Piero Bittolo Bon on alto & bari saxes, Simone Massaron on electric & baritone guitars & loops, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass and Massimiliano Sorrentini & Federico Scettri on drums. We hadn’t heard from the Long Song label in a while so it was great to get this disc in the mail. Besides superstar bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, each of these players can be found in previous Italian ensembles. Leader & saxist Piero Bittolo Bon has a disc on El Gallo Rojo as well as on Clean Feed. Guitarist Simone Massaron is on a few earlier Long Song discs. The drummers I don’t really know of before this.
Although all of this music was improvised, this quintet is extremely tight, focused and filled with exuberance. This disc opens with Jamaaladeen’s furious electric bass spinning quickly until the rest of the band comes jumps into the groove, funky and burning! The group gets into a harmelodic groove, with all five members spinning tightly around one another. It is pretty rare to hear music that makes you want to dance and listen at the same time, but that is what the first piece (“DFW/Calypso de Pelo”) actually does. “Simpri Indenant” is a fine laid back duo for electric bass and alto sax that sounds like an warm conversation between two old friends. “Moon Liver” builds from a quiet calm while the Jamaaladeen takes a long, thoughtful story-like solo, the sound of his bass and the way his plucks those strings completely distinctive. By the fourth track, the rhythm team is soaring with some incredible guitar work from Mr. Massaron as he changes the tome of his guitar throughout the entire piece. He uses occasional elements of distortion while playing one of the hottest jazz/rock guitar solos around. Simone ends his long solo with an impressive bluesy conclusion. This entire disc flows organically from beginning to the end with amazing playing from all five members throughout. – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
Downtown Music Gallery parla di Mucho Acustica
Stef