Italian multi-woodwind ace Francesco Bearzatti mans the helm on Virus, along with superb support from French organist/electronics whiz Emmanuel Bex and famed drummer Aldo Romano. Whereas, special guest artists chip in on certain tracks.
Bearzatti undoes conventional organ-based trio fare with some cleverly devised arrangements. Sure, they swing and churn out a few stifling bop burners, but the group reaps strong dividends via glowing sonic characteristics and avant-garde based shifts in direction. Bex injects subtle EFX to coincide with a series of chirpy choruses, hard-hitting jazz-funk escapades and much more. Bearzatti’s deft clarinet work on “Hey” is nicely augmented by Bex’s implementation of a digital clarinet keyboard patch. It’s easily discernible that the band is having a blast, as they frequently alter previously rendered motifs via cunning improvisational opuses, in concert with a silky smooth edge. Continue reading at ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM |
ARTISTS
Francesco Bearzatti: tenor and soprano sax, clarinet – Emmanuel Bex: organ, vocoder & electronics – Aldo Romano: drums – Guests: U.T. Gandhi percussion on #4, # 6 – Stefano Senni: double bass on # 6 – Enrico Terragnoli: guitar on # 4, # 10 – Mauro Ottolini: trombone on #4, #7, #8 |