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Rating: He was not satisfied with becoming one of the most celebrated and influential Italian jazz musicians of recent years. It wasn't enough for him that universities dedicated theses to him. He wasn't content with the highly acclaimed duo with accordionist Gianni Coscia, or tired of the octet, the collaborations with Giorgio Gaslini, Enrico Rava, or having directed the most prestigious European jazz orchestras for years. He had practically won every poll conducted by specialized magazines, both in Italy and abroad, and had received the title of Officer of the Republic from President Ciampi.
No way: Gianluigi Trovesi changes the game once again, astonishing us yet again, as he even tackles "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and together with his worthy companions, he offers us a wonderful fresco of Italian genius. A truly original project, starting from the composition of the ensemble, a nonet that is actually the overlay of three trios, with distinct stylistic and emotional functions:
Baroque trio: two violins and a cello
Contemporary trio: clarinets and alto sax, electric guitar with electronic effects, drums and percussion.
Popular trio: accordion, double bass, tambourine, and voice
Trovesi alludes to the three social groups of Shakespeare's "Dream": nobility, fantastical world, and working-class people. The distribution of the roles of the different musicians has a precise, almost philological adherence to Shakespeare's masterpiece. But in reality, the listening experience can be easily enjoyed without any preparation on the subject, given that the music is so vivid and unpredictable that it captures the attention immediately, transporting the listener into a magical world where anything and everything can happen.
Contributing to the success of the work is a group of musicians of remarkable skill and flexibility: notably the double bassist Renaud Garcia-Fons, who plays a unique five-string instrument, unmatched in bow solos, the accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier, the talented Fulvio Maras on percussion, and the ineffable Carlo Rizzo on tambourine and vocals.
The bearded old fox roams between the grooves of the CD, casually inserting a delicate Renaissance dance here, a spicy heavy guitar solo there, a wild gypsy dance, an explosive clarinet solo, a delightful recitation in Neapolitan dialect. The entire work is a perpetual horizon, a continuous imbalance of music and listener. You flail desperately searching for stylistic coordinates, and just as you've settled into the mood of the track, he's already pulling the ground from under your feet, changing the scene, switching strings for electric guitar, electric guitar for tambourine, tambourine for clarinet, clarinet for voice, and whatever else his boundless creativity can conjure in an instant. The sense of fun and playfulness is ever-present and almost palpable even in the most complex instrumental passages.
Touching and subdued is "Villanella", almost whispered by Trovesi's clarinet and ennobled by an accordion solo. The longer pieces, like "C'era Una Strega, C'era Una Fata" and "Orobop" are akin to small suites, and the mix of sound styles, classical references, and continuous tempo changes might appeal to progressive music lovers. And if the involved soloists weren't enough, the strings add fuel to the fire with their entertaining (not to mention technically unbeatable) contribution, shifting from the formal rigor of Vivaldi's "Estate" to swing and rock, reaching the most uncompromising avant-garde.
The bearded old fox laughs, and rightfully so. He has fooled us once again!
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