Andrea Braido
Le Bizzarre Avventure Del Dott. Kranius

The name Andrea Braido may not mean much to most people. However, some attentive listeners will connect him to one of the musicians who accompanied Vasco Rossi in the historic live show "Fronte del Palco".

In reality, this charming guitarist from Trentino has lent his precious "axe" to various names in the Italian music scene, including Patti Pravo, Mina, Zucchero, and Raf, as well as various television shows like "Il Laureato" by Enzo Jannacci and Paolo Rossi. But probably his most famous performance will remain the one at "Fronte del Palco", where he did not just replay Maurizio Solieri's pieces but gave them a new light, a new life unleashed by his skillful guitar.

Raised as a self-taught musician and later a scholarship recipient at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston, he has been able to fuse in his style the passion for vintage hard rock, foremost among which are the greats Jimi Hendrix and Richie Blackmore, and the love for jazz from Al Di Meola, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, as well as a passion for blues that sees him as a true innovator in the genre.
While his activity as a session musician and cover artist (his bands dedicated to Hendrix and Deep Purple covers are famous) is quite rich, the same cannot be said for his solo works, probably due to numerous commitments but, above all, the limited recognition in Italy for the guitar-hero phenomenon.

"Le bizzarre avventure del Dott. Kranius", his second work, is a container in which to find all the many facets of Braido's music as well as his numerous influences. The opener "Spingi" from the title already foreshadows everything: the pushes are so violent that Braido's guitar screams in pain in a hard rock with funky hues, amps cranked up, and mad Hendrixian sounds. In the following "My child age", the tones become subdued with a warm jazz/blues theme and the emotions unleashed by the strings. "Vecia Vulpis Blues" and "Un cowboy quasi simpatico" are two long blues jams where the approach to a great like Scott Henderson becomes decidedly evident. The ability to innovate the genre is astounding, more than a quarter-hour of blues rock that doesn’t bore and doesn’t feel déjà vu.
More crazy feedback in the short "War" to move again to the mellow melodies of "Relax in the world". Improvisation in Swingando with the classic jazz trio (drum parts played by Davide Ragazzoni while Braido handles the bass himself). In "Sensazioni" in time typically Metheny-esque atmospheres, with a captivating bossanova accompanied by Braido's singing.

"Metal Samba", after yet another South American start, spills over, in the central part, into a long solo snatched directly from the golden years of the genre. "Country fuga" is the classic piece that will make you jump out of your chair, great as accompaniment in a rodeo, sees our hero engaging even with a fiery country. More jazz/rock in "Libertà accordata", while the concluding "Intervallo" and "Presentazione" are a bit of fooling around where Braido has fun making fun of himself.

A gentleman guitarist, like few. Someone who plays with both blood and brains.