Description
Reissue of Italian saxophonist Larry Nocella's 1980 album Everything Happens To Me, which is appearing on CD for the first time and has been remastered from the original tapes.
Larry Nocella (1949 - 1989) who tragically died at the early age of just 40 might not be a familiar name among UK jazz fans, but in Italy he is considered a legendary saxophonist on par with Massimo Urbani, another saxophonist who died young. Nocella started playing at an early age in clubs around Italy and loved and held in high esteem by many of the most renowned Italian jazz players. In fact, a book on his life published after his death contained testimonies and personal memories from around 100 musicians and industry professionals. The portrait that emerged from its pages was one of a self-destructive character, but one that also had extraordinary musical genius.
The session for Everything Happens To Me was organised in Bologna by Alberto Alberti, co-founder of Red Records, who took advantage of securing the services of three American musicians who at that time were touring Italy - pianist Bob Neloms, bassist Cameron Browm, and drummer Dannie Richmond.
"What struck me about Nocella was his, so to speak, "terribleness"; he seemed terrible to me for a combination of things that also made him, in a certain sense, threatening: his large stature, his hair and beard that seemed unkempt, his penetrating and not necessarily friendly gaze. However, the moment he started playing his saxophone, all that seemed to disappear. The sound of his tenor was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard, and his pronunciation and sense of jazz were very convincing." - Claudio Fasoli
Larry Nocella: tenor saxophone
Bob Nelms: piano
Cameron Brown: bass
Dannie Richmond: drums
Recorded November 1980 at "Music Centre", Bologna, Italy