Search - Italian Instabile Orchestra :: Skies of Europe

Joyous melodic folk jazz chaos.

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 10/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a gift these guys are. Sixteen wonderful Italian musicians come together to play two wonderful compositions by Girgio Gaslini (piano and the occassional anvil) and Bruno Tommaso (double bass). Many of these players are leaders of their own groups and wonderful composers in their own right. Particularly worthy of mention are Gianluigi Trovesi (reeds (and see his own albums particularly Around Small Fairy Tales)), Carlo Actis Dato (baritone sax), Mario Schiano (alto sax), Guido Mazzon and Pino Minafra (trumpets) and Renato Geremia on violin. But everyone who solos is wonderful and the ensemble passages are altenately funny, rambunctious, and sometimes quite beautiful. It is worth pointing out that each of the two pieces is divided into sections that quite stand alone, are melodically and instrumentally quite different and yet thematically linked. One of the things that I always like about the Italians is how they weave their regional folk, traditional, renaissance and classical melodies into their jazz compositions and improvs. It seems to serve them in much the same way that the blues tradition and vocabulary serves American jazz artists. Listening to this album is a wonderfully different experience for American mainstream and progressive jazz listeners. Give your ears and your secret Italian soul (and we all have one) a treat-buy this."