News flash (to some): Free-minded electric jazz and fusion arc alive and surprisingly well in Europe, shown by these two guitar-heavy releases that straddle both genres and mix it up with other strains. Guitarist Simone Massaron’s Breaking News is all over the map, from the wide-open guitar experimentation of the title track, with the leader and Elliott Sharp alone together, to the stripper-beat blues of “The Kid,” with Massaron’s electric lap steel sparring with tenor saxophonist Daniele Cavallanti and drummer Tiziano Tononi. John Fogerty’s “Run Through The Jungle,” with the above-mentioned players plus Steve Piccolo on bass and vocals, is Creedence Clearwater Revival gone edgy, while the fluttering, flickering ‘Bumper To Bumper,” a duet for Massaron and Sharp, might be cosidered “math jazz.” “Ruth’s Tale,” fronted by Cavallanti’s warm tenor, caps the CD with haunting balladry.
Philip Booth