Roberto Gatto
The Music Next Door

Certain works truly deserve greater visibility, it's a fact, something as objective and real as the air we breathe! Unfortunately, in a country where art is often sidelined and little care is taken for spirit and culture in the broader and wider sense (outside of school classrooms, so to speak), it's very easy for highly quality and substantial musical products to not receive the proper recognition and to not have around them the justified and shared astonishment and acclaim they so richly deserve.

Surely, "The Music Next Door" fully falls into the case described above, indeed, how can one not feel a certain emotion when about to place in the player a CD featuring artists of the caliber of: Roberto Gatto, Rosario Bonaccorso, Daniele Tittarelli, Paolo Fresu, and Stefano Bollani? I know, it might seem like a rhetorical and banal question, but here we are seriously faced with an album of great level and personality where original compositions (by R. Gatto) alternate with interpretations of others' pieces (specifically by: Elvis Costello, Ennio Morricone, Montano/P. Spotti, N. Rodgers/B. Edwards, and R. Leoncavallo), all accompanied by an almost perfect and linear interplay: if you close your eyes, it almost seems possible to see the members of this splendid quintet, exchanging only simple glances and nods, weaving melodies and crafting patterns with enviable ease.

Many might say: but from such an ensemble, what did you expect? It's natural that artists of this caliber produce important and well-done works, isn't it? Well, in my opinion, the equation great cast equals excellent performance is not always true, indeed history teaches us that often projects (even outside of music) expected to be astronomically successful turn out to be far below expectations when they actually see the light, especially if the team that brought them to life is of the highest order. The main cause of all this, I almost always attribute to excessive external pressure, accompanied by poor communication among the team members, each of whom, being leaders in their own field, tend to impose their vision on the others. Well, in "The Music Next Door," this does not happen! Even though the name of Roberto Gatto stands out more prominently on the cover, in every track, we can hear and recognize the characteristic elements of the other musicians, from Bollani's creativity to Bonaccorso and Tittarelli's elegance, up to Fresu's lyricism and poetry, all coordinated and supported by the touch of a drummer who prefers to work behind the scenes, aiming to make himself indispensable without exacerbating the compositions, thus dialoguing with the other instruments to make them feel "at home"; do you know a wonderful evening among friends where everyone is relaxed and the conversation flows for hours without boredom or embarrassing silences? Excellent, that's exactly what I meant with what I said a moment ago! In this context, the Roman artist behaves just like a perfect host, making himself the same protagonist of the situation but sharing the spotlight with his guests, each of whom contributes their piece, making the debate fresh and dynamic. One could conclude the review like this, perhaps with the classic "advice for purchases," but I would like to try to go a little further, if you allow me.

Every day we hear about crises, about the lowering of quality standards of this or that service, it's an undeniable reality and there's no doubt about it, however, I believe there is always a way out, it may be distant and well-hidden but it certainly exists. To the coarsening of society, propagated by certain attitudes and lifestyles touted as healthy, one can respond with individual growth, which also comes from the listening to good music, because taking care of oneself and one's inner self is a way of loving oneself and cleansing of the waste with which, willingly or not, we are all forced to interact every day. That said, in the end, I have to do it, I don't have much choice, so I urge you to listen to, or rather, to live, this "The Music Next Door": let it seep under your skin and breathe its atmosphere and moods with full lungs, you won't regret it! The world presents many microcosms, I wanted to present you with one, I hope it suits you and is helpful to you. "The Music Next Door": Daniele Tittarelli: saxophone; Roberto Gatto: drums; Paolo Fresu: trumpet; Rosario Bonaccorso: bass; Stefano Bollani: piano.