''Solo a Genova'' is a live solo album by keyboardist

Jamie Saft Jamie Saft is an American keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was born in New York City, and studied at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private mu ...

recorded at the

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fr ...

in Italy and released on the RareNoise label in early 2018.

Reception

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Dan McClenaghan said "Pianist Jamie Saft's Solo A Genova is a revelation ... he proves himself strikingly virtuosic, lushly harmonic, and beautifully fluid ... ''Solo A Genova'' showcases his uplifting, steeped-in-the-American-sound soul" while Doug Collete noted "Jamie Saft's first solo album in his twenty-five year career, ''Solo a Genova'', captures this restless, daring artist interpreting a selection of songs that reflect his eclectic taste as a reflection of his customary willingness to challenge himself. The sum effect of hearing this recording from Italy in March of 2017 is an altogether glorious experience made all the more stirring by the inclusion of audience applause".McClenaghan, D.
All About Jazz Review 1
January 28, 2018Collette, D.
All About Jazz Review 2
January 18, 2018 Broadway World observed "''Solo a Genova'' is Saft's highly emotive take on jazz standards and other uniquely American compositions ... The rare, emotional outpouring and transformative power of Saft's piano is in evidence throughout ''Solo a Genova'', his brilliant solo piano debut". A Jazz Noise's Dave Foxall wrote "Jamie Saft’s first solo album is an unrestrained experience, taking an eclectic mix of material – jazz, rock, pop, blues, modernist classical, and a few Saft originals – and creating an hour’s coherent listening without sacrificing any of the variety ... Blues spirit, classical lyricism, jazz dexterity – as solo piano albums go, slot it into your collection right next to '' Mingus Plays Piano'', Jarrett’s ''

Köln Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

'' and Monk’s '' Alone in San Francisco''.Foxall, D
A Jazz Noise Review
January 9, 2018

Track listing

# "The Makings of You" (

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

) – 3:37 # "

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

/Gates" ( Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis/Jamie Saft) – 4:41 # "

Naima "Naima" ( ) is a jazz ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. Coltrane first recorded it for his 1959 album ''Giant Steps'', and it became one of his first well-known works. History Col ...

" (

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

) – 5:42 # "

Sharp Dressed Man "Sharp Dressed Man" is a song performed by ZZ Top from their 1983 album '' Eliminator''. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. Pre-production recording engineer Linden Hudson was very involved ...

" (

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flas ...

Dusty Hill Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill (May 19, 1949 – July 28, 2021) was an American musician who was the bassist of the rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years. He also sang lead and backing vocals and played keyboards. Hill was born in Dallas, Texas, an ...

, Frank Beard) – 7:10 # " Overjoyed" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

) – 4:36 # "Po' Boy" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) – 4:05 # "The New Standard/Pinkus" (Saft) – 12:43 # "Blue Motel Room" (

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

) – 6:10 # " The Houseatonic at Stockbridge" (

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

) – 4:09 # "

Blue in Green "Blue in Green" is the third tune on Miles Davis' 1959 album, ''Kind of Blue''. One of two ballads on the LP (the other being "Flamenco Sketches"), the melody of "Blue in Green" is very modal, incorporating the presence of the Dorian, Mixolydi ...

" (

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

) – 3:33 # "

Restless Farewell "Restless Farewell" is a song by Bob Dylan, released as the final track on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The melody is based on the Scottish folk song "The Parting Glass". Notable performances In 1995, Dylan ...

" (

) – 7:31

Personnel

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

References

{{reflist Jamie Saft live albums 2018 live albums RareNoiseRecords albums