The interplay between Lorenzo De Finti and Fabrizio Bosso is phenomenal. I’d want to hear more.

Losen Records LOS 267-2

Lorenzo De Finti – Piano; Fabrizio Bosso – Trumpet

Two very talented Italian musicians recorded an album of lullabies for a Norwegian record label that I think you should hear.

Pianist Lorenzo De Finti composed most of LULLABIES FROM AN UNKNOWN TIME. There’s also bit of Stravinsky, Chick Corea, and a Venezuelan folk song, You won’t hear ‘Kumbaya ’or ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’

Lorenzo De Finti studied classical music at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire in Milan. He got into jazz at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

When I heard the first few notes from Fabrizio Bosso I thought about Maurice Andre, the great classical trumpet player. Bosso’s technique is amazing. He’ll be playing something midrange and he’ll glide up to some ridiculously high note. It sounds like he’s not straining at all. He makes it sound as easy as falling out of a chair. His phrasing is so concise. All his notes are crystal clear. He started playing the trumpet at five and by fifteen he was a graduate of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire.

’Solitary Perception ’has a typical lullaby beginning. There’s a simple but pretty piano intro. Bosso’s warm sounding trumpet blends in beautifully. They weave back and forth with the piano hugging the lower range and the trumpet reaching for the higher notes.

The piano on ‘Will You Still Be There ’is a springboard for Bosso’s trumpet. De Finti plays the same couple of notes over and over. The trumpet plays the theme and then solos up into the stratosphere. The piano changes course and quietly improvises on the theme.

There are three tunes without trumpet. Chick Corea used electric piano when he recorded ‘Crystal Silence.’ Lorenzo De Finti’s version on his Yamaha Grand Piano is sublime. ’The Nightingale ’is a short piece with a few perfectly placed dainty notes.

When piano and trumpet do play together neither fight for the spotlight. They’ve played together before. Often the piano will suggest something and the trumpet will eagerly go with it.

Lullabies have been around for a very long time. They helped soothe or convince a child it was time to go to bed. If I played this at bedtime I think I’d have a hard time getting to sleep. The music’s too good; it’s too interesting. The interplay between Lorenzo De Finti and Fabrizio Bosso is phenomenal. I’d want to hear more.

Reviewed by Tim Larsen