|
We belatedly bring
to your attention this splendid live recording by Marco Lo Russo,
based on the interaction between his quartet (as well as Lo Russo
on accordion we have Claudio Trotta on drums, Tiziano Zanotti
on bass and Fabrizio Mocata on piano) and the string quartet Kuasar
String Kuartet for a project influenced by Astor Piazzolla’s
“Five Tango Sensations”, that the great argentinian
recorded with the Kronos Quartet. Many similarities catch the
eye: the names of the string quartets, the choice of album cover
based on a contrast of red and black; and finally the feelings
that tango give the listener.
However we don’t have the usual tango disc here, perhaps
well played but without feeling. It seems that Marco Lo Russo
is hiding in the great masters shadow only to then come out and
play whilst putting his own talents on show. We have 15 tracks
all written by Lo Russo ( some in collaboration with his band)
some of which are certainly reminders of Piazolla, but more often
others that explore the possibilities of jazz in tango ( with
Mocata in evidence in “Obsession” o “Cin Cin”)
or Zanotti hitting hard in “Shadow” o “Camel”
– with great solos from the accordion – here the varied
rhythmic aromas and melodies give something bewitching to the
music.
“Tango Antiguo” and “The Light Reality”, both
for string quartet only, show a truly original composer. Only
a couple of tracks fail to convince: “Largo al Factotum”
( the only solo track by Lo Russo on the album and the bonus track
“Red Tango” which seems a little superficial.
In conclusion though one can only repeat the initial comments
that this is a splendid live recording.
For further information
email : fisa@marcolorusso.com
Reviewed by Renato
Belardinelli
|
