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Rating: The jazz scene today is full of great musicians, yet unfortunately, they are underrated and almost unknown due to the limited spread of jazz among young people and the modest support the genre receives from radio and television. It's a pity because, in this way, we often miss out on excellent musicians. Among these, I would like to draw your attention to Michele Francesconi, a almost unknown name, and his small orchestra.
He performed at the Dean Benedetti Jazz Festival and the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. I became aware of this artist thanks to a friend of mine - a huge jazz enthusiast who also personally knew Arrigo Polillo - who often follows these musical events. He lent me a recording, and I must say I was positively impressed.
Contrary to the title, the album is not composed solely of live improvisations. In fact, half of the tracks included were recorded in the studio, but this does not diminish the quality of the album at all. This is one of the things I liked most about the album: the attempt to achieve an effect similar to that of old vinyl records by structuring it on two sides.
SIDE A:
Side A, as the album title suggests, is made up of a single 15-minute track. It's a long improvisation that also goes through "themes" of famous pieces, such as "My Favorite Things", "Jitterbug Waltz", and "Blue Monk". The piece begins with a simple, easily memorable piano riff. The drums then join in, followed by a solo. The tenor saxophone then becomes the soloist, offering numerous piercing high notes that are long applauded by the audience. There's a brief reprise by the piano, after which the guitar takes the lead. Unfortunately, the sound of the guitar is somewhat discordant with the rest of the instruments, perhaps because it is played by an outsider, not part of Francesconi's orchestra. At this point, most of the horns return, weaving through the previously mentioned pieces, almost touching them. Here the track ends, making us not realize that a quarter of an hour has already passed!
SIDE B:
The majority of the tracks are reworkings of pieces that had become famous in the past. Among these is "Creole Love Call" of Ellingtonian fame performed masterfully. In the middle of the piece, the notes blend into a single abstract melody, an apotheosis of freshness and novelty. Here you almost lose contact with the outside world, absorbed in a jubilation of colors and sounds.
The second reworked piece is the famous "What Did I Do (To Be So Black and Blue)?", made famous by the voice of Louis Armstrong. The performance is also of good quality, although sometimes a bit flat (especially in the sung part).
Next is "Honeysuckle Rose", again by Fats Waller, in a slower version than usual, but also more "majestic". It somewhat evokes the performance of the piece by Grappelli and Reinhardt, not so much for the way it is played but for the almost "French" atmosphere it has.
The following track is "'T Ain't What You Do", made famous by Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra, where Francesconi himself sings (not too well, though. His voice reminds me a bit of Natalino Otto...). The piece is characterized by a nimble, almost brisk arrangement that does not make you miss the golden age of jazz.
The new tracks, written by Francesconi or members of the orchestra, are not very fresh or original, but they are listenable and quite catchy.
Unfortunately, the album lasts only about an hour and ten minutes, leaving you wanting more.
The artist's website (still under construction and on non-paying websites) is as follows: http://www.freewebs.com/francesconijzz/index.htm
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