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Pablo Ziegler Quartet: Tango Meets Jazz
(Ziegler Website)
Pablo Ziegler, Piano
Hector del Curto, Bandoneón
Claudio Ragazzi, Guitar
Pedro Giraudo, Bass
and
Guest Artist: James Carter
At
Jazz Standard
(Jazz Standard Website)
116 East 27th Street, NYC
212.576.2232
Produced by Stratta/Philips Productions
Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta
(Stratta/Philips Website)
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
December 5, 2008
(See November 30, 2007 Review and Links to Previous Reviews.)
Pat Philips and Ettore Stratta have once again produced an innovative and sparkling series of fused Tango and Jazz at New York’s Jazz Standard, with new guest artists each year. Tonight’s guest artist, saxophonist, James Carter, appeared with the “regular” tango quartet for this series: Pablo Ziegler on piano, Hector del Curto on bandoneón, Claudio Ragazzi on guitar, and Pedro Giraudo on bass. I caught the late set, and the musicians blazed right into their searing melodies. The works ranged from Piazzolla to Ziegler’s own compositions, with tense edge, dynamic solos, and pulsating rhythms, many in performance Tango motif.
The first works brought in creeping “cat step” segments, designed with Ziegler’s glittering piano melodies, Ragazzi’s soulful guitar accompaniment, Giraudo’s steady punctuated bass, and that requisite bandoneón, with maestro Hector del Curto drawing the Club in, as he expanded the instrument to extraordinary tonal dimensions. Ziegler had just introduced a new work, and the Quartet was as relaxed and fused as if they’d been playing this composition for years. “Chin Chin”, by Piazzolla, brought out James Carter on sax. The sound was tremendous, as Carter and del Curto blended the theme, atonal tenor sax against deep, soulful bandoneón. The next piece featured Carter on soprano sax and Ragazzi on guitar. This dramatic presentation captivated Ziegler’s late set fans. Ziegler took time to announce that we had also heard “Blues Porteño” and “Buenos Aires Report”, both by Ziegler and Quique Sinesi, a guitarist, with whom Ziegler records.
Ziegler’s “Once Again…Milonga” brought out James Carter again, who clipped a few moments of Christmas music into his refrains. At one point, Ragazzi and Carter took off on a scintillating, rapid theme, with Ragazzi taking full measure of the music’s dynamics. Del Curto remained a steady, powerful presence throughout the set, as the bandoneón envelops the genre, without overwhelming the fused harmonies and jazzy overtones. And, of course, Ziegler gave his fans what they came to hear, highlights of the Piazzolla oeuvres and favorites and premieres of Ziegler’s own repertoire. Kudos to Philips and Stratta for another superb Tango Meets Jazz event.
Pedro Giraudo and Claudio Ragazzi
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
James Carter on Tenor Sax
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Hector del Curto on Bandoneón
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Pedro Giraudo, James Carter, Claudio Ragazzi
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
James Carter on Sax
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Pablo Ziegler and Hector del Curto
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Pedro Giraudo and James Carter
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Pablo Ziegler Quartet
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Hector del Curto and Pedro Giraudo
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Pablo Ziegler on Piano
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
Hector del Curto and Pedro Giraudo
At Jazz Standard
Courtesy of Roberta E. Zlokower
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