Mat Maneri: Trinity

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: April 1, 2001

Modernist and improvising raconteur, violinist Mat Maneri opts for the solo route on this newly released effort, titled Trinity. No doubt, you’d better be good in order to sustain continual interest during a sixty-minute solo performance. Hence, such is the case here as the violinist takes on compositions by frequent collaborator, guitarist Joe Morris, Eric Dolphy and an engaging piece written by Mat’s legendary father, saxophonist/educator and conqueror of microtonal jazz-based excursions Joe Maneri.

Mat Maneri performs solely on violin and viola throughout these ten works, largely consisting of reformulated melodies, intrinsic explorations, frequent nods to austere classicism, traces of Appalachian folk and diametrically opposed statements. However, on pieces such as Coltrane’s “Sun Ship”, the artist executes climactic choruses yet renders themes and passages as though he was conversing among two distinct psyche’s. Maneri mesmerizes with multifunctional patterns, featuring implied meter in the lower registers amid extrapolations and probing lines within the mid to upper ranges of his violin or viola. - The violinist toggles between counterbalancing motifs, unremitting sentiment, split tones and sweet tempered lyricism in altogether impressive and persuasive fashion. Essentially, Mat Maneri is a young master who possesses an articulate voice. And besides his often enticing futuristic convictions, he is a multitasking machine who is fully capable of rising to almost any occasion. Recommended!

ECM Records Mat Maneri; violin, viola

Track Listing: Pure Mode, Almost Pretty, Trinity, Sun Ship, Blue Deco, Veiled, Iron Man, Lattice, November 1st, Lady Day

Personnel: Mat Maneri; violin, viola

Record Label: ECM Records
Style: Modern Jazz