His 20th Album Release: Listen to Tres Libre from Saxophonist Dan Moretti

Vandoren Artist Dan Moretti releases his twentieth CD this year. We talk with Dan to learn a little more about the CD, his upcoming projects, and the advice he has for recording musicians.

How did this CD first come about?

Tres Libre was a project conceived to point to the idea that the trio has a feel unto itself and remains a solid launching pad for creative music. In this setting, the tracks offer a wide variety of approaches within that concept. The 10 musicians contributing to these performances offer an aesthetic that can open our ears to a musical journey within each of these very different tracks. The styles range from free-latin-jazz, funk, ambient, and modal, to swing.

How many recordings have you done?

Twenty!

Twenty recordings is a significant number. What does the twentieth recording mean to you?

It’s an interesting feeling releasing the 20th album. I guess this recording is kind of a milestone, but I’m hoping to continue to make more in the future.

This recording was kind of an experiment with the multiple trio concept. It seems that folks have been receptive to it. As of this writing, it's doing well on the RMR and NACC charts.

Moving forward I have 2 projects lined up at this point for 2022 and 2023. Going back, my first album “Sometime Inside” was released in 1986 on the Blackhawk label out of San Francisco. It was the launching pad for me to keep it going. Since then, I have been fortunate to have an album released about every year and a half. I love the process of writing, recording and mixing. Having some of those tech skills has made my job a little bit easier.

Could you tell us a little more about each track?

Track 1: “Jim Brown’s Cousin” indicated by the title, has that “Funky Drummer” sound with P-Bass and Alto sax pushing a solid funk groove. Stretching a bit into the free-jazz world with Marty Richards supplying the drum energy and Marty Ballou driving the bass groove. At the same time, Dan floats across the top with his effortless alto playing.

Track 2: “Mumbo Jumbo” points to Dan’s love of Reggae music with this fun selection with drums-unknown, bass - Ray Gennari, and Dan on tenor saxophone. The feel and groove are infectious as Dan solos over the top, sometimes pointing to a more modern approach of playing, going in and out of the harmonic moment.

Track 3: “Pandeiro-Funk” enlists the electric guitar work of Bruce Bartlett and the funky Pandeiro playing of Marcus Santos. The guitar parts give a sense of space, and the groove of the pandeiro hits like a drum set in this full range recording. The piece based on #11 chords has a repeating sense of non-resolution. Dan’s melodic sensibility and soloing on soprano give this performance an unbound feeling.

Track 4: “The Inner Side” sets the stage for fretless bassist Michael Farquharson and Dan on tenor playing the melody together while they explore this spacious piece over a repeating keyboard part. The harmony and melody are memorable with hints of that European Contemporary music soundscape.

Track 5: “Escrito Jazz Libre” (written-free-jazz) is a bit of a play on words for this Latin-Jazz-based piece, incorporating the driving congas of Cuban percussionist Jorge Najarro and Cuban baby-bass player Hernando Isaza Cano. Dan’s high-energy alto playing is totally connected to the rhythmic sensibility created by these two master Latin players. The strong improvisational relationship between the players is evident.

Track 6: “When You Leave This World” is a jazz version of a traditional Indian Bhajan that points to a free jazz approach on the melody, with Marty Richards providing the intensity on drums, while Dan plays the melody with reverence on tenor. The improvisation is from the heart, while the bass keyboard added by Dan creates a connected feel that gives the sense that the band played this track altogether.

Track 7: “The Missing Breath” is all Dan on three tenor saxophones. The church-like choral, although simple harmonically, gives the listener enough to want to experience the whole piece and feel what’s being offered. This track is influenced by one of Dan’s favorites, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek.

What advice would you have for professional musicians looking to keep their music fresh on an album?

Be as prepared as possible for your sessions, but also realize the value and understanding of what you can expect from your players.

Allow the music to “happen” as much as possible. Have fun!!!!

The “in the moment” feeling in recording, for me, usually produces the best results. I think that listeners appreciate and can connect more with music that communicates a feel.