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"Smart, engaging tunes brought to stylish life by some of Edmonton's brightest, most in-the-pocket players." |
Katie Malloch
Host of Jazz Beat,
CBC RADIO MONTREAL |
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"Sandro Dominelli - one of Canada's most creative, talented and tasteful drummers." |
Bill Coull
Host Of Coull Jazz,
CKUA RADIO |
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VARZÉ FEATURE ARTICLE
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Juno Nomination
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Feb 11, 2004 |
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"Cafe Varze Jazz" has been nominated for a 2004 Juno in the "Traditional Jazz" category. The juno's are being held here in Edmonton this year so the boys won't have far to go to attend the awards ceremonies to be held on Saturday, April 3rd at the Shaw Conference Center. Everyone is excited about the news and we are all keeping our fingers crossed. Wish us luck. |
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VARZE NEWS
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Western Canadian Music Awards
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Aug 19, 2003 |
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ARIA NEWS LETTER- For imediate release.
"Cafe Varze Jazz,"nominated for outstanding Jazz album of the year. "The Sandro Dominelli Sextet," has been invited to showcase at the Western Canadian Music Awards being held in Regina Sask. from Sept. 25th through to the 28th. The band will perform on Thursday night, Sept 25th. The winners will be announced at the awards celebration on Sunday, Sept. 28th. |
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THE SANDRO DOMINELLI QUINTET, CD REVIEW
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May 22, 2003 |
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By Tara Zurowski
From SEE Magazine
Cafe Varze Jazz
(Varze Records)
An EXPLOSIVE SHOTS-OUT-OF-THE-GATE Album by Edmonton's Sandro Dominelli-who's never suffered from a shortage of great musicial moments. He has the gift of putting together daringly jazzy music. Dominelli, along with the other masters of his quintet have creatively represented the well-crafted melodies of jazz virtuoso Donald Anthony Varze. Influences like Pat Metheeney, Jim Hall, Bill Frisell and Mick Goodrick, really show through as these musicians fuse together with a rhythmic flexibility that will have you wishing you could see them perform live. The saxo-phone and horn licks are tight, with piano solos that are cleverly up one side, down the other. Track after track, the members of the quintet confidently push one another to more expressive heights, creating a free flowing composition that stretches the boundaries of what great jazz really is. |
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DEEP WELL OF INSPIRATION
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March 27, 2003 |
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Don Varze dips his pen into a deep well of inspiration for new disc.
By Roger Levesque, JAZZ & ROOTS, Edmonton Journal.
One continuing frustration is that so few of the fine jazz talents in this city ever seem to show up on record.
OK, I know it's not easy to finance a quality album. Congratulations are due then to composer Don Varze (that's VAR-zay) and drummer Sandro Dominelli, who have just finished a unique collaboration that crosses generations.
You can catch Dominelli leading a quintet tonight at the Sidetrack Cafe to mark the release of a 71-minute CD dubbed Cafe Varze Jazz: The Sandro Dominelli Quintet Plays the Music of Donald Anthony Varze.
Varze, 56, is a fan of jazz and classical music who took up guitar in his teens. He spent a few years playing in cover bands before enrolling in music studies, eventually setting aside performance to focus on composition. He works days for the City of Edmonton, but for years he nursed the idea of recording his own tunes. About two years ago, he got Dominelli's quintet into Homestead Recorders to do a three-track demo and from there he raised the money to make a full-length album last fall.
Dominelli, 34, is the first call drummer for many in Edmonton, given his experience behind the likes of Joe Lavano, Kenny Werner, Tommy Banks and others. He was already looking at recording options when Varze approached him, and together they put together a band of expert talents with Kent Sangster and Bob Tildesley on horns, bassist Mike Lent, percussionist Tilo Paiz, and two great pianists sharing different tracks, Chris Andrew and Toronto's Dave Restivo. "At first I wondered if I could do justice to the idea," says Dominelli. "But the players really brought life to it and it was a great experience."
The familiarity of the musicians must have made a difference because Cafe Varze Jazz turns out to be a terrific disc. The band's relaxed intensity allows solos and transitions to develope naturally, which reflects well on the composer. Over 11 tracks, Varze's inspired, eclectic pen came up with blues and bop, song forms and a handful of Latin numbers that dip into bossa nova, salsa, samba and calypso rhythms.
"I feel a real instinct for latin rhythms and I'm happy with the compositions, but no matter how good the tunes are, good musicianship is at least 85 per cent of making a good album," Varze explains.
Varze got the right band. The disc also marks the start of a new independent label for Varze and his brother Ron. They hope to put out other projects on Varze Records and are considering an album with Tilo Paiz. Dominelli's debut disc will be available via Spirit River Distribution. He's also looking at tour possibilities. |
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