REFLECTIONS - Mazzariello Tapes

TAPE 1

Body & Soul Heyman, Sour, Eyton, Green 5'28"

On Green Dolphin Street Bronislaw Kaper 4'52"

Mutual Julian Oliver Mazzariello 6'06"

Evidence Thelonious Monk 4'20"

Mare Nostrum Julian Oliver Mazzariello 5'06"

Funky Chunks Julian Oliver Mazzariello 4'37"

Total Time 30’28”

TAPE 2

Autumn Leaves Kosma/Prévert/Mercer 5'48"

Over the Rainbow Harold Arlen 6'20"

Try to Be Bop Julian Oliver Mazzariello 3’30”

Theme from M.A.S.H. Mandel, Altman 5’10”

More Riz Ortolani 5’19”

Total Time 26’07”

Conceived, recorded and produced by Giulio Cesare Ricci
Recorded at the Auditorium Museo Piaggio Pontedera 24th September 2019
Recording assistant: Paola Liberato
Valve microphones: Neumann U47, U48, M49
Mike pre-amplifiers, cables (line, microphone, supply): Signoricci
Photos by Emanuela D'Ambrosi

The Master has been implemented with Ampex ATR 102 (Electronic Tube Ampex Model 351 - 1965) 2 tracks, 1/2 inch 30ips modified by David Manley.

This debut solo album by Julian Oliver Mazzariello is a selection of improvisations on standards and originals. The repertoire ranges from Body and Soul to Over the Rainbow, from Thelonious Monk to Prévert along with originals written as far back as 1996 and as late as 2019, creating a huge range of musical memories and ideas. .."The role and presence of producer Giulio Cesare Ricci in this selection of recordings was as important as a second player in a duet.. not only for the incredible sound reproduction of the instrument and location, but for the creative environment that he manages to make while recording the album and the emotional connection with each song"..

This album was recorded in September 2019 and is part of the recordings I made at the Piaggio Auditorium located inside the very famous Museum located in Pontedera, the place where Piaggio was born and where it still continues to produce today. Inside the Museum, every year the public from all over the world can admire the Piaggio production made over the years, all the Vespa and Ape models, all the Aprilia, Gilera and Moto Guzzi motorcycles that have won national and international awards over time. For this recording I brought all my equipment both analog (Ampex ATR 102 Electronic Tube Ampex Model 351-1965 2 tracks, 1/2 inch, 30ips modified by David Manley) and digital (Pyramix Recorder, dCS A/D and D/A converters).

As for the microphones, I used my original collection of Neumann U47, U48, M49 as well as mike pre-amplifiers and Signoricci cables. Pairs of Neumann valve microphones from the years 1947 and 1949 (U47, U48 and M49) are used with a very natural timbre using field effect bimicrophonic techniques. These microphones have an important history: they are in fact the original microphones used to record, among others, the performances of the Beatles in the Abbey Road Studio and by RCA for the "Living Stereo" recordings. The sound I can capture with these legendary microphones is perfectly in line with my taste in sound.

No other microphone has such a true timbre and the ability to record all the nuances of sound and all the richness of the harmonics. The uniqueness of these microphones is linked to their ability to take a perfect "sound photograph" and to put the music perfectly placed in the sound space chosen for the recording. This is because I have always made two Masters for each recording: an analogue master for Vinyls and a DSD digital master for SuperAudioCDs.

I made the mastering for Vinyl using Signoricci's analog and valve system. A state-of-the-art system with no sound manipulation, no equalization, no reverb, no compression and expansion... but natural sound with real timbre to best enhance the acoustics of the Auditorium of the Piaggio Museum. fonè has been offering for almost 40 years engravings made in the name of technological refinement and aimed at recovering the original musical atmospheres. Also for this recording I used a "field effect" recording technique... all this to make the listener relive the live effect in his own home hi-fi system as if it were present at the performance.

Great realism, great dynamics... an album not to be missed!

giulio cesare ricci