USA: Dino Massa Kansas City Quintet-Echoes of Europe (2016)

Echoes Of Europe / ARC-2680 is an international musical collaboration produced by the Dino Massa Kansas City Quintet that was recorded on the ARC label in Kansas City. The project was initiated by two long time musical friends, Italian jazz pianist, Dino Massa; and, USA jazz saxophonist, Christopher Burnett. On Echoes of Europe you ll hear the strong and intuitive rapport that Massa and Burnett discovered many years ago. More, you ll hear the two create in the company of guitarist Charles Gatschet, bassist Andrew Stinson and drummer Clarence Smith, all accomplished professionals and educators in the KC region. Several guests appear as well, thickening the texture of the ensemble: Terri Anderson Burnett and Freda Proctor on flutes, along with two fine trumpeters / flugelhornists: Marcus Hampton and Stanton Kessler.

Historically, the stationing of American troops abroad has had a significant and seldom-noted ancillary effect beyond military cooperation ... --David R. Adler, New York

Massa is known for performances of both classical music and jazz. Burnett is ... a musician whose compositions flow with modern sophistication. --The Pitch, Kansas City

While Massa s musical personality is the main focus, credit must also go to Burnett, who served as lead developer of the Echoes of Europe project from his Kansas City home base, and whose warm and round alto tone is a boon to the entire session. It is Burnett s stewardship of the ARC label that proved decisive in bringing this music to light. Co-founded by Burnett with saxophonist Erica Lindsay and pianist Sumi Tonooka, ARC has released three of Burnett s titles to date: Time Flies, Theme Music and the recent Firebird. In my liner notes for Firebird I detail Burnett s complicated journey as an independent musician and entrepreneur after 22 years of military service. --David R. Adler, New York