FONDERIA

Italian band Fonderia represents a big asset in today's modern jazz environment, as well as the preservation of experimental jazz and rock in their own country. Acid jazz, new jazz and fusion are amalgamated through heavily psychedelic sonic expansions, incorporating electronic ambiences, evocative moods and occasional progressive-oriented ornaments. Together with the new jazz sonorities you can tell that there is also much influence from classics such as Weather Report, and perhaps Perigeo as well. The nuances are managed elegantly as the instrumentalists go on exploring the basic musical ideas confidently, energetically yet mostly not in an overwhelming manner, but prioritizing subtleties. The most recurrent soloists are Bultrini and Pietropaoli, with keyboardsman Vicarelli joining in the limelight at times. Vicarelli's functionality is more focused on the elaboration of surroundings and moods (good use of Moog, Theremin, organ, electric piano,.), as well as samplers and other electronic ornaments; these and Nespola's precise drumming create a coherent background that isn't only a background in itself, but a very relevant element for each piece's development. The sense of mystery and darkness that somehow prevails in the album is not creepy or disturbing, but mostly ethereal, in the same way that Ozric Tentacles gets eerie at its softest. This eponymous album flows naturally, an album that one can listen while watching things go by through time, thanks to its perfectly fluid repertoire. The constrained tension of 'Dubbio II', the textural serenity of 'Dubarcord' and 'Ora Legale', the dreamy exoticism that displays its vital Arabic-Flamenco colorfulness in 'Piazza Vittorio', the foggy soundscapes of 'Dante, At Last', the cosmic ambiences of 'Statico', each and every one of all these musical resources elaborate a well-ordained transition of emotions and evocations. Every time that a guitar lead gets a bit louder than usual or a synth begins to sound apparently menacing, it is indeed something else: it is the momentary enhancement of a layer that until then had been kept in a very subtle level, like a moment of excitement among a train of tranquil thought. The exception to this "rule" is 'Afa II', a piece where Bultrini delivers a series of unquiet guitar phrases (very Frippian, indeed), all over a rhythmic cadence that reminds us of the ancient roots of avant-garde jazz. All in all, "Fonderia" is an exquisite album that serves as a solid testimony for this band's talent - proof of this talent is their ability to surpass this beautiful album with their sophomore release, but that is a matter for another review. A solid sense of structure and a joint effort to keep technical virtuosism subject to the rules generated from each composition's overall mood: these are two elements that reveal the band's musical essence, and they are indeed reflected quite well in "Fonderia".