For over four decades, accordion player and composer Gorni Kramer was a favorite of Italians, performing in musical comedies and television as well as on-stage. Pianist
Renato Sellani leads this tribute to Kramer, performing 11 of his songs with the talented young trumpeter and flügelhornist
Fabrizio Bosso, bassist Massimo Moriconi, and drummer
Massimo Manzi as a part of a series of Italian composer songbooks made for Philology. "L'Orchestra del Cuore," Kramer's theme song, is a warm and easygoing ballad, featuring
Bosso's muted horn. "Amore Fermati" starts as a loping waltz before transforming into a cooking hard bop arrangement.
Sellani's lush piano opens "Donna," which hints at being a gorgeous ballad, though the tempo quickly changes, as
Manzi's brushwork and Moriconi's delicious bass power this snappy arrangement. The five alternate takes include live recordings and a variety of guests. The tense "Amore Fermati" was recorded in concert just a few hours after the master takes were completed in the studio. Another version of "Donna" substitutes veteran trumpeter
Enrico Rava in
Bosso's place, but in a loping duo treatment. "Domenica e' Sempore Domenica" is a bright trio performance with singer
Tiziana Ghiglioni and the powerful tenor saxophonist
Giulio Loglio. Although Kramer's music probably isn't familiar to jazz fans outside of Italy,
Sellani makes the most of his attractive melodies. ~ Ken Dryden