And while there is plenty of singing - Washington bringing a surprising degree of hipness and style to the melodramatic O’Sullivan tune is a highlight-according to Pignataro, “I want to return to the old tradition of ‘singing’ beautiful melodies through the horn, as master story tellers such as Lester Young and Stan Getz did.” Rich in love songs, the album is both modern and romantic. The recording itself is from a virtual live concert held at WGBH’s Fraser Studio in July 2021, an event sponsored by JazzBoston. King’s “Stand By Me”, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again Naturally,” and the Beatles’ “Because.” The rest are originals by Pignataro and Werner, the “lyrics” of which are poems by Pignataro spoken by Washington, whose voice is as expressive speaking as it is singing. The CD’s 12 tracks include covers of a diverse selection of pop songs from the 19s: Stevie Wonder’s “Send One Your Love,” Ben E. Werner and Gates also provide backing vocals, while Pignataro’s arsenal includes soprano, alto, and tenor saxes. For Awakening, his just-released second recording for Zoho Music, he has assembled a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, multi-gender group of Berklee colleagues: venerable pianist Kenny Werner, singer-guitarist Nadia Washington, and bassist Devon Gates. Saxophonist Marco Pignataro has served as managing director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at Berklee College of Music in Boston since 2009.
Rich in love songs, Marco Pignataro’s Awakening is both modern and romantic. Each month, our arts critics - music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts - fire off a few brief reviews.