percussion; Rick Andrade (2), talking drum.

Latin Genesis

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Dan Moretti & The Hammond Boys - Live At Chan's

Size: 148,7 MB
Time: 64:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Soul Jazz
Art: Front

01. Moanin' (Live) (6:29)
02. Shuffle Twist (Live) (5:40)
03. Da Du Dah (Live) (6:17)
04. Free For All (Live) (5:43)
05. Soul Underneath (Live) (5:56)
06. No. 1 Green Street (Live) (6:40)
07. Twistin' The Jug (Live) (6:27)
08. Ronnie's Bonnies (Live) (7:29)
09. Low Down (Live) (6:30)
10. Soul Shouting (Live) (6:51)

Dan Moretti and the Hammond boys are alive and cookin with their deep Soul-Jazz performance on this welcome live release.

Veteran Saxophonist Dan Moretti has put together a smokin’ live set of vibrant Soul-Jazz on Dan Moretti and The Hammond Boys “Live at Chan’s”. With fellow musicians Duke Robillard-Guitar, Dave Limina-Hammond Organ, Lorne Entress-Drums and Jessse Williams-Acoustic and Electric Basses the band is alive and cookin in their deep groove and down-home energy.

This recording represents a tribute to the live spirit of the vibrant Soul-Jazz era of the 60’s. Many of the grooves of that era are covered like the double shuffle of “Shuffle Twist”, the flat-tire of “Soul Shouting”, and the boogaloo of “Ronnies Bonnies”, combined with new arrangements like the funk version of “Moanin” by Bobby Timmons, to the slow blues of “Low Down” by King Curtis, and a special tribute to Roland Kirk with a great blues flute performance by Moretti on “Soul Underneath”. These song selections combined with the feel and soulful performances of these jazz and blues veterans makes this Soul-Jazz session a down home and exciting listen.

Saxophonist Dan Moretti’s rich and diverse performing and recording career has spanned over 30 years with just last year a world tour with legendary guitarist-producer Nile Rodgers in support of his 4 Grammys with Daft Punk. Now he has launched a new label “Roots Grooves Records”, with this his 16th new release. Moretti’s recordings have spanned many jazz based styles from straight-jazz to latin-jazz, to Italian roots music and contemporary jazz. Dan Moretti and the Hammond Boys is his long awaited soul-jazz outing. Dan was once asked what kinds of music does he like and his reply was “music that sounds good and communicates” I have to “get it” from an artist. It’s that communal feeling that make this new recording a must play.

Live At Chan's

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