ODG047 : Daniele Morelli / Mision Azul

ODG047 : Daniele Morelli / Mision Azul

Mision Azul is a jazz album inspired by and dedicated to Mexico.

The mood, the arrangements and the color of the tunes are based on the emotions and reflexions coming from a big town like Mexico city to the lost jungle in the south and the indigenous communities in Chiapas.

Blue is the connecting color of the tracks as it was the sacred color of the Mayas. 

Composed and arranged by Italian guitarist Daniele Morelli who is spending most of his time living and playing all over Mexico, Mision Azul was recorded with a band of musicians from Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Chile. 

An interesting mix of European and South-American Jazz cultures giving birth to a very emotional album of traditionally and contemporary jazz music.

Enjoy!

Daniele Morelli-Pic by Pablo Barreiro

Daniele Morelli was born in Tuscany and began to study piano at the age of 7 and guitar at the age of 11.

He used to listen and play a lot of blues from a very early age although improvisation was always a way to approach any style of music when playing with different projects.

One of his first band was Milvus, a progressive rock band which was touring in Italy and Hollande.

Subsequently, he moved to France to study in the Conservatoire de Lyon, then to Brussel where jazz was an everyday appointment. 

He played with his own quartet and others projects between France, Belgium, Hollande and Italy for a while before moving in Mexico City where he is based now.

A nice review in UK Vibe here:

"Italian guitarist Daniele Morelli provides a breath of fresh air on “Misión Azul”; a gentle mix of Western European and South American jazz flavours. Composed and arranged by Morelli, the guitarist recorded this album along with a band of musicians from Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Chile. The combination of these cultures gives rise to a lovely sounding album, where subtlety and grace win the day. Born in Tuscany, Morelli is a well-travelled musician who clearly brings out some fine moments, musically speaking, from the places he has visited. Initially Morelli focussed on the blues, his jazz chops following later. He participated in the Atmaniam orchestra, playing world music, especially that of Africa, India and Turkey, before later joining several projects playing blues and gypsy music. Moving to France, he entered the Conservatory National de Lyon, studying jazz guitar. He currently lives between Amsterdam, Brussels and Mexico, performing with various jazz groups. There’s a cool, laid-back feel to his playing that suggests a willingness to take on board the many influences from his journeying and learning.

“Misión Azul” is inspired by, and dedicated to Mexico. The title track sums up the mood well, where a subtle and clean guitar is soon met with South American percussion, before the tune develops nicely with the melody provided by a light and airy tenor saxophone. Throughout the album the guitar and sax take turns to create melody with a lyrical puissance, often interchanging, yet happily never vying for attention. “Chiapas e Nuvole (1)” enjoys a joyous sense of hospitality; imagine taking a seat in a street cafe on a warm sunny day, with a cool drink and the subtle colours and textures of a jazz quartet drifting in on a gentle breeze… Morelli has a knack of letting the music gradually gain your attention in a sweet way, never abrasive of asking for attention, just…there. Technically and emotionally at home with the music he writes and performs, “Regreso Lacando” beggins with a short guitar intro, with the tune developing into the kind of sound one would imagine hearing as the distant sun goes down, disappearing behind the mountains. If I had to pick a favourite track from this album, it would be “Popocatepetl”. There’s such a cool vibe to this tune, partly created by the groove of the bass and drums, with the percussion swimming nicely in and out of the river of musicality. But it is the sax, and especially Morelli’s wonderful guitar that sing out on this tune. Think late night jazz club in a Mexican setting, where most of the crowd have dispersed, and the indigenous people sit around drinking and chatting, enjoying the luscious sounds drifting in the air.

There are a few changes of pace along the way, with some welcome piano on the odd tune mixing things up a bit, but overall it’s a fairly easy listening album, not that there’s anything wrong in that at all. The only challenge here is finding a sunny spot to sit and listen, undisturbed, where I can enjoy the music whilst watching the world go by."

Mike Gates

Digital release on the 29th of January 2016.

Track listing:

1 - Pez de madera  5.46

2 - Mision azul 8.17

3 - Ya!! 6.27

4 - Chiapas e nuvole 7.35     

5 - Regreso Lacandon 9.42

6 - El vuelo del quetzal 3.48

7 - Popocatepetl 8.20

8 - Chiapas e nuvole (alternative take) 7.57

9 - Falta de agua 7.48

total: 63.40

musicians: track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 recorded in Mexico City in La Casa del Arbol by Juan Pablo Aispuro

Arturo Baez - double bass  (Mexico)

Fernando Barrios - drums  (El Salvador)

Jahaziel Arrocha - tenor sax (Panama)

Daniele Morelli - guitar (Italia)

Luis Miguel Costero - tablas on track 2 and 7 (Mexico)

musicians on track 8 ad 9 recorded in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico in 

CultivarteStudio by Javier Velasco Gaona

Romeo Ramos - bass (Mexico)

Abraham Calderon - drums (Mexico)

Roberto Blanco - piano (Mexico)

Cristian Mendoza - soprano sax (Chile)

Daniele Morelli - guitar 

Mastering at Magnetic Bull Studio by Lino Sestini

And in Bandcamp: