Paolo Lattanzi’s quintet, particularly active in the areas of Boston and New York, gives in "Night Dancers" a convincing impression, proposing ten original compositions excellently arranged by the inspired inventiveness of the drummer end performed with an innovative approach, intelligently close to the post hardbop jazz tradition.

The creative ability of each band member emerges from a certain flattening that the blue notes have been suffering lately: what strikes mainly is the originality, both in the compositions and the performance, the ability to create wide and clear atmospheres, and a never overbearing personality with which the lesson of Coltrane and Holland is renewed.

The album is characterized by a really original instrumental timber: expressive and solid especially when each member is free to show his personal soloing talent. At times the sound resembles that of some excellent ECM productions some others is defined by a fleeting, poetic, introspective and nocturne pathos.

More than my observations, in the following interview it will be Paolo’s words to be meaningful.

F.C.: How was the project “Night Dancers” born?
P.L.: I wrote the tunes between the years 2002 and 2005. I strongly wanted to record this album, I had written a good number of songs that I felt meaningful and thought that it was time to unify them all in a single work. In Night Dancers there is a lot of what my life has been these last four years.

F.C.: A musical biography?
P.L.: Something like that. Sometimes you write music just for the pleasure of doing it, of experimenting, or even to compete with your own limits… at different levels these aspects are all part of the album; however what I believe to be its strongest characteristic are my ties with the moments when I wrote or conceived those tunes. Maybe than, instead of a biography, this is more a collection of thoughts and feelings.

F.C.: In fact the album appears like a set of works, inspired by different inner moments.
P.L.: The line of connection that I tried to keep from a tune to the other was the intention to “convey”: whether it was a feeling, a mood or an idea, that was my final goal. What differs from tune to tune was the technique and approach I chose.

F.C.: Effectively you can hear it, and this is, in my opinion, a strong merit of this album: "suffered", meditated.
P.L.: Thank you. A pro of instrumental music is the absence of words to dictate what interpretation you have to give it or how to relate to it; that’s something that everyone lives alone in his own way, depending on the personality. Therefore I believe that listening to this CD different people will perceive it in different ways, depending on which side of it will trigger their sensitivity…

F.C.: I agree. And technically?
P.L.: I think that my way of writing music (at least up to “Night Dancers”) is characterized mainly by the rhythmic approach compared to the melodic and harmonic structure of the tune. There are elements in the music of Dave Holland, for instance, or Steve Coleman, Avishai Cohen and in some case of Wynton Marsalis (and others) as well, that strongly influenced me.

F.C.: Those are definitely great examples! Just a doubt: when you speak of Marsalis, do you refer to his “chromatism” or to the thoughtful flowing of certain mixed meters? What do you think of Jarrett and some ECM productions?
P.L.: Yeah, speaking of Marsalis I was exactly thinking of the use of some mixed meters or polyrhythms. My discover of jazz happened gradually but I identify with the first album of the Pat Metheny Group (so we are actually talking about ECM!) the link that let me investigate this music and discover many of its shades and evolutions.

F.C.: Earlier you mentioned Dave Holland:in my opinion he deserves a special place in the history of jazz… few like him are able to use such a modern and innovative language.

P.L.: It is how he uses the most various forms of “oddness” (both rhythmically and in the structure on the piece) that strikes me. He always manages to make the listener at ease thanks to the melodies and to the subtleties of the harmonies, balancing the global feel and making the music fluid and elegant.

F.C.: That’s right, I’d like to mention, for that matter, the elegance of Jarrett with Peacock and DeJonette.
P.L.: I saw that trio live two times. At times it felt like the music was phisically touchable!

F.C.: Being more technical about your album?
P.L.: For what concerns the specific harmonic aspect I basically used three approaches: functional harmony (as in 14/2 and Cicerchì's Wanderlust), horizontal modal harmony (i.e. Other Lands) vertical modal harmony (Fairy Tales to a Child) and a mix of the previous with some non-functional harmony (Four Years Gone o May). Each of them allows different sonorities and possibilities that, at times, are very specific. Structurally, with the exception of “Four Years Gone”, all the tunes reflect the model of the jazz standards, where you essentially have a form that repeats itself while the soloist plays on top (although in some cases like in “May” the solos have a different structure than the main form…).

F.C.: How much should we all be grateful to Mingus for his extraordinary creativity and arranging skills? Your improvisations are inventive and suggestive but what happens with the melody? Sorry if it sounds banal but there seems to be something new.
P.L.: It all depends on the sonority of the composition, I think. Some of the tunes in the CD presume a traditional approach while others leave space to more creative choices. My intent was to allow the improvisation to take whatever direction with no restrains. The only thing I asked to my band mates was to play what they felt and get carried by the mood of each tune: they are excellent musicians and I knew that each of them would have “embraced” my musical statements and started from there. From that moment on I just did my best to cover the role of the drummer supporting their ideas and building some together. I believe that one of the most important things to remember when you write a piece of music is that there must be a time where the tune is left free to develop into whatever it “wants” to become. In order for it to happen the music must be everybody’s. Otherwise it would be like discussing with somebody you have previously given the dialogue itself! The search for the right musicians for this album is another point to which I devoted a lot of attention. As in Jazz’s best tradition, I wanted the music to be strongly influenced by the different personalities. More specifically I wanted to gather musicians characterized by different approaches and sensitivities, that way I could obtain more atmospheres and ways to take. I think I succeeded: Aurelien, Pau and Nikolay are quite different one another and when one of them takes the lead, gives the album a new face that is still functional to the rest of the band. Marco’s remarkable work on the bass displays sensitivity above the standard.

F.C.: This is a topic that deserves to be covered more in depth, at least for the readers and for who enjoys especially Moiseenko’s multi-shaped twists (powerful!). Let’s talk about it…
P.L.:  Sure, I anticipated a good part of it in the previous question but there’s more to say.
Putting together people/musicians with different personalities is not that difficult, what needs some attention is to create a context where they can work together. Luckily this is what happened with this group, maybe because I stated from the very beginning that variety was exactly what I was looking for. Of course, crucial for this matter was their reliable and positive attitude… and the cookies I brought at every rehearsal! When you have those requirements the rest comes naturally. Jazz was our meeting ground and after all interplay is its main point. I knew that arranging a track assigning a solo to one of them rather than another would have changed its sound dramatically. The track that features them all together is Fairy Tales to a Child. The idea for that song was to tie each solo to the previous in order to design a parabolic shape. I also tried to increase diversity through the use of different combinations of instruments like the acoustic guitar and the bowed bass solo in 14/2 juxtaposed to the fretless guitar in Other Lands or the electric bass in In A Dark Room; I have to say that my band mates have been brilliant to this regard as well.

F.C.: Budynek at times doesn’t seem to be completely on the same pace with the rhythm section, maybe it depends on his style and sensitivity. Other times he shows influences from the schools of the most controvert guitarists (for the “scholars”) such as Bill Frisell… do you think it is has something to do with his way of being “acid”?
P.L.: I wouldn’t know... for what concerns his influences or where he roots his style I have to say that you got me off balance! I understand what you mean with the word “acid”. From that point of view the contrast between him and Nikolay is evident. The sound of the saxophonist is open, bright, extrovert, almost “on your face”. The guitarist oftentimes plays with the tempo in a different way, willingly pulling back, sometimes preferring to use a sound effect more than a phrase. They have two different ways of playing their instruments, two different types of musical sensitivity.

F.C.: Besides playing in this album, you are the producer as well…
P.L.: Like I said earlier I strongly wanted to record this CD and I went through the different phases of its creation mainly on my own. I had considered the idea of proposing my music to the labels before getting in a studio but I wanted to make it my way. When it was time to present a completed work (at least for what concerned the audio itself…) I knocked at the door of several labels. When I came across Giorgio Dini from Silta Records I found a consistent, responsive person who really cares about the artistic side of a musical production. Working with him has been quite constructive.

F.C.: Giorgio is a big resource for contemporary music, we should also mention his skills as instrumentalist. Few labels like Silta have the guts to produce non pre-packed works with an intense emotional content.
P.L.: I think you are right. His efforts on the bass are amazing! I have two of his albums “Out!” and the latest “Ergskkem”. I think that’s music to listen carefully, music with a lot to say. Silta has immediately shown interest in my recording so finally this CD ideated and born in the USA and played by European musicians is released by an Italian label. Not bad for a mix, isn’t it?

F.C.: Not bad... but music, as a form of art, doesn’t know boundaries. Luckily in jazz especially we hardly find such absurd “geo-cultural” limitations. I don’t think that this CD is an easy listening, on the contrary. Is there a provocation in your music?
P.L.: I don’t know if Night Dancers unwillingly represents a provocation, that’s not what I had in mind. I would contradict myself on why I wrote this music if I said I had this intention! Certainly, however, I haven’t kept too much in consideration what it is “expected” from a jazz album (at least by the most stubborn traditional parameters!). I opted for what I felt coherent to my nature and I count more on music lovers than on those who enjoy labeling too much! In fact I don’t think that this album is hard to listen to…

F.C.: I must say that rarely you receive such moderate and clear aesthetic indications as yours. I’m happy about it, because it means that my involvement wasn’t just a “high” from modernism!
P.L.: I accept this nice compliment with a smile. Thanks.

F.C.: You have spoken of everything and everybody; shouldn’t we go for a moment over your beautiful drumming?
P.L.: Well, thanks, really! Of all questions this is the one that I find the most difficult. The difference is that before we were speaking of how I “think”, while now you want to discuss how I “speak”! I have a lot to learn, still, it’s the beauty of music. Regarding my style what I can say is that I try to connect to the musicians I’m playing with, think as much as possible like a musician more than just like a drummer… I try to listen to what’s happening and contribute to the music by placing an accent on what strikes me, suggesting other possibilities. I listen to the jazz masters and have a preference for Roy Haynes, Jack Dejohnette, Tony Williams, Bill Stewart, Billy Kilson, Brian Blade, Elvin Jones, Peter Erskine, Jeff "Tain" Watts. I like any other style of music as long as it communicates something to me and I grew up listening to the Led Zeppelin and the other great rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s. I believe that all is important and can contribute to a global view!

F.C.: A last curiosity, why “Night Dancers”?
P.L.: I answer your question, but it’s confidential... if you thought that the name refers to me and my band mates you have been tricked! Actually the name of the title track derives from what I was thinking when I wrote it. Winter in Boston can be severe and some nights most people prefer to stay at home… I happily enjoy a silent, thoughtful walk. One of those nights, I don’t remember if it was foggy or snowy, I was walking down the border of the Boston Common and started to fantasize. I imagined two semi-concealed entities in the distance, vaguely illuminated by the orange and white lights, almost invisible through the fog and the trees. Two blurred beings who were performing an irregular dance, belonging to that dimension only, silent, bizarre, grotesque, suave, graceful and lonely… Night Dancers.

F.C.: So “good music” and thanks for your courtesy.
P.L.: Thank you for the interest you showed in my work!

Fabrizio Ciccarelli for Jazzitalia