ALEX CIAVARELLI: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson on Guitar

San Diego jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli will tell you in a New York minute that the late Joe Pass is his single greatest influence. And that may well be true, but whatever influence Pass has on Ciavarelli isn’t betrayed in slavish impersonation. Ciavarelli is very much his own guitarist, as demonstrated on his new CD, A Tribute to Oscar Peterson on Guitar.

Where Pass was known for his less-is-more approach (making him the near-perfect foil to his friend and frequent collaborator Count Basie), and primarily played in a linear narrative style, Ciavarelli displays a more varied technique, mixing blocked chords and strumming with linear picking.

Not that Pass couldn’t or didn’t also incorporate these elements into his playing—he just did so far less frequently than Ciavarelli.

As one might guess from the album’s title, most of the songs are associated with the great jazz pianist. Half were written by Peterson, others a featured part of his repertoire.

Ciavarelli opens with a regal interpretation of Steve Allen’s best-known composition, “This Could Be the Start of Something Big.” He begins with the sort of busy run that practically defined Peterson’s own playing before laying out the main theme in a gorgeous, straight-ahead reading. He then repeats the main theme in two-note harmony. About two-thirds of the way through, he begins a call and response to himself—laying out a few bars on single-note runs before providing a response in chords.

“Hymn to Freedom” is Peterson’s best-known composition and the de facto theme of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Ciavarelli’s interpretation retains the elegiac dignity and haunting spirituality of the original, opening with a strummed framing of the melody. His improvisation in the middle builds on the theme without ever losing the thread, while bassist Jason Littlefield and drummer Chris Cancelliere quietly set a foundation for his forays.

Benny Goodman’s “Love Ballade” was one of Peterson’s favorite introspective pieces, and here, Ciavarelli captures that same approach of a quiet yet powerful performance.

The album closes out with “Blues for Oscar,” a piece written by Ciavarelli to honor Peterson. It’s a fun, playful tune in which Ciavarelli plays the opening measures at near-breakneck speed (something Peterson was also known for—playing fast and busy almost to the point of showing off). Littlefield takes a nice solo, but Ciavarelli and he begin chasing each other for a few measures to bring the song home.

The album as a whole is a nice introduction to a recent addition to San Diego’s jazz scene. It is also a nominee for Best Jazz Album at the San Diego Music Awards, happening April 29 at Humphrey’s by the Bay. Click here to vote! https://dosd.com/p/sandiegomusicawards