Mat Maneri baritone violin; Ed Schuller bass; Randy Peterson drums.
The brightest star on the new music scene, Mat Maneri recorded his trio in 1997.
Apart from six original compositions on the CD (Mat Maneri's own), the trio recorded two versions of Ornette's Tone Dialling.
All the sorrows, no matter what number, became the building blocks of something much sweeter. (Mat Maneri - extracted from his liner notes)
Total duration: 52'39
My father likes to tell a story of when I was eleven years old performing my
first full length recital in which afterwards I informed him that I had no
idea how many fingers knew where to go. I started my career as a
professional "jazz" musician at the age of fifteen and, unfortunately, my
fingers knew exactly where to go due to a sheer lack of understanding of my
own and other musical languages. Nevertheless, from that moment until now,
I've known what I've wanted to do. Doing just that has resulted in the
extremes of total frustration and euphoria, but in both situations the same
musical parameters exist. The funny thing about being in the state of
frustration is, when it seems I no longer have the freedom of choice, the
music becomes its own life (for better or worse), thus dictating the
direction of notes, rhythms and dynamics. As far as knowing how one's
fingers can provide such answers, I've given up.
The title track of this recording is a contrapuntal ballad I composed based
on the poem Fifty-one Sorrows written by my wife Christine Coppola Maneri.
Randy, Ed and I struggled at great length when recording this tune. We
ended up having to take a break to talk about the piece. Over a few drinks
and dinner we discussed higher mathematics, the subtlety of forward and
reversed motion in time, and the extreme sorrow within joy. This discussion
may have been pure folly, but for me it allowed for a deeper tapping in of
an emotional, yet methodical composition. All the sorrows, no matter what
number, became the building blocks of something much sweeter.
I particularly enjoy working with this trio format. Ed Schuller needs no
introduction fo course, but I must say that he is one of the most gifted
bassists I know. His understanding of so many music genres is astounding,
but most important is his ability to firmly (sometimes stubbornly) stand his
ground, no matter what you throw at him, making him a creator to reckon
with. Randy Peterson (also unique and completely stubborn) has created a
music that is rich in drum history, but holds the future of jazz. His
immeasurable talent and seriousness is almost unfound in today's improvising
world. Our longtime collaboration and friendship (through all the sorrows
and joys) make me feel that I could play forever. That is my joy within
sorrow.
Mat Maneri
