With the release of his alternately melancholy/reflective and celebratory, life-embracing fourth album It’s Hard to Say Goodbye, multi-talented Italian musician and sometimes vocalist Enrico Granafei truly accepts the passing of the torch of harmonica greatness from his longtime teacher and mentor, the late great Toots Thielemans.
There’s a fantastic backstory to how the two came to meet that finds Granafei, originally trained as a classical guitarist before discovering his love for the harmonica, enrolling at the Manhattan School of Music – only to find there were no teachers on his chosen instrument. It took some persuading, but the ever-busy, always touring Thielemans agreed to become his instructor, in essence ensuring that the fine and fascinating art of jazz harmonica would always be, quite literally, in good hands.
Though Granafei saves his trio of Toots-composed classics for the end of the collection, the spry and playful “Bluesette,” sensually soulful “To My Lady” and haunting, reflective title track form the emotional core. Adding to the poignancy of the Toots tribute is the fact that these three absolute gems feature the late pianist Mike Longo, to whom Granafei also dedicates the album to. And though flugelhornist Claudio Rodhito is also no longer with us, “Claudinho,” Granafei’s whimsical opening track featuring his sparkling horn solo, is the perfect way to celebrate his ample gifts.
Other ways Granafei turns what could be simply a memorial album into a festive affair include the snazzy moody-bluesy romp “PIA” (an acronym for “parasailing in Aruba”) featuring a sparkling Rhodes solo by Amina Figarova), the dashing bossa “L’Ultima cialda,” the hard grooving samba jam “What Goes Around Comes Around” and the intimately charming “Calabrossa,” which features Granafei’s lovely voice singing in his native Italian dialect.
The harmonica great invites us further into his world with the autobiographical “Amico,” a passionate expression showcasing more emphatic vocals, sung in standard Italian. Toots is the foundation of this great album which travels in so many different directions, and its safe to say he would be quite proud of his protégé.
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