Editorial Reviews

The "crossover fantasies" heard on this classical-jazz fusion release may seem like a miscellaneous group, with Claude Bolling's venerable "Toot Suite" bumping up against Piazzolla, Chick Corea, Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Mozart. But that's the whole point. Trumpeter Joe Burgstaller, who is a member of the Canadian Brass, and New York Latin pianist Hector Martignon set out to make a fusion album that doesn't rely on a single formula. The most interesting pieces are the pair that move fluidly between classical and jazz realms, something few crossover projects of this kind have attempted. Sample track 6, "Chopin Meets Jobim," for an idea of what Burgstaller and Martignon are trying to contribute here: they begin with a straight presentation of Chopin's famed "Prelude in E minor, Op. 28/4," morph it step by step (the process is a bit reminiscent of a word ladder puzzle) into Jobim's "Insensatez (How Insensitive)," and then make their way back to Chopin again. The title work gives sections of Mozart's "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331" -- not only the Rondo alla Turca, as is indicated -- a variety of jazz treatments, using the presence of absence of a jazz rhythmic track as a structural element. From there the musicians move on to sample various modes in which classical and jazz have been combined in single compositions. The presence of Ellington, who is unaccountably often left out of discussions of this phenomenon, is especially welcome, and the entire album can serve as something of a compendium of fusion approaches that have achieved wide currency, as a suggestion for new directions, and as a superior instrumental performance in itself, with Burgstaller's quiet trumpet stylings. Recommended, and enjoyable even for those who may be annoyed by the presence of the much-played Bolling. James Manheim, All Music Guide

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