Whether it is a "new
journey" that of Francesco Cafiso and the Island Blue 4tet there is no
shadow of doubt. Vittoria's (IT) offspring, at the age of twenty and having
reached the twelfth album in which his name shows off, wants to prove that he
has freed himself from the bulky shadows of the past and, in particular, from
the manly sounds of Charlie Parker. The experiences lived alongside sacred
monsters such as Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, Joe Lovano, Enrico Rava, Franco
D'Andrea, Jimmy Cobb, Wynton Marsalis, his mentor, among many play in his
favor. Experiences that led him to search for a personal stamp, an autonomous
phrasing and also to try his hand at true compositions. A New Trip is the
result of this inevitable metamorphosis, the result of the development of his
compositional vein which is innervated entirely on his technique, certainly
prodigious, but in some ways too aesthetic and muscular. Eight songs, none
standard, three by the leader, two by Giovanni Mazzarino, two by Dino Rubino
and one in the name of the double bass player Nello Toscano. Four Sicilians,
all with a very strong brand that shines through clearly even in the melodic
lines that smell of Sicilian vigor. However, a sonic democracy is struggling to
emerge, given that the leader - almost unconsciously - often takes the reins of
the quadrille in hand and takes the bench flying through large glimpses of the
past. His style encyclopedia is full of lemmas: from the aforementioned Parker
to Eric Dolphy, up to the asceticism of Coltrane. His fervor is well supported
by Mazzarino, endowed with a strong sense of taste and measure, Nello Toscano
double bass player with well-rounded lines and Dino Rubino who carves out
substantial spaces to give voice to his sound, always poised both on the high
and medium and fluctuating frequencies. His compositional and executive irony
of the tango (figurative) notes of Pablo and the swing déjà écouté of
Conversations is surprising. Piazza, autographed by Mazzarino, fits in well
with the homogeneity of the sound, free from sophisticated structures. The
theme of Cafiso's Enigmatic Night is embodied in the pleasant dialogue between
the altoist and the piano. The absence of the battery does not weigh, which, in
this context, would have appeared actually straight. ~ by Alceste Ayroldi, Jazzitalia.
[Translated from Italian]
Philology Records, W 419,
2009
Recorded 2nd-3rd April, 2009
at Artesuono Recording Studios, Cavalicco (UD)
Musicians:
Francesco Cafiso - Alto Saxophone
Dino Rubino - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Giovanni Mazzarino - Piano
Nello Toscano - Double Bass
Tracks:
1. A New Trip {Francesco
Cafiso} (5:41)
2. Pablo {Cafiso, Rubino, Mazzarino, Toscano} (6:55)
3. Enigmatic Night {Francesco Cafiso} (4:04)
4. Piazza {Cafiso, Rubino, Mazzarino, Toscano} (8:35)
5. Conversations {Cafiso, Rubino, Mazzarino, Toscano} (6:17)
6. Cerimoniale {Cafiso, Rubino, Mazzarino, Toscano} (7:45)
7. Retrato {Cafiso, Rubino, Mazzarino, Toscano} (5:38)
8. Dieghito Mojito {Francesco
Cafiso} (4:53)
Total Time: 49:53
Credits:
Recording Engineer - Stefano
Amerio
Photography - Gianiuca Murella Fotografo
Liner Notes - Maurizio Franco
