A recent review of “Recompensa” in the latest edition of The Clarinet from June 2024. / Una linda reseña de “Recompensa” en la última edición de The Clarinet de junio de 2024. A seguir! 😊
Recompensa. Variego3: Jorge Variego, clarinets; Jack Roben, electric guitar; Rob Linton, double bass. J. Variego: Tango Blues; And the Trees; Recompensa; Susurro de Paris; Tema de Manuel; Reencuentro; Malambo; What is Home. Centaur Records, CRC 4074. Total Time: 44:33.
This album features the jazz trio Variego3 performing works written exclusively by clarinetist Jorge Variego. Variego was born in Rosario, Argentina. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and is currently on the music theory/composition faculty at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, and the Sewannee Music Festival. Guitarist Jack Roben is based in Oakland, California, and previously served as lecturer of jazz guitar at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. Double bassist Rob Linton is adjunct professor of music at the University of North Carolina–Charlotte, and performs professionally in Knoxville.
The first track on the disc, Tango Blues, is a pleasant, tuneful work featuring Variego primarily as soloist on BÌ clarinet. This piece seems to be an homage to Gershwin, particularly It Ain’t Necessarily So. The writing includes quite a bit of unison playing in the ensemble, exemplifying their excellent intonation and rhythmic precision. Here, clarinetist Variego aptly demonstrates his ability with multiphonics and jazz-riff playing.
The next work, And the Trees, is a mournful soliloquy performed beautifully on bass clarinet by Variego. He incorporates a “smokiness” to his sound, giving this piece a very seductive and mysterious quality. The color of this instrument combination is especially alluring and effective.
Recompensa, the album’s namesake, again features Variego playing bass clarinet. While the intonation and improvisation expertise exhibited in this performance are notable, the tessitura in which the bass clarinet frequently plays leaves the listener wishing it was written in a lower octave. The accompanying instrument writing, however, is brilliant and expertly played.
Susurro de Paris brings us to a smoky Parisian café with Variego’s smooth, melodic stylings on bass clarinet. Linton also provides a lyrical double bass solo and Roben adds elegant glissando-type gestures to this curious but delightful work which is a play on parallel tritones.
Tema de Manuel is a habanera of sorts with its characteristic bass line. Here, on clarinet, Variego demonstrates again his exquisite intonation and a natural, understated flair for improvisation. Also notable in this work is Variego’s seamlessly legato glissando work.
Reencuentro opens with a very soulful and colorful electric guitar solo by Roben which segues into a dialogue with Variego on bass clarinet. Again, unison accuracy of intonation is on full display in this performance. From an audio recording standpoint, perhaps more could have been done to clarify the texture within the ensemble. The guitar effects at certain moments are effective but a bit too prominent in the sound mix.
In Malambo, we truly hear Variego’s wailing jazz style and his prowess with improvisation. His growls on bass clarinet, used sparingly on this disc, were completely effective when employed. Here, also, Roben lets loose a bit with a very dynamic and expressive improvised solo. This work is the highlight of the disc.
What is Home, the final work on this disc, is a somewhat melancholic statement that may be a longing for one’s past. There’s an earthiness to this music with its minimalist elements and lack of exuberance compared to works that precede it.
The timing of this disc is 44 minutes, a bit shorter than standard album length. Nonetheless, Recompensa is a refreshing contribution to the clarinet recording canon with its uniqueness of genre and composer/performer conception.
– Kenneth Long