Rand-o-mania
Strade

Experimenting without boring: if this was the goal of the quartet Rand-o-mania, it must be said that they have delivered a small masterpiece.

A small 100% Made in Italy masterpiece, crafted by four outstanding musicians, each an original interpreter of their own instrument. Trombonist Gianluca Petrella has been in the limelight for a few years now in the most respected industry magazines, thanks to his constant presence in Rava's ECM quartet. Drummer U.T. Gandhi certainly needs no introduction, so I will focus on the sinuous, groove-laden bass of Andrea Lombardini but especially on the extraordinary, and I repeat extraordinary guitarist Roberto Cecchetto, who's not exactly a newcomer, as he played with Enrico Rava's Electric Five in the '90s, but in Italy, the better you are, the less attention you get... A musician who effortlessly switches from swing to free jazz, from bebop to funk, a volcano of ideas and the true harmonic engine of the group.

The different age classes and geographical origins produce a highly heterogeneous compositional mix, with each author maintaining their individuality, yet integrated into the dynamics of the quartet. The result is pure, wild enjoyment: right from the dark and initial "Skovatz", Petrella, on vacation from the trombone, breathes mysterious notes into the ethnic didgeridoo, hinting at the serious business about to unfold...

"Rand-o-mania", the track that gives the group its name, is a playful fanfare that transforms into an electronic orgy driven by Petrella's and Cecchetto's instruments, filtered through who knows what techno-wizardry. Lombardini injects a massive dose of funk into the quartet, both as an instrumentalist and as a composer, and the result is clearly audible in "Charter Way". Petrella morphs into an R&B trombonist, and Cecchetto takes a memorable solo, traveling the journey from Hendrix to Frisell, and back...

Very enjoyable is "Giulietta's Theme", where Petrella plays with the more charming nuances of his instrument. Roberto Cecchetto seems to forget all the chaos he created just a few minutes earlier and delivers a touching solo, between Jim Hall and Pat Metheny. The drummer's contribution is remarkable, dispensing sparse and highly musical percussive interventions. Finally a drum set perfectly recorded and correctly positioned in the space: neither blasted right into the listener's face nor relegated ten kilometers back from the other instruments.

U.T. Gandhi signs the most introspective and singable pieces, but even in this case, we are light-years away from the mainstream. Just listen to "Tony's Lament", a piece that Tom Waits would appreciate, magically introduced by Cecchetto's "Frisellian" notes, which then develop into the subsequent solo. Following is Lombardini's brief solo, putting him in the Steve Swallow position, and excuse me if that's not enough...

Still razor-sharp aggressiveness in the initial bars of Petrella's "Losts", which disrupts the rhythmic trance, allowing himself a solo in total solitude, oblique and dreamlike, introducing a beautiful and persuasive "theme within the theme"... But the pace quickly picks up, in an atmosphere heated by Cecchetto's ineffable and hyper-realistic guitar. A worthy closing with a commanding solo by U.T. Gandhi.

The concluding (and too brief!) "Circles" is one for the books, where, in a delirious free atmosphere, Petrella emerges as if it's nothing, sketching a delicate and singable theme.

As anticipated at the beginning, for the balance between the desire to explore, singability, fun, wild and irreverent improvisational freedom, this work (released in 2001) is nothing short of miraculous. The cover features an ancient gas pump. My advice is to arm yourself with patience and start looking for this record. If you manage to find it, the result is guaranteed: a full tank of "super".