Nick Mazzarella
Siena Sessions
One of the critical figures in Chicago's creative music scene, alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella has been a mainstay for over 25 years as a leader, composer, and player. This gorgeous recording was made at Shape Shoppe Paradiso, the Italian studio of former Chicagoan Griffin Rodriguez. Mazzarella was introduced to bassist Silvia Bolognesi by cellist Tomeka Reid, and he began informally playing with Silvia and drummer Cristiano Calcangile in 2016. Seven years later, Bolognesi invited Mazzarella to…
What You Seek Is Seeking You
'Sometimes a piece of music seems to trigger a sense of déjà vu. I had that experience listening to the Nick Mazzarella Trio’s new recording. It was as if all the things that had caught my sincere attention for some years was suddenly distilled into one set of compositions. That was an illusion, as déjà vu always is; however, it was not without some substance. I heard traces of traces of Andrew Cyrille, Steve Lacy, and Fred Anderson. This recording hit me like some of those did. The beginning of…
Signaling
On Signaling, Nick Mazzarella and Tomeka Reid compress a wide slice of Chicago’s creative music history into intimate alto–cello dialogues, tracing a clear line from Hemphill/Wadud’s 1970s duets to a present tense that feels urgent and newly carved.