I watched a PBS special once about child musicians and one of the kids involved was a ten year old from the Bronx who played drums. He was talking to the camera about why he loved the drums so much, and he mentioned the noise of the city and how easily it turned into a beat. I remember thinking that though this thought is a teeny bit cliché, it was refreshing to hear someone that young talk about it.
Sandro Dominelli has taken that thought to the next level. On The Alvo Sessions, he recalls a day he spent in New York when he realized “that I was all turned around. While trying to find my way through this foreign neighborhood, I took in the smells of the streets, the sights of the buildings, and the vibrations of the people.” He goes on to say that the goal of the album was to describe his feelings on that day.
And, true, I wasn't there that day to verify that the album is accurate, but I'd have to say he did an almost perfect job. With carefully crafted covers of jazz all stars like Keith Jarrett and inspiring original work, Dominelli uses Sessions to portray a feeling – it will leave you in a particular mood.
Though I'm no expert at drumming, I can tell (and you'll be able to tell) that Dominelli is an expert at what he does. The composition of the songs is also a high point of the album – though the drums stand out, they don't overwhelm the songs. The Alvo Sessions was created to show us how Dominelli felt that day in New York, but they also show us how phenomenal he is at the drums.
Key Tracks: Personal Mountains and Hot Sauce
May 31, 2010
