Bebo Ferra - Specs People (2012)

Specs People is the new work by Bebo Ferra who on this occasion chooses to make use of a trio completed with Maxx Furian on drums and Gianluca Di Ienno on Hammond organ to give life to a journey made up of originals, but also of trespassing into the rock sphere, with the cover of "Satisfaction," and film music, as evidenced by the melancholy version of "Gran Torino," all released by Paolo Fresu's Tuk Music. The electric guitar of the leader, seasoned with effects, very melodic, but if necessary ready to leave the decisive scratch, is the hallmark of the eleven pieces on the programme, in which, however, the Hammond organ also plays an important role, an instrument can go unnoticed for its typical sound that refers to vintage scenarios. The itinerary includes moments of apparent calm ("La Sagra Delle Quinte"), others of a more superficial and pleasantly light nature ("La Radio In testa") and shaded areas that manage to express important timbres and atmospheres ("Scuro"). A set that always keeps the surprise factor alive, so that the listener on duty is struck by the series of intuitions brought into play. Like that of dressing the Rolling Stones song with psychedelic sounds, cropped so as to keep the proverbial hook intact, or that of placing a couple of electronic pieces, such as the concluding "Il Quadro Della Farfalla," in a context that moves in a deliberately transversal way between distant styles and approaches. Specs People is a disc of sure interest, both for aficionados of the Sardinian guitarist, who in this episode presents himself in a captivating and very inspired electric guise, and for those who want a tour far from the usual. ~ by Italy Staff, AAJ. [Translated from Italian] 

Tǔk Music, CD 098, 2012
Recorded September, 2010 and mixed at Accademia del Suono, Milan, Italy 

Musicians:
Bebo Ferra - Guitar, Electronics [Live Electronics]
Gianluca Di Ienno - Organ [Hammond Organ], Electronics [Live Electronics]
Maxx Furian - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Scuro {Bebo Ferra} (5:11)
02. L'Alchimista {Bebo Ferra} (4:31)
03. 29 Aprile {Bebo Ferra} (7:14)
04. My English Brother {Bebo Ferra} (4:56)
05. Gran Torino {Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens} (4:43)
06. La Radio In Testa {Bebo Ferra} (5:00)
07. Topink {Bebo Ferra, Gianluca Di Ienno, Maxx Furian} (2:24)
08. La Sagra Delle Quinte {Bebo Ferra} (5:40)
09. Il Fabbro {Maxx Furian} (0:50)
10. [I Can't Get No] Satisfaction {Mick Jagger, Keith Richards} (8:32)
11. Il Quadro Della Farfalla {Gianluca Di Ienno} (2:11) 

Total Time: 51:19 

Credits:
Producer - Bebo Ferra
Executive Producer - Paolo Fresu, Timur Semprini, Patrizio Romano
Co-producer, Engineer, Mixing - Fausto Dasè
Assistant Recording, Mixing & Mastering - Gabriele Simoni
Graphic Design - Benno Simma
Photo - Roberto Cifarelli 

Scuro [Dark]

Paolo Damiani - Ladybird (2004)

After a first listen, Paolo Damiani's Ladybird leaves you with no fixed points to orient yourself within its musical and aesthetic inspiration. It escapes any classification and, if the aim remains to find an adequate genre, countless listenings would still be insufficient. As typical of Damiani's work, Ladybird is very thought out and structured. The first two songs, Habla del Sur and Era Destino, are compositions in harmony with the aesthetics of the Egea: light and sinuous melody, full of Mediterranean radiance, where Diana Torto's vocals seem like a song without words, counterpointed by the lyricism of Fresu's trumpet and flugelhorn. Despite the perfect orchestration of all the instruments and, in particular, the happy writing of the wind parts, the true protagonist of Ladybird is the voice of Diana Torto which, we repeat, can be appreciated above all because it does not indulge too much in cold vocal virtuosity, but her "singing" is always "inside" the melody of the various pieces. Only in the piece that gives the CD its title does the voice lose the foreground, hiding until it blends in with the other instruments and the result is in any case one of the best moments of the entire work and, effectively, the most representative of the compositional and orchestral talent of Damian. ~ Extract by Dario Gentili, Jazzitalia.net. [Translated from Italian] 

Egea Records, SCA 111, 2004
Recorded June, 2003 - February, 2004 in Perugia, Italy 

Musicians:
Paolo Damiani - Double Bass, Cello
Paolo Fresu - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Gianluca Petrella - Trombone
Achille Succi - Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Bebo Ferra - Guitar
Roberto Dani - Drums
Fulvio Maras - Percussion, Electronics
Diana Torto - Vocals 

Tracks:
1. Habla Del Sur {Paolo Damiani} (5:41)
2. Era Destino {Paolo Damiani} (5:54)
3. L'Amor Messo Da Parte {Paolo Damiani, Stefano Benni} (6:21)
4. Tango Lento {Paolo Damiani} (3:42)
5. Quello Che Non Voglio {Paolo Damiani, Stefano Benni} (9:00)
6. Cos'è Che Ti Fa Andare Così {Paolo Damiani} (5:19)
7. Argentiera {Paolo Damiani} (4:52)
8. Ladybird {Paolo Damiani} (6:40)
9. Nel Mare Sconfinato Di Un Segreto {Paolo Damiani} (8:56) 

Total Time: 56:30 

Credits:
Producer - Egea Records
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Angelo Cioffi
Management - Rosalba Di Raimondo
Cover Design - Annalisa Ciaramella
Graphic Design - Andrea Staiano
Photography - Adriano Scognamillo, Guy Le Querrec, Magnum Photos
Liner Notes - Stefano Benni, Elisa Ascione, Fabienne Palamidessi 

Quello Che Non Voglio

Ada Montellanico, Enrico Pieranunzi - Danza Di Una Ninfa (2005)

Two great artists leading an exceptional ensemble to present a project that will not fail to amaze and fascinate jazz and non-jazz fans. Ada Montellanico and Enrico Pieranunzi have, in fact, created a new work for the EGEA label that is a real journey into the poetic-musical world of Luigi Tenco. It is difficult to imagine a more effective combination to face and carry out such a delicate operation as that of giving life to new original sound stories through the exciting stories contained in the beautiful music and lyrics of the singer-songwriter. The two artists who signed "Dance of a Nymph" have brilliantly succeeded in the undertaking thanks to the excellent qualities that have long been recognized to them. Ada Montellanico has carved out her own, important space in the vocal panorama for making the Italian language sound and jazz improvisation and for being an interpreter capable of making her intimate emotional world adhere to the needs of narration. Enrico Pieranunzi, for his part, has built over the years, through his improvisations and compositions, a very personal sound universe that has made him one of the most appreciated Italian musicians in the world. If it is true that the Montellanico / Pieranunzi collaboration has already produced important works in the past such as "L'altra Tenco" (1996) and "But love no" (1997), it must be said immediately that "Dance of a nymph" presents itself as a completely new project, in a certain sense "revolutionary" because in it the most refined Italian songwriting tradition blends with the most authentic and transgressive jazz; so famous compositions such as, for example, "I fell in love with you" and "I understood that I love you" thanks to Pieranunzi's surprising, "transversal" arrangements and Montellanico's passionate, highly original interpretative approach, they will be completely "unpublished". 

But, speaking of "unpublished", four truly special songs can be heard on the CD that cannot fail to impress with their great beauty and poetic force. There are four texts by Luigi Tenco - two of which set to music by Montellanico, two by Pieranunzi - whose recording constitutes an "event within an event" because never before have the songwriter's lyrics been set to music, an operation that has the other received the warm consent and support of the Tenco family. And the fact that two jazz musicians did all this has a particular flavor, taking into account the enormous importance that this music had in the formative years of the future author of so many wonderful songs. Naturally the extraordinary artistic results of the project would not have been possible without the decisive contribution of the musicians who participated in it, each of whom enriched the CD with his strong expressive personality with an exceptional guest, the prestigious American multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, for some time strong point of the legendary "Oregon". A project therefore that constitutes for various reasons an important and rare opportunity also and above all for the subtle interplay between the two artists who created it: a sort of seductive interplay, thanks to which Montellanico makes the word "Sound" and Pieranunzi transforms his sound into "word". But mainly, it will be possible to rediscover the immense originality and depth of Luigi Tenco, one of the most important artists ever to appear on the Italian music scene, in a completely new and unexpected guise. ~ enricopieranunzi.it [Translated from Italian] 

EGEA Records, SCA 121, 2005
Recorded 20th and 21st February, 2005 at Oratorio Di Santa Cecilia, Perugia, Italy 

Musicians:
Ada Montellanico - Vocals
Enrico Pieranunzi - Piano, Arranger
Paul McCandless - Soprano Saxophone, Oboe, English Horn, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Bebo Ferra - Guitar
Luca Bulgarelli - Double Bass
Piero Salvatori - Cello
Michele Rabbia - Drums, Percussion
Arkè String Quartet (#1,2,9) 

Tracks:
01. Mi Sono Innamorato Di Te {Luigi Tenco} (7:23)
02. Da Quando {Ada Montellanico, Luigi Tenco} (5:29)
03. Mia Cara Amica {Enrico Pieranunzi, Luigi Tenco} (6:12)
04. Quasi Sera {Carlo Donida, Luigi Tenco} (4:51)
05. Danza Di Una Ninfa Sotto La Luna {Ada Montellanico, Luigi Tenco} (6:24)
06. Che Cos'e'? {Enrico Pieranunzi} (4:12)
07. Ho Capito Che Ti Amo {Luigi Tenco} (5:39)
08. Il Tempo Passò {Gianfranco Reverberi, Luigi Tenco} (5:39)
09. In Qualche Parte Del Mondo {Luigi Tenco} (5:45)
10. O Me {Enrico Pieranunzi, Luigi Tenco} (4:59) 

Total Time: 56:41 

Credits:
Recording & Mixing - Angelo Cioffi
Cover [Watercolor] - Richard Peduzzi
Graphics [Progetto Grafico] - Cecilia Valli
Photography - Adriano Scognamillo
Liner Notes - Walter Veltroni
Liner Notes [Translation] - Darragh Henegan 

Danza Di Una Ninfa Sotto La Luna