Record Reviews

FABRIZIO CUCCO ~ FOR A BRIEF MOMENT CAMILLA (Barcode: 8032880740396) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album as a leader by Italian Jazz electric bassist Fabrizio CuccoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist Maurizio GiammarcoFind albums by this artist, pianist Pierpaolo PrincipatoFind albums by this artist and drummer Roberto GattoFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by Cucco and one is a standard. The music was recorded by Francesco BrunoFind albums by this artist in his studio near Rome, and the excellent sound quality emphasizes every single note played during the recording sessions. The music is all within mainstream Jazz idiom, based on splendid melodic themes, mostly lyrical and harmonically solid. The entire album creates a relaxed, slowly unfolding musical story, which allows the listener to enjoy the proceedings and carefully listen to the performances. Although most of the soloing is naturally done by Giammarco and Principato, who are obviously more experienced musicians, Cucco is very busy on all the pieces, soloing and playing along the rest of the quartet with a distinct presence. Gatto adds an excellent rhythmic layer, but stays respectively slightly in the background, in order to allow the bass parts to be more audible. Overall this is a solid debut effort, which shows a lot of potential in Cucco both as an instrumentalist and composer and a great opportunity to wish him further success in his future projects.

Updated: 29/06/2020Posted: 29/06/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ENRICO PIERANUNZI ~ FROM ALWAYS TO NOW ALFA MUSIC 222 (Barcode: 8032050019291) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1978 - 2002 Released: 2019 This is a reissue / remaster of the fourth album as a leader by the legendary Italian pianist / composer / bandleader Enrico PieranunziFind albums by this artist, originally released in 1978. It was recorded in a duo / trio / quartet setting with saxophonist Maurizio GiammarcoFind albums by this artist, bassist Bruno TommasoFind albums by this artist and drummer Roberto GattoFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, four of which are original compositions by Pieranunzi, one is by Giammarco and two are standards. This reissue adds a duo with saxophonist Rosario GiulianiFind albums by this artist, recorded in 2002, as a bonus track. The music is, as expected, absolutely stunning, with Pieranunzi displaying his dazzling virtuosity, playing mostly up tempo tunes with ferocious speed, but a ballad or two balances the mood as well. All the other players are also excellent, and this album presents them in their early stages of their career, like Gatto, who was only 20 years old at the time and this was his debut recording. Already at this early stage of his career Pieranunzi clearly displays the characteristics, which will become his trademarks for many years to come: dazzling technique, great sense of melody, superbly crafted compositions and total dedication to his music. Overall, this is a classic album and an excellent document of Italian Jazz of the late 1970s. Kudos to Alfa Music for saving this gem from oblivion, enabling many new listeners to get exposed to this music, which despite being over four decades old, still shines and sounds as brightly, as it did at the time it was originally released.

Updated: 04/03/2023Posted: 04/03/2023

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend