CD ECM Records Dino Saluzzi Group: Juan Condori

2006

Dino Saluzzi - bandoneon
Felix Saluzzi - saxofon, clarinet
José María Saluzzi - chitara
Matías Saluzzi - contrabas, chitara bas
U.T. Gandhi - tobe, percutie

Songlines - Top of the World; Stereoplay - Jazz-CD des Monats

This is another very characteristic outing from the Argentinean, who is surely the best known exponent of the bandoneon after the late Astor Piazzolla. He is joined here by three other members of his family and drummer U.T. Ghandi in a set that is very redolent of his homeland in both feel and musical idioms, but with a distinctly experimental edge thrown in at times. … Strongly atmospheric and exploratory music from an established artist who continues to push the boundaries of his chosen form.
Kenny Mathiesson, Jazzwise

This is a set of haunting melodies that don’t come from anywhere near the jazz tradition – but an improvisational spark keeps appearing. … There’s a tango classic that develops dark, stealthy investigations in between visits to the main theme, and the title track is a captivating exchange between bandoneon and guitar. There’s a short group improvisation as still as church music, and constant reflections of both the exhilaration and sadness of the tango. The sax sound and guitarist José Saluzzi’s jazzy phrasing broaden this set’s appeal and the spontaneous empathy of the players reaches out.
John Fordham, The Guardian

This is a very warm, approachable album both in texture and in its rhythms. Tango is more than an idea or a pulse; it is the framework on which the songs are hung. … There has always been conflict – or at least tension – in Saluzzi’s compositions. It stems from his reverence for a certain kind of humanity and an ancient, rural way of life that is – by virtue of his vocation – beyond his grasp. But on Juan Condori, the dialogue is harmonious and the mood lyrical. Tango, the product of immigrant alienation and nostalgia, here turns in on itself, easing the soul of the exiled musician-intellectual.
Chris Moss, Songlines