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💿 ALBUM REVIEW: Todd DelGiudice - Mas Alto
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Todd DelGiudice is a heavy-hitting woodwind player who can glide between a smoky jazz club and a classical symphony hall without breaking a sweat. Originally a standout player in the legendary South Florida jazz scene, he’s shared the stage with absolute icons—think Ray Charles, Red Rodney, and Maria Schneider—and even clocked time with the world-famous Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. When he’s not busy blowing minds on stage or shaping the next generation of players as a jazz professor at the University of North Florida, he’s pushing the boundaries of his own music.
With his latest release, Más Alto, he takes the ultimate musical tightrope walk by diving into a chordless saxophone trio format. The album's title plays a clever double game—Spanish for "higher," or "more alto." It's a bold move that shifts the spotlight away from the usual tenor-heavy trio sound to let the alto sax really stretch its legs and talk. Backed by a killer rhythm section, DelGiudice channels a cool, conversational vibe that tips its hat to the old-school masters while sounding completely fresh, loose, and alive.
Todd DelGiudice’s latest release, Más Alto, strips away the traditional safety net of a piano or guitar to dive straight into the raw, conversational freedom of the chordless saxophone trio format. By removing chordal accompaniment, the recording forces a sharp focus on pure melodic design and rhythmic interplay, transforming the music into an elastic dialogue between DelGiudice’s alto sax, bassist Jon Hamar, and alternating drummers Jim White and Obed Calvaire. The album kicks off with Lenny Tristano's, Ablution, where DelGiudice begins entirely exposed before the rhythm section slides into place. Jon Hamar lays down a driving bass line and Jim White holds down the drum throne on this opener, setting up a crisp, post-bop swing that frames the leader’s quick, winding improvisations. Hold on to your hat! The group pivots to a more fluid, elastic pulse on Falling Grace, an interpretation of Steve Swallow’s modern standard. White’s delicate brushwork opens up deep structural pockets, allowing Hamar’s grounding basslines to outline the harmony while DelGiudice stretches the melody with a loose, melodic phrasing. A strong bass solo by Hamar really balances the track nicely.
Jimmy Van Heusen's Darn That Dream really suits DelGiuduce's disposition and his phrasing is spot on. With Hamar playing counter to DelGiudice and the addition of Obed Calvaire on drums, this familiar standard is restructured, relying entirely on DelGiudice’s smoky tone beautiful runs and feel to convey a darker, more vulnerable mood. Very nice. On original title track, Mas Alto, DelGiudice has the lead from the first note, stringing melodic phrases together in an intellectual way with inventive enthusiasm cemented solidly by Hamar and Calvaire. Challenging yet cool. Stratigraphy wraps the release with it's quick driving rhythm and jagged melody, an intense bass line by Hamar and perfect accent work by White on drums. Tight!
The set feels like a spontaneous, late-night workshop where the traditional safety net is discarded in favor of raw, instinctual communication. The music breathes completely out in the open, drifting seamlessly between vulnerable, isolated late-night thoughts and high-energy, rapid-fire arguments that keep everyone on edge. By relying entirely on the naked relationship between the horn, a woody bass, and shifting drum textures, the performance strips away all pretense to deliver a moody, intellectual, and completely uninhibited sonic journey.
Bman's Verdict
Ultimately, Más Alto stands as a captivating testament to pure chemistry, proving that removing chordal constraints can unlock an entirely new level of artistic freedom and collaborative intuition.
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