Jazz

To New Life. The Music of Earl Zindars

TO NEW LIFE – THE MUSIC OF EARL ZINDARS
Luciano Troja: piano, and Earl Zindars’ riq tambourine on track 8

Tracks 1-8 MUSIC BY Earl Zindars, except “Hokees Orrant Ee Var” by Annig Zindarsian
Tracks 9-12 MUSIC BY Luciano Troja

PRODUCED BY Valentina Prudente and Luciano Troja
PRODUCERS: Gianluca Cangemi & Luca Rinaudo

Tracks 1-7 RECORDED LIVE IN CONCERT on 28 April, 2018
at Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts (Berkeley, CA – USA)
by Celso Alberti.
Tracks 8-12 RECORDED LIVE-IN-STUDIO on 16 April, 2019
at Zeit Studio (Palermo, Sicily – Italy) by Luca Rinaudo.

MIXED BY Celso Alberti (tracks 1-7), AND BY Marco Nascia (tracks 8-12)
Additional MIXING, and MASTERING by Luca Rinaudo at Zeit Studio

ART direction and graphic design by Antonio Cusimano | 3112htm
CURATOR and product manager: Gianluca Cangemi
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This album was made possible by the lovely encouragement of the Zindars Family. Thank you to Annig, Helene, Karen and Evan.

To the new life of my twin nephews Ferdinando and Alessandro [Luciano Troja].

physical album photos by Pietro Motisi
license all rights reserved

 

https://lucianotroja.bandcamp.com/album/to-new-life-the-music-of-earl-zindars

(Almendra Music, 2023)

Buy from:

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:::: PRESS HIGHLIGHTS ::::

To New Life. The Music of Earl Zindars (Almendra Music, 2023)

“A contender for solo piano album of the year”
— Ian Patterson, All About Jazz

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“The album’s 14 tracks are solo works and are exceptional, beautifully capturing Zindars’ sophisticated lyrical quality and depth” —Marc Myers, Jazz Wax
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“What’s most stunning here is how much of a Mompou-esque, eerie upper-register gleam there is in this music, often juxtaposed with moments of unselfconsciously rapt beauty, which Troja parses with care and a steady understatement…What an absolutely gorgeous album”
—Lucid Culture
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“Un generoso tributo all’arte di Earl Zindars che ora il messinese in piano solo restituisce cogliendo assai bene la dialettica di un pensiero musicale libero, al contempo semplice e complesso”.
—Guido Michelone, Il Manifesto
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“Luciano Troja, a virtuoso with his own sound, is the perfect pianist to interpret these pieces”
—Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene
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Any Morning

Giancarlo Mazzù/Luciano Troja, Any Morning (Slam Productions, 2019)

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Any Morning (Slam Productions, 2019) Mazzù-Troja
“Suoni bellissimi, nessuna ripetizione, sorprese continue, per un ascolto attento ma al tempo stesso lieve…ennesimo esempio di jazz nostrano originale e qualitativamente impeccabile”
— Neri Pollastri, All About Jazz, 4 ½ stars
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“Una complementarietò di poetiche e di tocco impressiononte”.
— Guido Festinese, Il Manifesto

Palermo Sketches

BLAISE SIWULA – ROCCO JOHN IACOVONE
GIANCARLO MAZZU’ – LUCIANO TROJA
Palermo Sketches

Almendra Musica, 2018

Blaise Siwula: clarinet, alto sax
Rocco John Iacovone: soprano aax, alto Sax
Giancarlo Mazzù: electric guitar, voice, drums
Luciano Troja: piano

Music by Blaise Siwula, Rocco John Iacovone, Giancarlo Mazzù, Luciano Troja

Release date October 30, 2018

Produced by Luciano Troja, Giancarlo Mazzù, Luca Rinaudo

Recorded live-in-studio on May 5, 2017
by Luca Rinaudo and Danilo Romancino at Zeit Studio (Palermo, Italy)
Mixed and mastered by Luca Rinaudo at Zeit Studio (Palermo, Italy)
Art direction and graphic design: Antonio Cusimano | 3112htm
Original painting on inlay: Denise Fusco Iacovone
Product manager: Gianluca Cangemi

This album is dedicated to Manlio Nicosia

 

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Broad-Ways

ACK Records, 2017

Recorded on October 30 2009
At Sonoria Studios, Scordia (CT)
Sound engineer: Vincenzo Cavalli
Graphic project: Walter Silvestrini – PixaelXpixeL.it

Giancarlo Mazzù guitar
Luciano Troja piano
Francesco Branciamore drums

 

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:::: PRESS HIGHLIGHTS ::::

“Un altra piccola gemma, dunque, tagliata artigianalmente con attenzione certosina e in foggia insolita, stavolta arricchita dalla presenza del suono di un Branciamore perfettamente integrato nel clima dell’affiatatissimo duo. Che dispiace solo veder suonare più negli U.S.A. che nella nostra penisola”.
— Neri Pollastri, All About Jazz
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“Clever re-interpretations… Rich interplay and creative conversations”.
—George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
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Rags to Ragas

NoFrillsMusic.com (2016)

© Siwula Troja
recorded May 2and 2016
at wombat studios brooklyn, ny
eng.ross bonadonna
mixing mastering blaise siwula
artwork: blaise siwula

Blaise Siwula, clarinet/alto sax
Luciano Troja, piano
nofrillsmusic nfm 012

Released December 24th, 2016

 

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«A unique take on Siwula’s art and a delineation of his partnership with Troja, this CD is well worth investigating»
–Ken Waxman, The New York City Jazz Records, April 2017

«Un dialogo intenso, mai prevedibile e – benché Siwula stilisticamente sia collocabile nell’ambito della libera improvvisazione – lontano da pulsioni radicali e non privo di alcuni asciutti sprazzi melodici»
–Enzo Boddi, Musica Jazz
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An Italian Tale

All compositions by Luciano Troja

Antonio Cicero, bassoon
Luciano Troja, piano

released October 25, 2016

Produced by Gianluca Cangemi & Luca Rinaudo
Co-executive producer: Danilo Romancino

Recorded live-in-studio on March 29, 2016 (tracks 1-9) and November 12, 2015 (track 10) at Zeit Studio, Palermo [Italy] by Gianluca Cangemi & Luca Rinaudo.

Mixed and mastered by Luca Rinaudo at Zeit Studio, Palermo [Italy]

Art direction and design by Antonio Cusimano | 3112htm.com
2016 Almendra Music | almendramusic.com | facebook.com/AlmendraMusic

 

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:::: PRESS HIGHLIGHTS ::::

“Un’operazione intelligente e raffinata, che valorizza la nostra cultura senza atteggiamente pedissequamente filologici”.
—Enzo Boddi, Musica Jazz

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“Quello che va rintracciato nelle composizioni di Troja non è la pedissequa riproduzione in vitro delle melodie danziane. Sembra un racconto italiano che continua di un tempo ed un suo interprete conferendo ulteriori titoli di nobiltà al songwriter di casa nostra, scovati nei meandri della nostra memoria fonetica”.
—Amedeo Furfaro, “Jazz News” inserto di Musica News

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“La curiosità, l’estro, la fantasia ed il rigore hanno condotto i due musicisti a calarsi tangibilmente nei panni di chi “faceva musica” in quegli anni, con un rispetto ed un affetto che traspaiono in ogni traccia”
—Andrea Romeo, L’isola della musica italiana
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“Lo stile di Troja rimane inconfondibile delicato negli arrangiamenti, nelle composizioni morbide e dinamiche che fanno da fondo alle linee melodiche del fagotto di Antonino Cicero… un duo acustico che restituisce con sincerità forme musicali di cui riconosciamo l’origine ma in modo nuovo e con molta personalità”.
—Lorenzo Vecchio, Distorsioni

Tasting Beauty

Recorded on April 30, 2013, at Wombat Studios, in Brooklyn (NY)

Giancarlo Mazzù, guitar
Luciano Troja, piano

Recording engineer: Ross Bonadonna
Mixed and mastered by Alessandro Luvarà, Spain Audio Studio, Molochio (RC)
Graphic by The Half Sumo Collective, New York

 

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“It’s a big world but their big talent and big ears make this one of the top duos”.
Bob Rusch, Cadence (July-Aug-Sept 2015)

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“Decalogo creativo scritto da due esteti di quel Bello Sonoro che anche nuove forme espressive ed improvvisative possono ovunque configurare”.
—Amedeo Furfaro, A proposito di Jazz, maggio 2016
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“What is interesting about this session is how normal this duo is, close to mainstream jazz yet still writing their own songs and still being crafty in their own way”.
—Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

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“Improvisant, ils chouchoutent la mélodie puis s’amusent à défaire le cadre. Quelques petites choses glanées chez Mal Waldron pour l’un, un zeste de prog chez l’autre : ça sonne juste et précis. Souvent profond!”
— Luc Bouquet, Le son du grisli
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Sometime The Journey Is A Vision

Beneath the Ritual

(NoFrills, 2014)

Blaise Siwula, alto/tenor sax & clarinet
Luciano Troja, piano
John Murchison, piano

Cover photo: Cristina Prudente
Sound engineer: Ross Bonadonna

Recorded April 26th, 2014 at Wombat Studio, Brooklyn NY

 

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:::: PRESS HIGHLIGHTS ::::

“A wonderful free-wheeling trio which works together as one creative force superbly”
–Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

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“A unfailingly melodic set that harkens back, in approach and mood, to 1996 Ornette Coleman….always organically democratic as the responsive and adroit trio works out the mesmerizing, in-the-moment musical landscapes”
—Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
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“That we get that exceptionally well in Beneath the Ritual it is because Blaise, Luciano and John are attuned to a foundation as a place to spring forward from and transform endlessly so that in the end it is a new place to dwell within musically…Recommended!”
—Gapplegate Music Review

Live at the Metropolitan Room NYC

Slam Productions, 2013

Giancarlo Mazzù, guitar
Luciano Troja, piano

Recording details:

Recorded 2-track live on April 15, 2009, at the Metropolitan Room, New York City
Recording engineer at the Metropolitan Room NYC: Jean-Pierre Perreaux
Mixed and mastered by Alessandro Luvarà, Spain Audio Studio, Molochio (RC), Italy

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:::: PRESS HIGHLIGHTS ::::

“…both musicians respect each other’s abilities and know how to weave the voices together and around one another marvelously…these two are such well-rounded jazz players and improvisers”.
–Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

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“ If you want to hear the Great American Song Book played with verve, style and panache, this session is recommended without caveats”.
–Jack Kenny, Jazz Views

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“Mazzu’ and Troja have pitched the material and their approach to it perfectly to the setting, making this a quite understated but very pleasurable 50 minutes of listening”.
— John Adcock, Jazz Journal, October 2013

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“Tre piccole gemme nascoste, a maggior ragione da segnalare e da non perdere”
–Neri Pollastri, Musica Jazz (Ottobre, 2015)
recensione tripla di Live at Metropolitan Room NYC, Tasting Beauty, D’Istante3

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