The Whole Music Experience

Dino Saluzzi, Anja Lechner, Felix Saluzzi Navidad de los Andes ECM Records I’ve heard two other of Argentine bandoneon player-composer Dino Saluzzi’s recordings and each time I felt captivated by the soulfulness of his compositions.   On Navidad de los Andes ( Christmas of the Andes ), cellist Anja Lechner and his brother reed player Felix Saluzzi come on board.   All these musicians have already collaborated with each other on previous recordings, but this is their debut as a trio on ECM.  And yes this is exciting news. I put my headphones on to listen deeply to this musical landscape and I felt rewarded with the subtle nuances of a bow gliding across strings, the click of the bandoneon keys, and breath flowing through reed instruments.   But the best way to describe the music here can be found in the liner notes where Leopoldo Castilla shares his reflections on the Saluzzi’s compositions.   “In this beautiful musical work the sound is born...

Dino Saluzzi El Encuentro ECM I first discovered Argentine bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi when he released his ensemble’s recording, Juan Condori . I instantly fell in love with Saluzzi’s composition which married musical instincts with compassionate poetics. This poetry wasn’t conveyed in words, but in the universal language music, with musical conversations reflecting on jazz and Argentine indigenous sensibilities. And actual words can barely convey the fragile moments, the nuances, and the sudden sweeping gestures present in Saluzzi’s compositions. He’s a musician that clearly wears his heart on his sleeve. The next recording I heard and reviewed featured Saluzzi with German violoncellist Anja Lechner, Ojos Negros . The musical conversation sounded even more delicate and intimate, those haunting exchanges between the violoncello and the bandoneon, falling deeply into classical chamber music with a far-reaching effect. And now on Saluzzi’s live debut for ECM, El Encuentro ...