Heliconia by Jack DeSalvo

When Jack DeSalvo had an opportunity to reinvestigate the standards repertoire, he called upon two associates with whom he had performed with as the trio D3. This unit has become legendary for their instantaneous compositions. DeSalvo felt that the nearly telepathic communication that he shared with Tony DeCicco and Bruce Ditmas would bring a deeper reflection on repertoire that they learned in their formative periods.

What they play here not only reflects the standard repertoire but also classics composed by some of the veritable architects of improvised music from the middle of the last century. It is seen from the parallax view of improvisors who aim for the multidimensionality of the musical moment whether they are traversing pre-composed material or not.

Drummer Bruce Ditmas suggested Charlie Chaplin’s Smile before a performance, with its juxtaposition of sincerity and irony that is as appropriate in the midst of current global financial meltdown as it was in the period of the Great Depression for which it was written.

Heliconia Rostrata is a Forest Flower, by the way.

UR producer/engineer and Beanstudio owner/operator Jim DeSalvo put together and recorded this session and is responsible for its remarkable sound.

JACK DeSALVO developed his extraordinary guitar style from a deep immersion into jazz, classical guitar and his own prolific compositional output. He has studied with Bill Connors, Leonid Bolotine, Ariada Mikéshina, George Russell and at Berklee. He is a professional musician, composer, recording artist and record producer for Unseen Rain Records. He has toured the world with many jazz greats.

jackdesalvo.com