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Matteo Sabattini
Matteo Sabattini: Metamorpho
by Ian Patterson
Jazz can broadly be divided into that which mines the past for inspiration and that which doesn't. Alto saxophonist Matteo Sabattini demonstrated on Dawning (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2011)--his debut as leader for the Catalan label--that he's an unabashed modernist. Sabattini and his New York Quintet take an unhurried approach to these ten compositions where melodic development defines the contours of the music. To be sure, there's fire in the playing on occasion, but as some of the titles perhaps ...
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by Dan Bilawsky
Saxophonist Matteo Sabattini's Dawning (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2011) delivered a potent shot of modernism in direct fashion, and though this followup occasionally finds him treading on similar ground, he does so in more expansive, low key and exploratory fashion. Sabattini has a tendency and willingness to look toward the horizon, work in the shadows and dial down the intensity here, which sets his music on a fascinating and winding course; in other words, the journey is far more interesting ...
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by Ian Patterson
Perhaps due to New York's dynamism--and no doubt in part the result of the city's pivotal role in jazz's history--New York jazz ensembles are frequently characterized by bold playing and a hard edge that's arguably less common in many European jazz groups. Italian-born alto saxophonist Matteo Sabattini's New York Quintet builds a bridge between a melodic European sensibility and the incisiveness in ensemble playing typical of the metropolis. Sabatini's elegant Old World-meets-New World arrangements are typified by the juxtaposition of ...
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by Dan Bilawsky
A sense of melody seems to be sacrificed in a lot of modern jazz these days, as newcomers try to get some press as the next big thing by subscribing to a stranger-is-better aesthetic. Matteo Sabattini is a rare exception, an alto saxophonist whose music is unique in its provision of comfort and a natural sense of melodic lyricism, while still presenting challenging ideas, along with aggressive rhythmic and harmonic ideals that constantly surprise. His New York ...
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