UNTITLED

Moto Perpetuo began life in 1996 in Gallarate, a town in the province of Varese, Lombardia. They were mainly inspired by artists such as Chuck Corea, Pat Metheney, Yellowjackests or Weather Report and the name of the band refers to their ever changing attitude in mixing jazz, rock and classical music with their own creativity and sensitivity. After many years of live activity on the local scene and two self released works that went almost unnoticed, in 2023 they self-released an excellent album entitled "Untitled" with a consolidated line up featuring Alessandro Lualdi (piano, keyboards), Orazio Martino (guitars), Costantino Corbetta (bass) and Roberto Ragazzo (drums) plus the guest Matilde Lualdi (violin). According to the band, this is "a small point of arrival and restart, a book with a question mark on the cover whose content is left to the imagination of those who will listen to"...

The lively opener 'Gasoline' takes you on a ride across American deserts and open landscapes full of vitality and positive energy while the following 'Clave Surprise' is calmer and darker, with classical inspired piano passages and dreamy atmospheres preluding to unexpected changes...

'J.J. Blues' starts with the electric guitar in the forefront. There are some excellent organ passages, the rhythm is relaxed and takes you away, along a blue line for mystic miles... Then it's the turn of 'Lonely Walk' that, according to the band, would be an ideal background for a solitary walk to let off some steam...

The delicate 'Irish Lullaby' is an excellent piece that features the guest Matilde Lualdi on violin and was inspired by Irish landscapes, Mother Nature and the strength of stability of maternal feelings... Then comes 'Operation: Suitcase', a piece that could describe the feeling of nervous expectation that you can experience before taking off for a holiday on a far exotic paradise, when you have just to focus on the content of your suitcase savouring the sense of freedom that's going to come...

'Grain' has the soft, steady step of a pink panther while 'Joint Point' is a lively track whose title evokes a point of union and communion. Funky rhythms and organ parts that could recall Jimmy Smith... Next comes 'N.B.F.' whose title could be an acronym for Natural Born Fifteen or, if you prefer, Nervous Breakdown Fever. It's a track that, according to the band, was inspired by a wild, odd teenager, combative and idealistic...

'Untitled', the title track ends the album leaving to the listener the task to set his imagination free to give form to the images that notes suggest. It begins by a calm piano pattern, then goes through many changes as to evoke the different scenes of a beautiful dream...

On the whole, a very good work that it's really worth listening to.