:: Alboran Trio :: Gigi Biolcati Biografia

NEWS & PRESS

Paolo Paliaga and his trio -excellent technique and great applause

“After our concert in London someone told me I was the new Keith Jarrett,” laughed Paolo Paliaga, the pianist from Varese who was performing the other night at the "Salumeria Della Musica" with his group The Alboran Trio, “Which is of course very embarrassing. I am no Jarrett and I have no desire to emulate him. I am who I am and to keep my music free from the pressures of the market I work as a teacher to support myself.” Almost despite himself the self-taught musician Paolo Paliaga has become the centre of attention with his secure technique, strong, synthetic and percussive sound and his great drive to be not only a pianist but also a composer. As a result, the concert developed according to his lines from his Balkan Air through Pianissimo and Duende to Fuori Stagione . He showed an excellent feel for melody and great dynamism, only at the end allowing other writers’ music to encroach on his repertoire: the theme from Pinocchio for example by Fiorenzo Carpi and the much abused “Poinciana” to which he gave a decidedly original musical slant. He is also a pianist who “plays the trio” to quote Ahmad Jamal; that is to say he does not hog the limelight but interacts continually with Dino Contenti on bass and with Gigi Biolcati on drums. It is the trio as a whole which needs to be appreciated for their individual talents too: Conti’s excellent technique and sound; Biolcati’s enormous rhythmical range showing he is more of a percussionist than a drums player. This is an acoustic trio which is not afraid to experiment but without dissipating its energy trying to over-intellectualise. Swing, light-hearted inventions and the musical trademarks of a group with a solid background in traditional jazz are all put to well-balanced dramatic effect. ACT a German music publisher has recently put them under contract to make five compact discs, the first of which ”Meltemi” has already been issued. The public at the Salumeria were not a little intrigued by them, applauding enthusiastically. The evening was a great success, in fact, an excellent debut.
Vittorio Franchini - Corriere della sera 19.10.2006 (I)

Alboran is the name of the group who have produced this very rewarding and communicative CD. In reality the group does have a leader: Paolo Paliaga, composer of all the tracks on the CD except for the very last one, the much-loved theme of Pinocchio written by Fiorenzo Carpi. This Italian pianist who recently enjoyed enormous success in London is a musician who is very much a contemporary artist, in style not too distant from his fellow recording artist Esbjorn Svensson: that is to say he has chosen an approach in which the sound is not strictly tied to traditional jazz and which tries constantly to cross the boundaries between different styles and genres.
In this sense he is open to different sources of musical inspiration and does not try to follow the conventional schemes of jazz trios even if he resorts to exactly the sort of interplay typical of Evans and Jarrret, achieving a convincing group sound thanks to the dialogue with the melodic bass of. Contenti. The clarity and linearity of the musical language which manages to be both relaxed yet enriched by different tonalities and hues make of this album a work of intelligence to be enjoyed by a public not necessarily made up purely of Jazz devotees.
Maurizio Franco –Musica Jazz – Dicember 2006 (I)

Gli umori mediterranei nello splendore di Alboran

Alboran è il nome che si è scelto il trio, sorprendente e degno di ogni elogio, protagonista di questo cd. Alboran, si legge nelle note di copertina, è l’ingresso nel Mediterraneo. In quel mare, Africa e Spagna si affacciano e disperdono le loro essenze e “inizia qualcosa che è come un’origine. Il Mediterraneo unisce, mescola, elabora e rimane una grande fascinazione, un luogo fondativi, una scaturigine occulta”. Difficile far capire meglio quale sia la filosofia del gruppo formato da Paolo Paliaga pianoforte, Dino Contenti contrabbasso e Gigi Biolcati batteria; filosofia che si esprime con un interplay di rara perfezione. (…) Fatto sta che qui c’è un terzetto di splendidi quarantenni, direbbe Moretti, con alle spalle studi severi, che offrono musica merevigliosa.
Franco Fayenz - Il Giornale, 3 novembre 2006 (I)

Molto piacevole il poter constatare come al termine dell’ascolto si rimanga con la sensazione di un percorso stilisticamente omogeneo e coerente, con un’ora dipanata su dieci brani originali tranne l’ultimo, il celeberrimo tema di Pinocchio, proposto con una punta di drammaticità e tensione sonora in più e decorato così di ulteriore fascino e bellezza. E’ un disco dal suono maturo, d’atmosfera anche se per nulla dormiente. E’ un trio di musicisti da seguire, assieme e singolarmente, per ciò che propone e per come sa farlo.
Pierluigi Zanzi - Suono.it (I) Sett. 2006

The German ACT Music label is a strange one. Fitfully brilliant—as with the Esbjorn Svensson Trio's ongoing canon, and with recent discs by Nguyen Le and Julia Hulsmann - it has also released numerous bland, MOR - pitched albums which have precious little to do with creative jazz. Many of these have been produced by the slick but featherweight trombonist, vocalist and arranger Nils Landgren. Significantly, the EST, Le and Hulsmann albums were all self-produced by the artists.

Label director Siegfried Loch would probably reply that the dross finances the more innovative artist-led projects. If so, I guess we should be grateful, for when he and ACT get it right, they really get it right. With the Alboran Trio's debut album, Meltemi, the label has struck European piano trio gold again—and with something very different from EST. Dark Scandinavian nights are out; bright Mediterranean days are in. The album, which was collectively produced by the trio, is infused throughout with warm sunlight and the smell of orange groves, mint tea and kif.

The Alboran Trio takes its name from the narrow stretch of water which connects Europe and Africa around the Straits of Gibraltar, long a conduit of cultural exchange. Pianist and composer Paolo Paliaga, who formed the group with fellow Italians Dino Contenti (bass) and Gigi Biolcati (drums) in '03, consciously set out to draw on musical traditions from all around the Mediterranean.

Meltemi has one foot in the Bill Evans piano trio lineage, the other dancing nimbly between Latin, Maghrebi and Balkan influences. The music rarely breaks into clearly delineated multiculturalism - it's more subtle and elliptical than that - but it's shot through with fragments and suggestions of Mediterranean harmonies and rhythms. Paliaga's tunes are sunny and often very pretty, but the trio is really more about collective improvisation. Piano and bass are equal partners in the front line, and Contenti's rich, singing and slyly dissonant lines dominate some of the most compelling passages. Biolcati approaches the drums rather like a young Paul Motian, rarely breaking into straight timekeeping, instead preferring to colour and texture the collective momentum. All three players are lyrical, quirky and rhythmically engaged.

The Alboran Trio may just be too complex and sophisticated to score as big a commercial success as EST, but it's a fresh presence in piano trio music.
Chris May, All about jazz - July 2006 (UK)

Alboran est la voie maritime qui relie le continent européen à l'Afrique. C'est aussi le nom d'un trio italien, résolument méditerranéen de par ces influences. Trio jouant serré mais qui ne manque pas d'amplitude, comme en témoigne Pianissimo où la basse volubile de Dino Contenti s'appuie sur les frémissements des tambours. Jazz intimiste, feutré, "keithjarrettien", rêveur. Paolo Paliaga confirme ses talents de compositeur sur tous les titres; son piano souple et aérien flirte avec une remarquable section rythmique, vive et soignée. Cinque lunghissimi minuti témoigne de la bonne écoute et de la cohésion limpide du groupe. Dino Contenti, à la basse, dialogue avec une réactivité subtile. A l'archet, il cultive son penchant pour la rêverie. Ce trio fait habilement fructifier ses recherches sur l'élasticité du swing et l'éloquence du silence (Duende). Alboran Trio est un groupe brillant. Il est fort probable qu'il scintille aussi au firmament de la scène.
Philippe Deneuve, Jazz Magazin - Julliet 2006

Diese Jazzformation aus Italien beruft sich auf die Postulate, die das legendäre Bill Evans Trio bereits vor knapp 50 Jahren aufgestellt hat: keine Dominanz des Pianos, anstelle dessen pointierte und gleichrangige Vorträge aller Intrumentalisten. Die Herkunft des Alboran Trios lieβe auf eine Musik schlieβen, die sich einer italianische Einflüsse, die sich besonders im Spiel des Pianisten Paolo Paliaga heraushören lassen. Dadurch entsteht eine durchaus angenehme stilistische Nähe frühen Chick-Corea-Stil.
Tom Fuchs, Stereo - Juli 2006 (D)

Auch das Alboran Trio hat sich schon lange vom traditionellen Jazz-Klaviertrio verabschiedet, auch es verfolgt eine offene Stilistik, löst die Strukturen aber mit komplizierteren Linien stärken auf als Tingvall. Paolo Paliaga ist ein vor rhythmischer Spannung schier berstender Pianist, der manche seiner Improvisationlinien derart scharf und an dermaßen überraschenden Ecken in neue Fahrwasser drückt, dass man meint, ihn gleich aus der Kurve fliegen zu hören. Auch die drei Italiener gehen mit emotionalem Breitwandformat ordentlich auf die Tränendrüse, gerade wenn Dino Contenti zum elegischen Bogen greift und Gigi Biolcati die großen Knüppel rauszieht. Alboran ist der alte Name für die Meerenge von Gibralter, ein zwar südliches, aber auch mit gefährlichen Meeresströmungen belastetes Gewässer, sozusagen das südländische Gegenstück zum kühlen Tingvall-Skagerrak.
Henry Altmann, Jazzthethik - Juli 2006 (D)

Although they use the conventional piano-bass-drums format, these three Italian musicians avoid the roles usually assigned to these instruments. The resulting conversations can be exhilarating and, at times, perplexing, especially when the rhythms cross and recross. Alboran is the Arabic name for the Straits of Gibraltar and the trio incorporate many Mediterranean musical traditions. The music is at its most impressive at slower tempos, when Paolo Paliaga's piano and Gigi Biolcati's drums create impressionistic waves of sound. Bassist Dino Contenti has a wonderfully cavernous tone, which tolls like a great bell at such moments.
Dave Gelly, Observer Review – 9.7.06 (UK)

Das Alboran Trio steht für Rhythmus, Puls, Melodie, Vibration, Fluss, Wüstenstaub, Zigarettenrauch und Seele. Eine Quelle globaler Kreativität.
Jazzthing - Juli 2006 (D)

Are Italians the new Norwegians? Certainly, there’s more than a trace of the Tord Gustavsen Trio in these nini elegant originals (plus a cover of the theme from Pinocchio) by pianist Paolo paliaga. The bass and drums team of Dino Contenti and Gigi Biolcati are slightly more aggressive than their Scan-Jazz counterparts, but the lilting mix of twinkling piano and neo-baroque structures is very complementare. An absolute standout (and my jazz track of the year) is “Balkan Air”, whose thrumming strings and rhythmic pitter-patter suggest J.S.Bach meets drums & bass. And Alboran? It’s the sea between Spain and Africa, innit.
PJ Independent on sunday - 23th July 2006 UK

The acoustic piano trio is a crowded specialism - but now and again a group such as Tord Gustavsen's springs to success from nowhere. Here's a delightful Italian trio led by the pianist and composer Paolo Paliaga whose melodic, romantic playing recalls the Keith Jarrett group that created My Song. The most immediate piece, the irresistible groove of Balkan Air, is propelled by the lyrical double bass of Dino Contenti. But generally they are more contemplative, setting up a series of intimate instrumental conversations. Not everything works: Duende, despite a dramatic bass solo, sounds like a group improvisation that never quite focuses. Still, I was alternating listening to Meltemi with Brad Mehldau's House on Hill, and I know which I'll be taking on holiday.
John Buggey, The Times - July 2006 (UK)

Vor drei Jahren gründeten sie das „Alboran Trio", was angesichts der enormen Intensität der Dreiergespräche eine erstaunlich kurze Zeitspanne ist.Das Trio vertraut überwiegend' auf Eigenkompositionen, streut nur hier und da einen Standard ein, und die eigenen Stücke stammen durchweg von Paolo Paliaga. Der besitzt ein eminent gutes Gespür für schöne Harmonien und sehr liedhafte Melodien, die er oft genug geschickt in gewagtere Passagen überführt, in denen durchaus auch Splitterklänge und widerborstige Themen angerissen werden oder sich die Band zu mitreißenden Klangballungen (beinahe wie das Esbjörn Svensson Trio) zusammenfindet. Paolo Paliaga ist ein expressiver Pianist, der auf Nuancen achtet, Kontraste fein auslotet, deshalb hätte man ihm einen Flügel anstelle des klanglich beschränkten Klaviers gewünscht, aber auch darauf wusste er zu überzeugen
Christian Emigholz , Weser Kurier - Bremen - Mai 2006 (D)

Lebendige Grooves, wohlgesetzte Kicks und seltene energiegeladene Unisono-Passagen würzen die geschmackvolle Musik des "Alboran Trios", die in ihrer schlichten Intensität zeitlos und unabhängig von Modetrends wirkt“.
Martina Binnig, Osnabruk - Juni 2006 (D)

(...) This CD takes its title from the Meltemi, the northern winds which blow from the Balkans down across the Greek Islands during the summer – the imagery of flowing currents of air and sea is, again, entirely apt for the fluid, interactive music played by Paliaga and his colleagues. Both Contenti and Bolcati are excellent musicians; they are responsive listeners and initiators of musical ideas.
Save for the last track – Fiorenzo Carpi’s theme for the 1971 film Le Avventure di Pinocchio – all the material is composed by Paliaga and while he is clearly the leader, it should be stressed how much this is a trio recording. Rhythmically subtle and various, there are moments of straight jazz swing; there are passages of flamenco-inspired energy and there are distinct African inflections here and there –doubtless reflecting the time that Gigi Biolcati spent working with Koffi Kokò, a dancer from Benin, and travelling in Africa
This beautifully recorded CD is a delight from beginning to end. It would be pointless to single out any particular tracks. I played it straight through twice more after my first hearing. Highly recommended.
Glyn Pursglove - Music Web International - 2006 (UK)