Francesco Turrisi

“Grigio”

(Diatribe Records DIACD015)

Originally from Italy the pianist and composer Francesco Turrisi now makes his home in Dublin following studies in jazz piano and early music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Turrisi’s globe trotting existence and interest in a broad range of musical styles is reflected by this album which encompasses jazz, folk and classical elements in an eclectic programme that includes arrangements traditional Irish and Hebrew folk tunes, a selection of pieces by 17th century Italian composers, a composition from John Zorn’s Masada songbook and two Turrisi originals.

“Grigio” is Turrisi’s third album as a leader following two earlier piano trio albums “Si dolce e il Tormento” and “Fotografia” and he has also recorded and toured with the early music group l’Arpeggiata and with Tarab, a band who fuse elements of traditional Irish and Mediterranean music.
He has also appeared as a sideman with an impressive array of jazz, world and early music artists among them Bobby McFerrin, Dave Liebman, Gianluigi Trovesi, Nils Landgren, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Gabriele Mirrabasi, Pepe el Habichuela, Christine Tobin and Maria Pia de Vito. 

“Grigio” was recorded in Ireland and features a core quintet of Turrisi, Nick Roth (soprano sax), Kate Ellis (cello), Dan Bodwell (double bass) and Sean Carpio (drums). Guest performers include Irish traditional singer Roisin Elsafty, Catalan early music vocalist Clara Sanabras and the Israeli born Zohar Fresco who appears on frame drums, percussion and vocals.

The album begins with “Che si puo fare” by the composer Barbara Strozzi, a song that features the emotive voice of Sanabras alongside the core quintet. Turrisi’s piano is a t the heart of the arrangement and takes the only instrumental solo. A word too for the sympathetic drumming of Carpio, recently heard to good effect on the album “Nine Tales Of The Pendulum” by Irish born bassist and composer Mick Coady (reviewed elsewhere on this site).

Next we hear the Turrisi penned title track. It has been suggested that “Grigio”, meaning “grey” reflects Turrisi’s secret longing for the blue of the Mediterranean from his Dublin base or alternatively the Renaissance and Baroque method of underpainting in grey to add shading and depth to the overlaid colour palette. I assume Turrisi is happy enough living and working in Ireland so I’ll go for the latter, there’s certainly a lustrous quality about the arranging and playing on the album that helps to bear this out. “Grigio” itself is full of sombre beauty, Turrisi’s recurring piano motif underscoring the melancholy sound of cello and soprano sax with Fresco’s frame drums and percussion adding an appealing low key exotica to the already atmospheric arrangement.

The air of exquisite melancholy continues into “Eleanor a run”, a traditional Irish folk song arranged by Turrisi and singer Roisin Elsafty. The sparse, eerie arrangement highlights the power and beauty of Elsafty’s voice with Turrisi making use of the Ebow, a device normally associated with guitarists. I can imagine this piece becoming a popular item with Late Junction audiences.

John Zorn’s “Hadasha” explores broadly similar territory to the title track but edges closer to the avant garde via Fresco’s percussion and extended piano and string techniques which add elements of wilful dissonance to the music.

Sanabras returns for Stefano Landi’s “Augellin” and gives a stirring vocal performance, her powerful singing complemented by Turrisi’s percussive approach to the piano.

By way of contrast Nick Roth’s thoughtful arrangement of the traditional Hebrew “Maoz tsur” demonstrates Turrisi’s sublime lightness of touch at the piano, at first solo but subsequently joined by cello, soprano sax and the voice and percussion of Fresco. The latter has recently come to the attention of the international jazz audience thanks to his collaboration with Polish pianist Leszek Mozdzer and Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson on the ACT album “Polska”.

“Sile Bheag Ni Chonnallain” is the second Turrisi/Elsafty arrangement of an Irish traditional song, an intimate piano and voice duet the emphasises the purity of Elsafty’s singing as she invests the Gaelic lyric with genuine emotion.

At just over seven minutes Tarquinio Merula’s “Canzonetta spirituale sopra la nanna” is the lengthiest item on the record with Sanabras’ vocals wrapped in a slowly unfolding jazz influenced arrangement. It’s intense and emotive with the focus very much on Sanabras’ remarkable voice but with Turrisi’s piano integral to the arrangement.

The Turrisi original “Tu Ridi” again teams piano, cello and saxophone with Fresco’s voice and percussion in evocative fashion with Turrisi the featured soloist, his feature both pithy and elegant.

The Irish traditional “Seothin seo” is the final Turrisi/Elsafty collaboration, the piano and voice duet ending the album on a gently wistful and elegiac note.

Although not a jazz album per se there is much to enjoy on “Grigio” as Turrisi draws the strands of his various musical and geographical influences together to create an album that coheres effectively despite the apparent disparity of its sources. One gets the sense of a unified artistic vision from a man with an extremely broad range of tastes and influences. It’s an album that’s a little outside my normal listening zone and although I don’t see myself returning to it that often “Grigio” is nevertheless an impressive and coherent artistic statement. 

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