Andrea Centazzo - reissue of Ictus records

I chose this cover, as it is probably the most appropriate and least expected in the Andrea Centazzo reissue series. Centazzo is an Italian master percussionist and musical visionary, whose collaborations with Steve Lacy on the highly recommended CDs "Clangs" and "Tao" are probably best known, as is his collaboration with the Italian Mitteleuropa Orchestra. His whole catalogue is now available again, but you will have to browse carefully through it, because his range of activities is so wide, that not everything will be to everyone's taste. Hence the Christmas CD as a kind of token and warning : it contains the percussion part for christmas carols such as "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night". He has written music for chamber ensembles, for dance, symphonic pieces for classical orchestra even, world music, fusion too, but his modern jazz free improv CDs are the ones of interest here. Next to his work with Lacy, his duo collaboration with Italian trumpeter Guido Mazzon are more than worth checking out, as is his work with saxophonist Lol Coxhill or trumpeter Franz Koglmann. Not everything works, but the man's search for new musical form and his stubborn ambition of seeing this vision through are laudable. One of his best records is to my opinion his collaboration with Gianluigi Trovesi on "Shock!", as reviewed earlier. His entire catalogue was already available, and parts of it can now be downloaded via iTunes or emusic.com, (but be careful : emusic.com does not always have the complete recordings, just parts of it). You can also order through Polish distributor Chazzforjazz.com.

Listen here to some of his work :