Released
to coincide with the upcoming appearances at the
London Jazz Festival this third album from a
marching band from Italy will not be instantly
accessible to everyone and indeed some might dismiss
it without investigation. If that is the case then
they will have missed a left-field gem!
Firstly, this is one heck of a
funky outfit who have opened for the likes of James
Brown and are firmly influenced by him and the likes
of Maceo Parker and George Clinton not just in the
groove but in the showmanship as well. Just check
out You Tube!
Led by saxophonist Dario Cecchini,
these 15 musicians who all hail from the same
village in Tuscany and who just came together to
play a 'bit of music' have since 1998 slowly taken
the Jazz festival circuit by storm. This album shows
us the reason why. A high energy, exuberant mix of
brass and percussion is the order of the day on
all original compositions with the funk so potent
and raw that it hurts! Listening to 15 guys playing
at full volume is certainly not subtle but that
comes with the tight intricate arrangements and
solid rhythmic foundation which is evident
throughout.
The opener 'Magic Touch'
leads the way in what to expect full-on funk with
sax solos that slowly build to a crescendo and a
beat which refuses to let go. Other standouts
include the chorus-led 'I wanna get funky now' whose
middle passages are melodically softer before the
band gets hold of the tune to climax with
interchanges between sax and brass and 'No What' where
the skill of
tight disciplined playing really comes to the fore
with the band changing tempos with considerable
ease. The scat led 'Blue Pill' is also
worth a mention.
In short the band provide an
aggressive sound in an album which needs to be
played at high volume for best effect and will never
no matter how good it is replace the thrill of a
live performance. Catch them if you can!
