★★★★ Jazz can be comfortable on the big stages of theaters and festivals, but it would seem that it is in the “club” where this genre finds its best space. Because of the closeness to the public, because of the greater informality, because of the freshness with which the artists allow themselves to try new things and even because of the more or less annoying noises produced by the gastronomy that is part of that whole.
Buenos Aires has been, for a long time and fortunately, a very good place for club jazz: there are several of them and some of them with permanent programming. In this case, one of the most important, he decided to start the year with a “summer festival” which he baptized “Summertime”, through which artists as varied as the Trío Corrente from Brazil, the singer JJ Thames, will perform during January and February and the pianist Anhony Wonsey with his trio, but also a few Argentines such as Adrián Iaies, Inés Estévez, Pablo Ziegler, the Timeless Trio, Delfina Oliver, Jorge Cutello, Manuel Fraga, Oscar Giunta, the Neotrío and a few others.
Among the most regular staff of Bebop Club is one of the great local trumpet players who, even as a young man, already has a very prominent place in our country. In addition, Mariano Loiácono with his big band has become the host of many of the foreign visitors who come to this place and who, due to logical budgetary limitations, could not come with full bands.
This 2023 opening was for one of the great trombonists of the moment, a luxury sideman who, beyond leading his own projects, has played with Chick Corea, Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Eric Alexander, Joe Farnsworth, Avishai Cohen, Jimmy Green , David Hazeltine, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, Christian McBride and Harold Mabern, among many.
For the occasion, he shared the concert with the orchestra in which several standards were played, his “fanky” “Song for my love” and a piece by the director/arranger Loiácono. This big band is an oiled instrument that has great soloists, among others, Joaquín De Francisco, Gustavo Musso, Remiro Penovi, Pablo Raposo and Mauricio Dawid and that shines in the voice of Julia Moscardini. But that gave a special space to the presence of the guest. A fine soloist, an inspired improviser, the trombonist is not a juggler of notes. On the contrary, his best is in his subtlety, in his melodic expression. And in this sense, his role as a “singer” in Benny Golson’s “I remember Clifford” or in the counterpoint he had with Loiácono in “After you’ve gone” was particularly outstanding; by the way, very well interpreted by Moscardini.
