Paolo Fresu Fresu, Galliano, Lundgren: Mare Nostrum Iii

The old saying that 'all good things come in threes' might be a cliché with no particular logic to it, but as a way to describe the virtues of Mare Nostrum, it's right on the money. Twelve years ago, Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, French accordionist Richard Galliano and Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren, all from the upper echelons of European jazz, formed their trio. Each has his roots in the musical tradition of his home country, and each has used it to develop his own musical language. These are musicians who bring their individuality and inspiration to a multitude of projects in modern jazz, and so transcend borders and connect genres. All three men have poetry in their playing. Their love of melody binds them together, and does so more than ever in this new third album. In fact, "Mare Nostrum III" completes a trilogy of albums. Right from the beginning of their decade-long collaboration, the group has had the idea of recording an album in each of their home countries. They made the first in Italy in 2007, and it took these busy musicians until 2016 to go to France and to record the sec ond. Their third destination was Sweden and the Nilento Studio in Gothenburg. "Once again," says Rene Hess, the Swiss producer of this album, "it was a pure pleasure to see the sheer ease with which Paolo, Richard and Jan can create such great music."