Jean-Pierre Como & Javier Girotto – Parfum d’Azur

Jean-Pierre Como had already called on the services of Rome-based Argentine saxophonist Javier Girotto a dozen years ago for his album “Boléro”.

This time, he teams up with Girotto, who prefers the soprano saxophone to the baritone, in a duo. This means that the melody is brought to the fore in compositions that are mainly written by the pianist.

The music is therefore very structured, with lyricism dominating over improvisation. Most of the themes are in slow or medium tempos and are a kind of song in which the saxophone expresses itself like a voice with expressive accents and ample breathing.

The piano, for its part, takes on an accompanying role with subtle chords and delicious arpeggios and a solid rhythmic foundation. And on numerous occasions it distills, with a majestic touch, a melody parallel to that of the saxophone.

This is a meditative and cantabile album whose charm gradually unfolds to impose an original aesthetic based on the complementarity of two musicians brought together by a shared vision of beauty. Como confirms (if need be) his talents as a pianist and composer and offers Girotto—less well known than him in France—a magnificent opportunity to reveal his remarkable personality.