Irriverente is an Italian word that means Irriverent. It implies something deliberately out of a preconceived scheme, and that wants to provoke an exact reaction. This recording is not a compilation cd indeed. It is a sort of bridge between what is considered usually classical music and other genres like jazz, mainly, and folk music. The first piece by Leo Brouwer shows the spirit of this precisely, with his melancholy and contamination between styles.
As the title itself states, “Soft Winds” is a slow and soft breeze that blows calmly on a hot day. The simple and very discreet theme is built on an equally simple harmonic structure, where similarly the solos lean.
The compositions of Salvatore Salerno are in some ways melancholic too. There is always a reference to the native land, Sicily, so admirably described above all in the passages “Penombra” and “Trio Mediterraneo”.
Klezmer music was played in the Jewish villages of Eastern Europe for parties, ceremonies, weddings to encourage people to dance by inviting them with popular motifs. These typical forms inspired to the composer Roberto Pansera his piece: the “sher”, the “doina”, and the “hora”.
“Moonglow” is a famous song from the early years of the swing era. Later forgotten, it was re-evaluated in 1956 when it was included in the film “Picnic”. A very captivating and seductive theme that stands out even more at the end re-interpreted from the clarinet to the low octave after an improvisation developed in the acutest area of the piano.
Dave Brubeck is a composer who has written lots of excellent music. His rhythmic exasperation and harmonic complexity are evident in many of his passages. Those proposed here are calm and very descriptive.
“Do not be that way” is one of the numerous songs often performed by Benny Goodman, very pleasant to listen to. Even improvisation at the piano, simple in its lines, wants to keep the spirit of the piece.
The last piece that gives even the name to this album is “Irreverent medley”: a mix of trendy pieces: “Frère Jacques [Brother John]”, the famous mazurka by Migliavacca and the Cumparsita.
As bonus tracks, recorded in several sessions, three compositions by Piazzolla, part of the series of “Seasons” as a sort of program music. Sometimes melancholic, full of references from the master of the tango nuevo. They follow the path of a close and active relationship of the folk heritage of the tango with other musical universes, between classic and modern.
(Album Notes by Gianluca Campagnolo)