Jazz/Review Elena Andreoli, Paolo Tomelleri - Beautiful Love
Elena Andreoli is a jazz singer, actress, and voice-over artist based in Milan and winner of the Anello d’Oro Award as Best Female Voice at the international “Voci nell’Ombra” Festival. Her warm, versatile voice moves through swing, blues, and early jazz, blending elegance and irony. Paolo Tomelleri, clarinetist, bandleader, and arranger, is a true institution of Italian jazz. A graduate of the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory in Milan, he has spent over sixty years in music, collaborating with artists such as Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Giorgio Gaber, and Enzo Jannacci.
“Beautiful Love,” the new collaborative album from vocalist Elena Andreoli and clarinet virtuoso Paolo Tomelleri, is a radiant tribute to jazz’s golden age — but it is far from a nostalgia exercise. Instead, the duo revitalizes the swing of the 1920s and 1930s with contemporary flair, crafting a sound that feels both timeless and startlingly fresh. Andreoli’s voice, warm and expressive, dances effortlessly around Tomelleri’s clarinet lines, which retain the elegance of classic swing while embracing modern nuance. Together, they create a bold, dynamic, and emotionally charged listening experience.
Tomelleri, a tireless icon of Milan’s historic jazz scene, brings decades of mastery to the album, grounding its vintage sensibility. Andreoli, in turn, injects a youthful energy and interpretive freedom that keeps every track vibrant. Their musical chemistry is unmistakable, transforming standards and originals alike into conversations — intimate, playful, and full of spark. The album balances sophistication with joy, offering crisp arrangements that honor tradition while expanding its borders.
Even the album’s visual world reflects this inventive spirit. The cover, shot by hyperrealist photographer Bart Herreman, reimagines the famous 1930s photograph of workers perched above Manhattan. This time, Andreoli and Tomelleri stride across a musical skyscraper, accompanied with affectionate irony by a jaguar and King Kong — a perfect metaphor for their fearless approach to jazz history.
“Beautiful Love” is more than a revival; it’s a reinvention. Andreoli and Tomelleri prove that swing still has infinite room to evolve — and they’re already preparing to take it even further with their next record.