Long Overdue, But Well Worth the Wait
bordersj2 | Boston | 12/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For upwards of 5 years, I've wanted this release. From contacting Schema direction, I'd always say it was the most logical thing to do. After all, Nicola Conte had a feature release where others remixed his works. Why not do it the other way around? Jazzanova made a very successful double disc release in the past so why couldn't Nicola Conte; a man who's production work is IMO second to none. Over the years h'es remixed some of the best in a variety of different styles. From underground jazz in Japan to cutting edge broken beats to South American jazz standards, Conte's found a way to add a classy touch to all of them. And finally here, we have just a glimpse of some of the highlights in this impressive 2 disc set which also includes some original works as well not found on "Rituals".
Where to start? I think the important thing to know is that both discs focus on Conte's jazz approach to remixes. For that reason, you won't see too many of his remixes from before 2002 when the focus was maybe more on soundtrack and more direct Italian bossa. That means remixes in the mold of "Love Beat" by Yoshinori Sunahara aren't there. Instead, you have his redifining of classics new and old, jazz to acid-jazz adn even his take on Disney. Like Mark Murphy's "Stolen Moments", a Gilles Peterson favourite too that I honestly never cared for. But assigning Conte to freshen it up, it's pretty good. Other fantastic remixes featured are Thunderball's cool "Elevated States", Sabrina Malheiros 'Terra de Ninguem", Povo's hoppin' "You Are" and popular numbers by Sunaga t Experience too. Meanwhile there are a plethora of original takes which feature some of Conte's favorite musicians to the Gil Scott-Herron influenced Jose James to Gianluca Petrella, Kim Sanders and the sassy Alice Ricciardi.
It's impossible for me to describe all 26 tracks. But know that the style is just as advertised - versions in jazz dub. Relaxed, with a great snap to a few titles throughout. It's easy to talk about some of the songs that weren't featured that probably could've, like Eli Goulart's "Meu Samba" or Aldemaro Romero's "Tema De La Onda" or Jerome Richardson's "Way in Blues". But looking through the catelog of Conte remixes it's fair to say that he easily could've put together a quality 6 disc set (at least) of cuts he's remixed. If you are a Nicola Conte fan, and liked his work with Blue Note Records and his latest album "Rituals", you'll do well to pick this up. You won't be disappointed. Even if you've already checked out the majority of remixes here, there's still some quality original tracks featured.
Maybe last but not least, be on the look out for Nicola Conte's live shows. I had the chance to meet him at one of his shows along with Jose James, Alice Riccardi and a few other members in his ensemble. The shows tend to be in more intimate settings. He's an extremely nice guy with the demeanor of a true artist. And the show was quality too!"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1