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Il Baricentro - Sconcerto CD (album) cover

SCONCERTO

Il Baricentro

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

3.76 | 55 ratings

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Ricochet
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars A "sconcert" that's full of vitamins, juicy stuff, drifting talent and consistent music - and of progressive rock, kudos to the mixture of 70s rock and original jazz creating a warm combination of colors and liquid fireworks; this is how Baricentro's first album (far from calling it a simple debut, it's too strong) sounds like, down the more or less usual path of jazz-rock, fusion heat, electric melodism and rock composer. Its field isn't powerful enough to bring a swell impression, its pleasure, instead, is half the great quality that's installed in this album.

Despite that almost all the members have come from playing in a band (Festa Mobile and its rock nucleus), plus from an early field of rock and vanilla-jazz, Il Baricentro's moment sounds fresh, far-dropped and confines an artistic intensity and pattern from, mostly, a world of technique and shining expressions (and, more importantly, from a wisdom of emotion dominating the fuse and the rhythms, and gallantry dominating over too simple or straight improvisations). Sconcerto, most especially, shines as something natural, even pastured, still fired and fusion-flickered most of the times. Both the traditional and the nonconformist, the somber and the fun, the hypnotic and the light, the radical and the alternative musical tastes are merged in a mellow point, where good music also means a lot of sensual slide, and the jazz/fusion technique is one small step close to a spiritual and healthy art. The key to Sconcerto's good mood is how intense, instead of remarkable, and imaginative, even if not original, the scores abounds. The rest is either good or tranquill, either fascinating or too plain, either creative or vicious.

It seems interesting how each of the four artists play a percussion role; nevertheless, the Bocuzzi brothers create out of the keyboards a state of the art - and the strongest link to fusion and electric jazz, too. The great idea of fusion can sound different to each and every one who listens to Sconcerto, meaning that there's a bit of freedom and good taste in the jam, unrelated to anything particular or too shabby - but references could make you think of Weather Report and their key/fusion/funk-tap, of Return To Forever and their bit of prolific "feathery" jazz, of Mahavishnu and some sticky accents, of PFM and symphonic rock bands that play an airy taste of attractive art. The link with Keith Emerson (mentioned in many places) comes to a true sense when Baricentro's jam is aggressive and plastic (my best example being to think of "Blues Variation" from ELP's Pictures..., where Emerson sweats on a same vibrating and high-pitch Mellotron). In short and conclusive words about Sconcerto's style, its jazz/fusion is more different and moderately rocking, while it's natural high-marks of (Italian) symphonic are spontaneous and gusting.

Few words are left to be said about each of the seven precious pieces, since they all are part of the same consistent concept and vibrating rhythm, sketching a diversity of moods and colors thanks to the set of melodic, emotions and elastic improvisations. The fusion of Baricentro drops heavy, but not immense, in every minute, the great undulations being when the music is atmospheric or has an obscure crust (Della Venis), dominating and insatiable rhythm (Afka) or when a drop of pop makes the music sensibly light (Meridioni e Paralleli).

Sconcerto can't be called an easy winner, but something from its pleasant and juicy art makes it all worth.

Ricochet | 4/5 |

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