I Love You So Much It Hurts 

 

Cellist Ernst Reijseger speaks such kind words about pianist Franco D’Andrea, that you want to play the album immediately, expecting something equally kind and uplifting coming out of the speakers.

 

I Love You So Much It Hurts was recorded after a series of live performances. The duo’s musical understanding was established right from their first encounters.

 

Before they got together in 2002 to record this duo album, Franco D’Andrea and Ernst Reijseger met in a recording studio in 1989 for the album Similado-Capriccio a Milano by Similado Orchestra, and toured in 1996 with a quartet of Ettore Fioravanti, making the album Belcanto.

 

The music is a fresh contribution to the age-old relationship between cello and piano. Reijseger and D’Andrea share the responsibility for solos and musical texture.

 

The starting piece Two Colors is a good example of their musical connection. D’Andrea’s light and fluid virtuosity floats, while Reijseger finds matching accompaniment.

 

The two Italian songs “Ma L’Amore No” and “Amore Baciami” were once introduced to Reijseger by drummer Ettore Fioravanti. Reijseger proposed to record them. He felt that, had these songs been in English, they would have become evergreens turned into a jazz standard, and played by all the jazz musicians.

 

This album contains two solo tracks. D’Andrea shows his love for Duke Ellington’s repertoire by playing In a Sentimental Mood. Reijseger shows his respect for Thelonius Monk, by playing Reflections as a solo piece, inspired by Steve Lacy.

 

Night and Day gets an unusual reading. The melody is barely touched, as if it’s a memory.

The other Cole Porter song, You Do Something to Me is a game: the musicians follow the melody, but loop parts of it and play with the notes of the loop. The song starts with slow overlapping notes and develops. Certain fragments speed up into minimal phrases, ending with a traditional tail.

 

Afro Abstraction is a fun piece in 6/8 by Franco D’Andrea.

Hi There was one the ‘anthem’s’ of the South-African saxophonist Sean Bergin, as a way of introducing himself and the band to an audience.

Complex Eight is a beautiful Misha Mengelberg piece with a traditional jazz sound, played in circles, without a clearly indicated ending, leaving that up to the musicians.

 

There is irony to the title song of this album. The recording of the piece I Love You So Much It Hurts started with an improvisation preceding the melody. The whole idea behind it, was for the melody to emerge out of a free improvisation (with credits for that idea to Earl Howard and Gerry Hemingway). The then producer thought it would be not suitable to put the improvisation on the album, so he decided to edit it out. Ernst and Franco only found out about that after the album was officially released. This hurtful decision left the song with just a melody, but still, a beautiful one…

 

All-round composer, pianist and improvisor Franco D’Andrea (Merano, 1941) belongs to the heritage of modern Italian jazz and was the preferred pianist of many soloists passing through.

He was part of the Modern Art Trio, Perigeo and led orchestra Eleven. He plays with three trio’s: Franco D’Andrea Traditions Today, Franco D’Andrea Electric Tree and Franco D’Andrea Piano Trio. He has been teaching since 1978 and has a vast amount of awards to his name.

During his career he has played with musicians like Pepper Adams, Barry Altschul, Gato Barbieri, Don Byas, Jon Christensen, Palle Danielsson, Joe Farrell, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, Mark Helias, Daniel Humair, Jimmy Knepper, Lee Konitz, Steve Lacy, Dave Liebman, Albert Mangelsdorff, Hank Mobley, Jean Luc Ponty, Enrico Rava, Frank Rosolino, Max Roach, Aldo Romano, Martial Solal, John Surman, Toots Thielemans, Charles Tolliver, Miroslav Vitous, Kenny Wheeler, Fodé Youla (Africa Djolé), Dave Douglas, Han Bennink and many others.

 

Dutch cellist, composer & improvisor Ernst Reijseger (Naarden, 1954) developed a personal vocabulary on the cello. He played with musicians from the international improvised music, Caribbean, African and jazz scene, all part of Amsterdam in the 1970’s and 80’s and the Dutch free-jazz, with ICP Orchestra, trio Clusone (with Han Bennink and Michael Moore) and trio Graewe Reijseger Hemingway. He played in the Arcado String Trio and duo with Louis Sclavis, Alan ‘Gunga’ Purves and Sean Bergin. He gives solo concerts. Reijseger’s first internationally distributed solo album is called Colla Parte (1997).

He is creative partner of theatre – and of filmmakers, poets, dancers, etc.

Over the last fifteen years, Reijseger scored ten films for Werner Herzog.

His current collaborations are with pianist Harmen Fraanje, singer Mola Sylla (trio Reijseger Fraanje Sylla), Sardinian voices Tenore e Cuncordu de Orosei, Erik Bosgraaf, Giovanni Sollima, Mario Forte, Alan ‘Gunga’ Purves.