Review Text
Kenny Werner's Liner Notes for "Sofia's Heart" CD: A lot of jazz is showcase, about showing something. In the quest for hip-ness and chops, the thing most often lost is expression. Marco is much more concerned with expressing something. And that is fortunate, because Jazz often suffers from a lack of expression. It is quite possible it's not a particularly popular music. People do not need to be impressed; they need to be moved. They need to have that still small voice inside of them amplified. Good music will reveal the divine spark in the listener. It is music's original purpose. In that sense, even the concept of art can be a distraction. A healthy society is one where everyone plays music, where there is little distinction between the performer and the audience. And as we gather to play and listen, an all-pervasive consciousness begins to be revealed and we are all made more aware of the greatness that lies within us. As I'm listening to Marco's latest statement, 'Sofia's Heart', these are the thoughts I'm having. Much of the music is dedicated to the awareness of that greatness. His commitment to beauty is demonstrated immediately on the opening track. Sleeplessness In Ocean Park starts with a beautiful stroke by the pianist, Mark Kramer and then launches into a soulful, and sullen statement of the melody. It made me wonder what Marco was thinking about that quiet night in Ocean Park. After that Marco launches into a melodic, but muscular solo. His improvisation expands the scope and the energy of the piece. Matt Marvuglio follows with a rhythmic and robust solo. Both Marco and Matt have big sounds for their instrument. One gets an immediate sense of the pianist, Mark Kramer's heart and lyrical talents as his solo follows. The personalities of the three soloists are established early in the CD. They all clearly have voices of their own, I'm happy to report. The CD goes from somber to somber-er in the next piece. Homesick again starts with an intro by Mark, a more extended one this time. Mark plays a beautiful intro that evokes the perfect mood for the longing implied by the tune. Not to dwell on the intro, but it reminds one of a moment in a movie when one is having recollections of a past lived long ago and far away. The intro leads into a beautiful C minor lament with a beat that in another era might have been a tango. Although the implication is there, it is expressed much more openly by the sensitive colors played by the drummer, Billy Drummond. Marco plays a solo that may signify where his heart really lies. Rather than just play on changes, Marco's solo has a lyrical quality that carries with it a faint cry of the heart, followed by similarly moving solos by Mark on piano and Eddie Gomez of course, on bass. I might add that Eddie displays his obvious affection for Marco and his music by assuming such selfless accompaniment throughout the CD. Gomez the bassist is obviously striving to please Gomez the producer. (We should all have such a producer, by the way!) Probably sensing that he had to come up for some light and air, Marco and the band then make a subtle transition with the tune Interplay by Bill Evans. Again their approach is delicate and emotional, but with the swing that any Bill Evans tune deserves. There is a really dancing solo delivered by Matt Marvuglio on the flute. But before Marco takes a turn on the sweet groove played by Billy and Eddie he again makes an emotional plea over an apparent rubato before launching into a cooler swing. The solo goes in and out of what almost feels like a free piece before safely landing, all within the form of Evan's usual warm and engaging chord changes here reharmonized by Marco. Bologna d'Inverno opens with a free, yet passionate fanfare. There's no doubt that Marco had an overriding motivation for this CD and that is not to just touch on emotion, but to live in it for a while and explore it's different colors. After the fanfare it evolves into a straight-eighth groov
