Search - Furio Romano Quintet :: Danza Delle Streghe

Furio Romano's Danza Delle Streghe is the strongest statement from saxophonist Furio Romano, whose quintet -- Rudy Migliardi, trombone/tuba; Donato Scolese, vibes; Piero di Renzo, bass; and Massimo Pintori, drums -- has grown enormously from their mid-'80s offerings to this signature work. Romano is a modernist; his ideological roots belie the part of the tradition blazed by Mingus, Grachan Moncur, Dolphy, and Ted Curson. In fact, perhaps the finest rendition in Italian jazz of "Gooodbye Pork-Pie Hat" is on this album. But it's the manner in which it translates into the quintet's own work that matters most. On "Metal Roots," vibes and bass create an atmospheric groove akin to Nino Rota before Romano slides in on the solo, turning the blues up and altering the harmonics from a minor ninth to a major augmented seventh in only four measures. His solo moves back and forth against the vibes first and then the rest of the rhythm section until he has congealed a slightly funky, greasy groove with beautiful tension and harmonic interplay happening seemingly from everywhere at once. On the title track, what begins as a free jazz free-for-all improv gives way to a slippery composition full of accents, turnarounds, and angular melodic sensibilities that keep the harmonic invention sharp and alive. The establishment of a riff from all this by Scolese gives it a loose, Horace Silver-at-the-circus feel with a wonderful, lilting swing and shimmering vibes marking the intervals. This is a hell of a record, one of the finest in the Splasc(h) 300 series -- and that's saying something. Fans of the Mingus bands with Ted Curson and Dolphy will love this, as will fans of Tina Brooks and Bobby Hutcherson. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide. Tracks and durations: 1 Metal Roots 9:22 2 Ombre Di Luna 13:16 3 Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat 11:22 and 4 Danza Delle Streghe 14:17.