Now here’s an interesting album, mixing two genres which are impossible to combine and which are each other’s opposite : avant-garde and blues. The cook which gives us this brew is Italian guitarist Simone Massaron, assisted by a line-up of top musicians : Elliott Sharp on electric guitar, Daniele Cavallanti on tenor sax, Steve Piccolo on bass, and the great Tiziano Tononi on drums. Blending or mixing genres are maybe the wrong words, because it’s rather alternation : a more avant piece is followed by a traditional blues, then we get another avant piece, then some blues, then a CCR cover, vocals included, then back to some experimental guitarwork, etc. The technical skills are excellent, and it’s great to hear some heavy blues-soloing which sounds more like Johnny Winter than jazz. On the other hand, the skronk avant-garde guitar pieces in between are probably not of the type to please the blues fan. Some pieces are nice enough, although it’s not always clear where it’s going too. Musicianship is great, though.
Stefan Gijssels