Ramo Jazz Violin

Michele Ramo is not only a virtuoso guitarist but also an equally accomplished violinist. Classically trained in his native Italy, where he played in symphony orchestras, he is now making his mark in New York as one of the great fiddlers in jazz. He demonstrates his talents as a soloist and composer on Full Moon Above New York City (Ramo 2002-2), accompanied on all but one track by Tommy Jones on piano, David Dunaway on bass, and Jimmy Madison on drums. Although the recital includes two Latin swingers, the focus here is on heart-on-your sleeve ballads. This could be dangerous but Ramo's sentimental lush violin walks the fine line between passion and bathos, and the swing is never far away. The proceedings are capped off with a romantic guitar number ("Terra e sole") recorded at the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival in 1994 in the company of bayan master Peter Soave, bassist Kurt Krahnke, pianist Ian Smith, drummer Miguel Gutierrez and percussionist Jamie Rusling.