he is able to twist and bend his notes elegantly around the framework of the tunes and illuminate the romantic and calming aspects of each piece.
Losen: LOS300-2
Luca Aquino: Flugelhorn, Trumpet; Giovanni Francesca: Electric Guitar; Dario Miranda: Double Bass, Electronics, Dulcitone
Recorded May 3 and August 7, 2023 by Giovanni Francesca at Element Studio, San Giorgio del Sannio, Italy
Inspired by the mountain range that overlooks Sannio, which has the appearance of a sleeping woman, this collection of tunes celebrates the ‘ancestral myth of Mother Earth, while simultaneously reminding us of the mountain’s strength, which comes from calm and peace.’ This drumless trio weaves a spell of eerie tranquility in music that has elements of magic and mystery.
The melodies convey a feeling of traditional music, with simple, repeating motifs appearing like snatches of folk songs. Around these melodies the trio weave a shimmering improvisation, with Aquino’s trumpet or flugelhorn and Francesca’s guitar being washed in delicate reverb and tremolo as if the music is being mixed through a kaleidoscope.
Miranda and Aquino have a long association in their membership of the Emiliano d’Auria quartet and on this set they swap out piano and drums, asking Francesca to create a one-man rhythm section. One most of the tracks, Francesca’s role is to provide the chordal shape of the piece, with filigree picking to underpin the melody or gently strummed chords.
Occasionally the guitar is used to provide swirling undercurrents across a few bars, which provides a sense of unease and disquiet but never disturbs the flow of the melody.
Miranda’s arco bass on the opening track and track 6 has the majesty of a classical ‘cello piece. Each carefully placed note is subsequently echoed by Aquino’s flugelhorn into a delicate ‘sweet noise’, as the title has it (‘Dolce rumore’). Aquino’s sound on the album is as rich, vibrant and experimental as ever.
What is especially noteworthy is how the constraints on these pieces might curtail the experimentation of lesser players, because there seems so little room for manoeuvre in the carefully constructed compositions. But he is able to twist and bend his notes elegantly around the framework of the tunes and illuminate the romantic and calming aspects of each piece.
