The Auanders - Live In Pisa (2013)

The Auanders - Live In Pisa (Auand, 2013)

Personnel:

Francesco Lento: trumpet

Gaetano Partipilo: alto sax, flute

Francesco Bearzatti: tenor sax, clarinet

Francesco Bigoni: tenor sax, clarinet

Beppe Scardino: baritone sax, bass clarinet

Federico Pierantoni: trombone

Francesco Diodati: guitar

Francesco Ponticelli: double bass, electric bass

Ermanno Baron: drums

Tracklisting:

01 - Loop Bed

02 - Congo

03 - A Quarries Lamp

04 - Trumpet Garden / Erba

05 - Circle

06 - Joy Plant

07 - Leica Lenses

08 - Virus

09 - Hit

This is a co-production with the Jazzit label as well as a part Auand all-star unit. The members who are leaders of their own include: Partipilo, Bigoni, Scardino and Bearzatti, five of the members have contributed songs to this long (73+ minute) effort. Considering that this is a nine-piece ensemble with four sax players, this is more of a focused group effort with well written pieces. The opening song, “Loop Bed” is a lovely, laid back song, a righteous beginning. “Congo” features layers of Latin-sounding percussion with impressive horn arrangements and some great solos from the bari sax (Scardino), trumpet (Lento) and trombone (Pierantoni). Writing for a nine-piece unit is no easy matter as each piece provides different structures, harmonies and challenges. There are a handful of freer sections amongst the more written pieces, which seem to fit the overall story which holds this together. There a couple of more mellow pieces which feature some exquisite arrangements and elegant solos as well. [DMG Newsletter]

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Mr. Rencore + Tim Berne - Intollerant (2011)

Mr. Rencore + Tim Berne - Intollerant (Auand, 2011)

Personnel:
Tim Berne: alto sax;

Beppe Scardino: baritone sax, bass clarinet;

Gabrio Baldacci: baritone guitar, bass, loops, efx;
Daniele Paoletti: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Ort Milos
02 - Kepas J
03 - Hurricane
04 - Intollercaos
05 - Book B
06 - Mr. Rencore
07 - Bren Corner

Mr. Rencore was formed in 2006 by baritone guitarist Gabrio Baldacci and drummer Daniele Paoletti, who had been playing together for 15 years in other bands. Three years later, they added baritone saxophonist Beppe Scardino.

All three musicians are at ease in several genres, with careers that have traversed rock, folk jazz and free improvisation, making them comfortable bedfellows. Adding chameleon-like alto saxophonist Tim Berne—who came in specially for this project—the music on Intollerant is a salivating blend of form and texture that dips into a host of styles to come up with portraits that electrify the imagination.

Baldacci composed five tracks, while "Kepas J" and "Bren Corner" are collective improvisations, which show how the band members interweave ideas and work in empathic understanding through a rich collage of styles.

The approach to "Kepas J" is pensive, with fragments from Scardino's bass clarinet floating into the effects from Baldacci as Paoletti adds a skewered beat. All of this is held together by Berne, his alto saxophone weaving a melody through the disparate strands. Berne fathoms the ambit perfectly without suffocating it. This leaves room for the band members to pursue logical tangents that take the form of scalding notes from the baritone guitar and an escarpment of rhythmic cascades from the drums until they all come together and rock out.

"Bren Corner" is more open-ended. Time and space are molded into myriad shapes and sounds. A conversation between Baldacci and Scardino begins in the throes of guitar chords and strangulated clarinet before it gets laid back. The texture turns dense, but no one hogs the limelight; there is room for ideas to float in and out, for ruminations to be folded into the tapestry and for oblique references to be made part of the whole.

The fierce, driving "Mr. Rencore" is a vivid document of the art of marrying composition to free idiom. The horns lock front and center, essaying a volatility that reverberates right through. Melody is rife when Scardino plays the bass clarinet before he goes on a bend while Berne is more modulated. The free movements calibrate their sense of adventure in a constant forging of abstractions and their dissemination. It's wonderfully representative of the approach of the band.

Mr. Rencore, with Tim Berne, in tow is a revelation, showcasing as it does an array of pulsating moods and structure.(c) allaboutjazz

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Francesco Diodati Neko - Purple Bra (2009)

Francesco Diodati Neko - Purple Bra (2009)

Personnel:

Francesco Bigoni - tenor sax
Francesco Diodati - guitar
Francesco Ponticelli - double bass
Ermanno Baron - drums

Tracklisting:

01. Kort (Diodati) 6:13
02. Neko (Diodati) 4:08
03. Purple Bra (Diodati) 6:38
04. Suvi (Diodati) 6:28
05. Finale Aspettato (Diodati) 4:21
06. Doctor BC (Diodati) 9:10
07. Krashing minds (Diodati) 2:33
08. Joy Plant (Diodati) 4:04
09. Hit (Diodati) 2:01
10. So Real (J. Buckley, M. Tighe) 5:59

The history of jazz has always favored the partnership of strong personalities, especially those of guitar and tenor saxophone collaborations. Memorable pairings have included: Jim Hall and Sonny Rollins, Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, and Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mark Turner. Add to that list two Italian artists, guitarist Francesco Diodati and saxophonist Francesco Bigoni.

They make up half of Diodati's band NEKO, along with bassist Francesco Ponticelli and drummer Ermanno Baron. The quartet's debut, Purple Bra, highlights the saxophonist and guitarist's resonant playing, plus Diodati's writing, the leader having penned all but one of its nine tracks.

While steeped in jazz, NEKO doesn't shy away from the pervasive vernacular of rock, a global language understood beyond jazz. The title track exemplifies this direction, with Bigoni carrying the melody as Diodati drops thunderous guitar licks over aggressive beats. That is, until the persistence of the melody quiets the band, directing the players into a restrained and oh so hip swing. Diodati swaps thunder for tweaking guitar effects.

The band certainly can get loud, but noise is used sparingly. Mostly NEKO mines the interplay between groove and tension. The group can play lightning fast bebop ("Krashing Minds") or resigned ballads ("Joy Plant"), all the while with Diodati accenting the affair with interesting guitar effects that never distract from the music. Bigoni is best compared to Joe Lovano or Mark Turner, in that he seems never to play something that is ugly or vexed. On the beautiful and lightly melancholic "Neko" he soars, and on the duet "Hit," with acoustic guitar, his splintery solo is nearly heart-breaking.

The disc ends with a meditation on Jeff Buckley's pop song "So Real," starting off as loose threads of effects and tones and then coalescing into a beautifully stark folk song. The musicians successfully tip-toe the line between genres, making Purple Bra a most personal statement. [all about jazz]

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