JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
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Solo Piano is actually a two-fer composed of two releases recorded by Tete Montoliu in 1977, Yellow Dolphin Street, and Catalonian Folksongs, reissued on the Timeless Records label.
Any solo piano material from Tete Montiliu from this period is worthwhile, but Catalonian Folksongs is the classic of the two recordings. Most of the tunes were written by Juan Manuel Serrat, one of the most prominent modern Catalonian composers.
Tete Montoliu renders the beloved melodies of Juan Manuel Serrat respectfully and tenderly before launching into torrid bebop explorations of the themes.
For those of you who don’t know (he is a relatively obscure musican), Tete Montoliu is a straight up bebop pianist. Several things make him special. In a bebop context, he’s endlessly creative. He reharmonizes standards on the fly in interesting ways. He spins out melodies as effortlessly as if he’s carrying on a conversation with a friend at an outdoor cafe. He’s a fearless improvisor, flying by the seat of his pants, constantly painting himself into and out of corners. And his tone is unique, bright and irrepressibly cheerful. If you ever want to lift your mood, put on a Tete Montiliu solo record.
Catalonian Folksongs is one of Tete’s absolute best, mostly because of the tunes by Juan Manuel Serrat are so achingly beautiful.
I don’t know what more to say except that if you haven’t heard Tete Montiliu before, and you have any appreciation for bebop piano greats like Bud Powell, you owe it to yourself to pick up Solo Piano. If you have heard Tete Montoliu play solo piano before, you won’t need any prodding.
