Gran Gala

Fone’s Gran Gala event in Italy has become a classic. Like the concerts, this album features musical surprises by the best Jazz, Pop and Classical artists in a natural sound recording. A great way to get acquainted with the diversity of the Fonè label!

For decades the Italian label Fone has not only stood for excellent sound and music quality, but also for a very wide range of different artists, styles, genres and creative approaches. In addition to Fone’s great Classical recordings, the label also features Pop and Jazz, which are the special love of label leader Giulio Cesare Ricci. Fone is dedicated to this album with a big gala: “Gran Gala” is the wonderful compilation with which Signore Ricci celebrates his artists.

And who can hear it? Groovy swinging, a tried and tested Fone trio opens up: Scott Hamilton (saxophone), Paolo Birro (piano) and Alfred Kramer (drums) with Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme”, that is pure musical freedom. Scott Hamilton can be heard again on page B, in a duo with the pianist Andrea Pozza, he plays the Sonny Rollins classic “Airegin” from his album “Who Cares?” – feathered bebop, which without any percussion and Bass.

Speaking of the bass, who can not be missed by a Fone gala, is the double-bass grandmaster Enzo Pietropaoli. The trio with Fulvio Sigurta (trumpet) and Battista Lena (guitar) and the stunning bluesy ballad “La Notte” from the album of the same name; In the duo with singer Eleonora Bianchini (here a Michael Jackson classic is originally brushed against the grain). Finally a real virtuoso solo piece of his own piece from his album “Solo”.

Two jazz duos are still playing: Old school and groovy bring a Riccardo Zegna (piano) and Giampaolo Casati (trumpet) with a piece of their album “Paris Blues” to finger-snapping, totally self-conscious and dreamy, stroking Peo Alfonsi (guitar) and Salvatore Maiore (double bass) the musical soul.

Intimate and atmospheric are the sounds that Fausto Mesolella elicits from his guitar in Nino Rota ‘s Romeo and Juliet theme – but he also completes this compilation with the greatest piece: “Tulipani” from his album “Cantostefano “Leaves a kind of Italian mix of Mark Knopfler and Leonard Cohen floating out of the box with a down-to-earth band.

Various artists and occupations, straight jazz or experimental crossover, live recording or specially selected recording location – one thing all together on this album have collected together. The recording and the excellent mastering by Giulio Cesare Ricci in a quality other labels can only dream of. All the recordings to be recorded here were made with a purely analog signal path and were also mastered purely in analog on Ricci’s Ampex 2-track Analog Tape machine.

This compilation is not only a gala of the brilliant artists at Fone, but also a celebration of the amazing sound quality, for which this label is famous. As always with Fone, “Gran Gala” appears in DSD. You just have to love that!

Scott Hamilton, Saxophone (Tracks 1,6)
Paolo Birro, Piano (Track 1)
Alfred Kramer, Drums (Track 1)
Eleonora Bianchini, Vocals (Track 2)
Enzo Pietropaoli, Double Bass (Tracks 2,3,7,9)
Battista Lena, Guitar (Track 3)
Fulvio Sigurta, Trumpet (Track 3)
Peo Alfonsi, Guitar (Track 4)
Salvatore Maiore, Double Bass (Track 4)
Fausto Mesolella, Guitar, Loop Pedal, Dobro & Vocals (Tracks 5,10)
Andrea Possa, Piano (Track 6)
Riccardo Zegna, Piano (Track 8)
Giampaolo Casati, Trumpet (Track 8)
Ferdinando Ghidelli, Pedal Steel Guitar (Track 10)
Nunzia Carrozza, Background Vocals (Track 10)
Petra Magoni, Background Vocals (Track 10)
Mimi Ciaramella, Drums (Track 10)
Munyungo Jackson, Percussion (Track 11)
Kate McGarry, Vocals (Track 12)
I Musici (Track 13)
Anna Garano, Guitar (Track 14)
Anaïs Tekerian, Vocals (Track 14)
Francesco Fournier Facio, Piano (Track 15)