Paul Giallorenzo Trio to release “Play” on Delmark Records Oct. 10th, expanding avant jazz in extraordinary directions.

“Repeated listens have opened up my ears; Giallorenzo’s key inspirations go back five decades, but the way he evokes Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, and particularly early Cecil Taylor doesn’t sound the last bit dated.” – Chicago Reader

His brand new trio album, “Play,” out October 10th on Delmark Records, illustrates his evolution as an artist and devotion to jazz forms. Giallorenzo is joined by Joshua Abrams on double bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums.

The Trio will celebrate the release of “Play” at Elastic Arts on October 12th.

From liner notes by Neil Tesser:

As kids, most of us often heard our parents tell us, whether out of concern for us getting enough fresh air – or simply to get us out of their hair – to “play outside.” Pianist Paul Giallorenzo still does it.

Giallorenzo plays beyond the theme-and-variations format, happy to skip beyond the well-worn phrases of silky piano trios, ready to take the game in an oblique direction at every turn. Plenty of musicians have explored such areas: the jazz avant-garde evolved thanks to the legendary artists who “played outside.” Most of those musicians were adept at playing “inside” as well; it’s said that Ornette Coleman, for example, could sound exactly like Charlie Parker when he chose.

And today’s post-freedom musicians sometimes surprise ardent avant-garde fans with their mastery of music that they have supposedly jettisoned from their repertoire. But not so many artists can adeptly merge these approaches into one theory of mind, and such “inside-outside” musicians—the category that certainly includes Giallorenzo’s trio—are a separate gang. They infuse the tradition into their edgier romps, and vice-versa; more to the point, they inhabit both territories at the same time. So while the music in “Play” can grab the ear of musical adventurers, it also won’t frighten those just dipping their toes into this particular stream. These players find a middle ground—not by compromising the new or the old, but by elevating the virtues of each.

It’s not so easy to make music this demanding and yet so deceptively fluid. … These performances arise from a combination of focus and intensity, dedication and rigor. But they sure don’t sound like “work.” Whether outside or in, the message remains the same: Play

Originally from Long Island, NY, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, producer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a diverse range of contexts with a wide array of Chicago and international musicians in improvised, avant-jazz, experimental, and electro/acoustic music, performing regularly locally and throughout North America and Europe.

Giallorenzo’s work has been praised for its “inside-out” nature – his ability to push the boundaries of “conventional” jazz toward more freedom but also, on the other side, to bring a measure of structure to more avant-garde material. Writing in the online journal P_oint Of Departure, John Litweiler said, “His solos and aggressive duets are gems of after-Bop, after-Bley melody,” while AllAboutJazz.com_ lauded music that “smudges the lines between the tradition and the avant-garde.”

Delmark Records is proud to release this new album by Paul Giallorenzo as its 70th anniversary year jazz feature.

Other Delmark releases by Paul include: Paul Giallorenzo Trio – Flow, Paul Giallorenzo’s GitGo – Force Majeure
Other albums of interest: Josh Abrams – Cipher (Delmark 546)

Paul is the Artistic Director of the multi-arts organization Homeroom and a co-founder and programmer of the music venue/art gallery Elastic Arts, producing hundreds of creative music concerts and art events in Chicago since 2001.

Thursday October 12th at Elastic Arts, 8:30pm
3429 W Diversey Ave 2nd Fl, Chicago, IL 60647







Paul Giallorenzo Trio
“Play”
Delmark, 2023

The Trio will celebrate the release of “Play” at Elastic Arts on October 12th.

Giallorenzo plays beyond the theme-and-variations format, happy to skip beyond the well-worn phrases of silky piano trios, ready to take the game in an oblique direction at every turn. Plenty of musicians have explored such areas: the jazz avant-garde evolved thanks to the legendary artists who “played outside.” Most of those musicians were adept at playing “inside” as well; it’s said that Ornette Coleman, for example, could sound exactly like Charlie Parker when he chose.

And today’s post-freedom musicians sometimes surprise ardent avant-garde fans with their mastery of music that they have supposedly jettisoned from their repertoire. But not so many artists can adeptly merge these approaches into one theory of mind, and such “inside-outside” musicians—the category that certainly includes Giallorenzo’s trio—are a separate gang.

They infuse the tradition into their edgier romps, and vice-versa; more to the point, they inhabit both territories at the same time. So while the music in “Play” can grab the ear of musical adventurers, it also won’t frighten those just dipping their toes into this particular stream. These players find a middle ground—not by compromising the new or the old, but by elevating the virtues of each.

It’s not so easy to make music this demanding and yet so deceptively fluid. … These performances arise from a combination of focus and intensity, dedication and rigor. But they sure don’t sound like “work.” Whether outside or in, the message remains the same: Play

From the liner notes by Neil Tesser


Paul Giallorenzo – piano, compositions
Joshua Abrams – double bass
Mikel Patrick Avery – drums

Recorded December 1 and 2, 2021 at Delmark Studios, Chicago
Engineered by Nick Broste
Mixed by Nick Broste and Paul Giallorenzo
Mastered by Carl Saff
LP and CD Design by Al Brandtner
Photo by George Mulcahy
Liner Notes by Neil Tesser





https://wgntv.com/midday-news/midday-fix-live-music-from-the-paul-giallorenzo-trio/

https://wgntv.com/midday-news/midday-fix-live-music-from-the-paul-giallorenzo-trio/



https://paulgiallorenzo.com/











Originally from Long Island, NY, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, producer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a diverse range of contexts with a wide array of Chicago and international musicians in improvised, avant-jazz, experimental, and electro/acoustic music, performing regularly locally and throughout North America and Europe. 

Giallorenzo’s work has been praised for its “inside-out” nature – his ability to push the boundaries of “conventional” jazz toward more freedom but also, on the other side, to bring a measure of structure to more avant-garde material. Writing in the online journal Point Of Departure, John Litweiler said, “His solos and aggressive duets are gems of after-Bop, after-Bley melody,” while AllAboutJazz.org lauded music that “smudges the lines between the tradition and the avant-garde.”

His work can be found on the Chicago-based Delmark Records and Austin-based Astral Spirits labels, as well as various other imprints including Leo Records (UK), Not Two Records (Poland), and 482 Music (NY).

Giallorenzo is the Artistic Director of the intermedia arts organization Homeroom and a co-founder and programmer of the music venue/art gallery Elastic Arts, producing hundreds of creative music concerts and art events in Chicago since 2001.

Current Projects include:
PG Trio (Delmark)piano trio with Joshua Abrams – bass, Mikel Avery – drums
Hearts and Minds (Astral Spirits) synthesizer/electric piano trio with Jason Stein – bass clarinet, Chad Taylor – drums;
RedGreenBlue (Astral Spirits) pump organ/electronics in minimal experimental group with Ben LaMar Gay, Ryan Packard, Charlie Kirchen;
SOTOL synthesizer/electronics duo with Ingebrigt Haker Flaten – e bass/electronics;
Scanlines (Vimeo) synthesizer/electronics with Kim Alpert – video, Cristal Sabbagh/Jasmine Mendoza – movement, Anton Hatwich – bass;
GitGO (Delmark, Leo, 482 Music) piano quintet including: Josh Berman – cornet, Jeb Bishop – trombone, Anton Hatwich – bass, Quin Kirchner – drums, Dave Rempis – saxophones, Marc Riordan – drums, Frank Rosaly – drums, Mars Williams – reeds

Past Projects include:
Gregorio/Giallorenzo Duo (Peira) piano/prepared piano duo with Guillermo Gregorio – clarinet
PG 3 (Nottwo Records) piano trio with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – bass, Tim Daisy – drums;
Breakway (Peira) with synthesizer trio with Brian Labycz – synthesizer, Marc Riordan – drums
Masul (Creative Sources) synthesizer duo with Thomas Mejer – contrabass saxophone



Go to Website here ︎︎︎︎

ELASTIC ARTS

MISSION:
To foster artistic exploration from a versatile Chicago venue by programming and presenting multifaceted performance and exhibition

OUR WORK:
Elastic Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports a community of musicians, artists, and audiences in our Avondale/Logan Square neighborhood and throughout the city.

elasticarts.org
3429 W. DIVERSEY AVE. 2nd Fl
Chicago, IL 60647



Selected Reviews

RedGreenBlue: http://bit.ly/redgreenblue-band

PG Trio w/ Joshua Abrams, Mikel Avery:  Peter Margasak/Chicago Reader, Peter Lindblad/Elmore Magazine, Jeff Cebulski/ChicagoJazz.com, Bill Meyer/ The Wire Magazine

Hearts & Minds: heartsandmindsband.com/press

GitGO: Force Majeure: Hrayr Attarian/All About Jazz, Derek Taylor/Dusted Emergent: Peter Margasak/Chicago Reader, John Litweiler/Point of Departure Get in to Go Out: Peter Margasak/Chicago Reader, Mark Corroto/All About Jazz

Gregorio/Giallorenzo, Multiverse: Daniel Barbiero/Avant Music News

PG Trio w/ Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Tim Daisy: Mark Corroto/All About Jazz, Vincenzo Roggero/All About Jazz

Breakway: Manny Theiner/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Vital Weekly

Masul: Peter Margasak/Chicago Reader, Massimo Ricci/Touching Extremes

photo credits: Peter Gannushkin, Harvey Tillis, Isa Giallorenzo, Christopher Andrew