TRUSCIANT

The second and last Il Baricentro album reinforces the jazz-fusion trend that had already been dominantly relevant for the band's debut effort. Here, in "Trusciant", it is quite clear that the combo led by the Boccuzzi brothers has a strong focus on the funky jazz framework that was at the moment functioning in the limelight of American NE and NW coasts' musical scenes. The resulting sonic amalgam is adequately augmented with an exotic swing by two guest percussionists, which help Il Baricentro lean closer to Santana and Traffic in places. The percussion section is enhanced, but still there is a prevalence of the harmonies and constructed solos by the two keyboardists. The rhythm duo of drummer Mangini and bassist Napolitano also makes itself noticed through the nuclear jams of each track. This whole introductory description is perfectly valid for tracks 1, 3 & 5, all of them catchy, up-tempo and not really long, filled with pleasant melodic developments and properly delivered in tight rhythmic schemes. All in all, this is not the whole story, since the few moments in which the lyrical symphonic factor makes itself featured (either opposite or together with the jazz-funky ambience) remind us of how genuinely Italian this band is. The namesake track (which happens to be my fave one from the album, actually) comprises beautiful evocative piano passages that eventually pave the way for the installation of a motif of flourishing textures that effectively state a sort of combination of "Ultima Cena"-era Banco and Weather Report. This lyrical accentuation will also appear on the last 2 numbers, which show the usual dose of elegance and polished finesse that these musicians have gotten us used to; on the other hand, the jazz element is more notorious in these pieces than on 'Trusciant'. 'Akua' is the most serene track in the album, being a soft, crepuscular ballad whose grayish melancholy serves as a counterpart to the album's predominantly colorful moods. Even though I don't enjoy this album as much as the band's debut release, it too has to be regarded as a very good item in any good prog collection. Il Baricentro is underrated among prog connoisseurs, but they shouldn't be.