Customer Reviews

Grancia

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This instrumental gem is quite a nice hidden treasure; mostly unknown, little hype, little publicity, but a gorgeous journey in sound nonetheless. There's a kind of classical feel owing to the instrumentation - piano, strings, oboe, clarinet, flute, some harp - but it's also spiced up with some Spanish/classical guitar and exquisitely tasteful bass and percussion. All the textures are used to paint all kinds of vivid pictures and moods: from sunny fields to winter snow to European cityscapes and more, it's a buffet for the ears.

It seems like things should be structured fairly rigidly when balancing thirteen musicians in various combinations, but apparently everything was sketched out with room for each member to improvise and contribute freely in the finest jazz tradition. The result is a vividly colorful mix with a little of everything and then some.

It also sounds great. I don't even have a SACD system to bring out the full depth of the recording, but the regular CD layer alone makes it sound as if Tony Levin is standing right in the living room and the flutes are fluttering just outside the window.

Basically, Grancia is like twelve mini-movie scores without the video; sometimes thoughtful, sometimes sunny, sometimes sad, but always beautiful. Listen and your imagination can fill in the rest.

Peter Primamore is not an unknown name: his scores for films and television works are greatly admired not only for being appropriate to the project but also for being thoughtfully orchestrated. This makes his first debut album, playing his own compositions with his own group of very fine musicians.

The music is what many would call soft-core jazz - jazz in origin but near chamber music in orchestration and performance. In addition to the piano, drums, and bass expected, Primamore adds violin, cello, harp, oboe, English horn, flute, clarinet and the spectrum of percussion that includes vibes, glockenspiel, and tympani. The recorded experience is unique in that it is all recorded live in a studio with little dubbing and mixing. The result is a mellow lush concert of very lovely music.

Primamore gathers the inspiration for his music from his acquaintances with South America, Russia, Paris, and the stillness of natural phenomena. For the purists in jazz this collection may make them wary, but one listening to the varied works on this album will indeed confirm the Peter Primamore knows what he is about! Grady Harp, February 07

I had never heard of this artist previously, but liked what I heard as samples and, to boot, Tony Levin is the bass player. I was stunned how great this was on all levels. Every song has something to offer and it is a masterpiece of production! Indescribably beautiful!

This is the type of music that clears-up your head for a more relaxing MIND!

Grancia leans liberally on jazz, Western, Brazilian and rock influences, but at its heart this is a jazzy chamber recording with viola, cello, harp and woodwinds. Brain food at its BEST!

I purchased this SACD based upon the two glowing reviews that preceded me. To each his own, I guess. Instead of finding the charm mentioned by the other two, I found a recording a bit too innovative and pretentious for my taste. Though I enjoy both Jazz and chamber music,I did not enjoy the hybrid musical form presented in this offering. You might feel differently, just make sure that you hear some cuts prior to purchasing.