Tete Montoliu Trio

Untitled Tete Montoliu Trio Japan Import edition

Tete Montoliu (1933–1997) was a bebop-oriented pianist from Barcelona whose influences included Bud Powell, Al Haig, Lennie Tristano, Oscar Peterson, and Wynton Kelly, as well as Art Tatum and Bill Evans. By the late 1950s, he was gaining increasing recognition outside of Spain as well. In 1956, he recorded with Lionel Hampton, and in 1963, he went on tour with Roland Kirk. He also collaborated with Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Lucky Thompson, and Anthony Braxton, eventually becoming one of Europe’s most celebrated jazz pianists. “Catalonian Rhapsody” is a very special album that Tete recorded toward the end of his career. Originally released in 1992, the album captures Tete playing traditional Catalan melodies in a trio setting, accompanied by bassist Hein Van de Geyn and drummer Idris Muhammad.

“Catalonian Rhapsody” was recorded on March 8, 1992, at the Albert Moraleda Studio in Barcelona, Spain, and was produced, mixed, and mastered by legendary sound engineer Tetsuo Hara.

MUSICIANS

Tete Montoliu: piano Hein Van de Geyn: bass Idris Muhammad: drums

Venus Records was founded in Japan in 1992 by Tetsuo Hara, who had previously worked as a producer for RCA Victor. The renowned label uses a special mastering process called “Hyper Magnum Sound,” which produces a powerful, dynamic sound and is highly regarded by audiophiles worldwide. A quick note: Venus LPs are pressed only once. Once the run is sold out, the title is removed from the catalog and will not be reissued. Collectors should therefore not wait too long to place their orders: the releases from the “Venus Masterpiece Collection” are extremely popular! We recommend the use of "L'Art du Son" LP cleaner to wet wash your vinyl. Even new records of high quality production will benefit from this.