TOM RICCI

HAPPENING IN BUENOS AIRES – LIVE AT BORGES 1976

Independent label

Tom Ricci, vocals/guitar/arranger/composer; Pablo Sanguinetti, piano/arranger; Bruno Migotto, bass; Oscar Giunta, drums.

This album becomes a historic documentation of a one-night musical encounter between vocalist and guitarist, Tom Ricci and a trio of South American musicians.  Argentine arranger and pianist, Pablo Sanguinetti is a wonderful addition to Ricci’s project, turning the landmark tango “Naranjo en Flor” into a jazz waltz.  Ricci has a vocal style that reminds me of Mose Allison, only with more sophistication. He sings this song in Spanish.

On the bass is Bruno Migotto, a São Paulo, Brazil jazz veteran. It’s a cross-cultural setting, with Oscar Giunta adding his slick drum mastery to the package. Giunta is recognized as a major figure in Argentine jazz. He has played with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Patitucci and Paquito D’Rivera.  He’s both spontaneous and steady on his instrument, adding quality and dependability to Ricci’s music.

The group opens with three familiar standard jazz tunes: “Mood Indigo” by Ellington, “Night & Day” (a Cole Porter hit) and “Just Friends.”   Then comes a Tom Ricci original called, “Simply Love.”  It has a Brazilian beat, a catchy melody with Ricci vocally testifying that “It was love, Simply love.”

With the album “Happening in Buenos Aires,” Tom Ricci returns to his birthplace, not simply to document a concert, but to capture a musical meeting point between cultures, styles, musicians and personal history, recording a music that has shaped his career and style.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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