Gato Barbieri

If Que Pasa, Gato Barbieri's 1997 debut for Columbia Jazz and his return to recording following a ten-year absence was heralded as his triumphant comeback, then his highly-anticipated follow-up CHE CORAZON, can be considered his rebirth. For it is with CHE CORAZON, produced by Chuck Loeb, with Gato as executive producer, that the legendary saxophonist celebrates his recommitment to life.

"This record is like a biography," states Gato, who dedicated tunes on CHE CORAZON to his niece, his mother and his newborn son, Christian. "It feels a little nostalgic. It's about friends and family." His original composition (one of eight for this recording), "Sweet Glenda," written for his niece, is a driving cha-cha. On "1812", Barbieri shifts into a Brazilian mood with a swaying samba, while his robust tenor rides above the rhythm. Displaying his timeless and passionate sound, "Seven Servants", is a lush ballad with his distinctive tenor sound embellished by a string section orchestrated by Loeb. His rendition of "Auld Lang Syne", one of two non-original songs on the recording, promises to be an anthem leading up to and for the millennium; one that will co-exist with his trademark, "Europa." The other cover tune celebrates one of Gato's favorite singers, with Frank McComb stepping into Marvin Gaye's shoes for the classic, "I Want You".

Leandro "Gato" Barbieri was born in Rosario, Argentina. Barbieri's exposure to music began with his family. His father played violin, his older brother played trumpet and his uncle tenor sax. But while Argentina is best known for the sounds of the tango, it was jazz that captivated the aspiring musician. Gato was only 12 years-old when he first heard the records of jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. In 1945, the family moved to Buenos Aires, one of the most cosmopolitan cities of South America and by 1951, he made his debut playing in a jazz band led by Lalo Schifrin.

"During that time, Juan Peron was in power," says Barbieri of the Argentinean dictator. "We weren't allowed to play all jazz, we had to include some traditional music too. So we played tango and other things like carnavalito." In Buenos Aires, Gato gained invaluable experience as he played in small groups like those led by Schifrin, big bands, orchestras, and had the opportunity to perform with visiting musicians like the Cuban mambo king Perez Prado.

In 1962, Gato moved to Rome and it was there he met the late trumpeter Don Cherry, who was best known for his work with free jazz innovator Ornette Coleman. Cherry invited the saxophonist to join his band and they worked together for two years. "Playing with Don was very difficult," says Gato of the time he spent with one of the leaders of the free jazz movement. "He would change tunes very fast, so I learned to be fast. I also learned discipline." In Europe Gato also recorded with the American expatriate and saxophonist Steve Lacy and South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, then known as Dollar Brand.

Three years later Barbieri came to New York as a member of Cherry's band to record for the Blue Note label. Together they recorded two albums considered classics of free group improvisation, "Complete Communion" and "Symphony for Improvisers". The saxophonist also collaborated with bassist Charlie Haden and Carla Bley and the Jazz Composers Orchestra as well as playing with Stanley Clark, Airto Moreira, Chico Farrell, Lonnie Liston Smith and many others.

By the end of the decade his interest in free jazz began to wane and Gato began to seriously explore his Latin American roots. The result of this exploration led to his record debut as a leader in 1970, on the Flying Dutchman label entitled "The Third World". Barbieri combined his skills as an improviser and his passionate sound with a rhythm section made up of musicians playing indigenous instruments from all over Latin America. You can make the argument that Gato was producing world music long before the term became popular. Barbieri continued exploring Latin American themes and followed those sessions with "Fenix" and "El Pampero".

"A lot of people are not familar with those records," says the saxophonist, of his work from 1970-1973. But by 1973, thanks to the soundtrack of the movie"Last Tango in Paris," by the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, Barbieri began to enjoy an unprecedented wave of popularity, especially in Europe. Barbieri wrote and performed the score for "Last Tango in Paris," which won him a Grammy award that year for best instrumental composition.

Overall, Gato has done more than a dozen film scores for movies in Europe, South America and the United States. "The last score that I did was in 1996 for a film called 'Seven Servants'," says Barbieri. "It featured Anthony Quinn, but was only released in film festivals in Europe." The theme from "Seven Servants" is included on CHE CORAZON.

In the early 70's, Gato recorded a four-album series entitled Latin America Chapters 1-4 for ABC Impulse before signing with A&M in 1975. The five albums that started this new phase of his career, beginning with Caliente and ending with Euphoria, also introduced another stylistic change. While the Latin tinge was still present in his music, gone were the battery of Latin American percussion instruments and the folkloric themes. Once again Gato was ahead of his time as he began recording a smoother style of jazz, best represented by his trademark interpretation of Santana's tune "Europa" first recorded by Gato in 1976 and adopted by many radio stations as their theme song when the NAC/Smooth Jazz radio format debuted in 1987. Gato's classic retrospective live 1981 album at New York City's Avery Fisher Hall is now available on CD from Sony Special Projects.

With the success of Que Pasa, the fourth highest-selling Contemporary Jazz album of '97, according to Billboard magazine, Gato reinforced his status as one of the major forces of jazz. It reminded us how much his absence from recording was missed, due to the long illness and passing of his wife and manager, of over thirty years, Michelle and his subsequent by-pass surgery only six weeks later. Now with a new marriage and newborn son, he is living proof that it is never too late to start again.

CHE CORAZON displays the artistry and passion that has captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Gato fans worldwide for over thirty years. Whether it's his exploration into free form inprovisation, his fusion of jazz and Latin American music and now contemporary jazz, the main ingredient is that signature sound that let's you know it can't be anyone else except, Gato Barbieri. "It's the melody," says the saxophonist of his secret weapon. "The melody is the most important thing!"