Don’t Know
Principal, 2022
8/10
The Italian artists Claudio Scolari Project return with a 6th album, where their experimental jazz ideas and fascinating improvised sounds sure do impress across the 11 unpredictable pieces.
“Siculiana” starts the listen with crisp drums and soulful trumpet amid the dancing piano prowess of the warm and adventurous 6+ minutes, and “Binary Code” follows with plenty of atmosphere as some spacey moments are complemented by the bouncy bass work.
The title track arrives in the middle, and moves with an intimate spirit of reflective song craft that does get a bit more firm later on, while “Wet Sand”, the album’s best, glides swiftly with dynamic keys, acrobatic drumming and the animated brass.
Nearing the end, “Night Moon” is heavy on mood with a charming demeanor of sci-fi like programming and curious jazz bouts, and “Cold Water” exits the listen with a clever dreaminess that benefits from a dance friendly beat, blurry horns, cultured percussion and skilled bass lines.
CSP consists of Claudio Scolari (drums, synth programming), Daniele Cavalca (drums, live synth, rhodes, piano), Simone Scolari (trumpet) and Michele Cavalca (electric bass), and together their collective strength and experience makes for an avant-garde listen like no other in the area of European experimental and contemporary jazz sounds.
Travels well with: Dan Cavalca- Lights Of Red Island; Claudio Scolari Project- Cosmology