Label: Caligola, 2020
Personnel: Luca Zennaro: guitar; Nicola Caminiti: alto saxophone; Jacopo Fagioli: trumpet; Michelangelo Scandroglio: bass; Mattia Galeotti: drums.
For his young age, Italian guitarist Luca Zennaro exhibits a strong musical personality. Unlike his full-length debut, Javaskara, which was configured for the quartet format, When Nobody is Listening has a core of five musicians plus guests conspiring to create a relaxed session of cohesively structured originals that explores Zennaro's lyrical qualities. Alto saxophonist Nicola Caminiti is the only one transitioning from the previous recording, while the remaining positions are filled by trumpeter Jacopo Fagioli, bassist Michelangelo Scandroglio, and drummer Mattia Galeotti. Guest pianists Alessandro Lanzoni and Nico Tangherlini appear on selected tracks.
The title track kicks off the session with an introductory procedure that aims to draw some mystery. The horn section emerges, giving it a quick punch, but that flux of energy gradually dissolves into cerebral improvisations by the bandleader, who cooks it with precision, and Lanzoni, who eventually expands the contemplative tones with compact harmonic filling and cascading melodic streams. Both pianist and guitarist stand out again on “How Time Flies”, a pop/rock-influenced piece with a three time feel, where they focus on trade offs with different durations. The intensity rises by the end with supplementary exchanges between Caminiti and Fagioli.
Following a similar line of thought, yet freer in posture, the piano-less “Camporovere” carries notable folk rock influences on its sunny chordal movements. Scandroglio becomes melodically active during the introductory section, while the horn players permeate the theme statement with some counterpoint and unisons. The waltz time also reigns here.
Both identically short in duration, “Heritage” and “If I Could, Why Not?” denote contrasting natures. The former is a solo guitar effort with multiple color gradients, whereas the latter favors a muscled freestyle playing that stirs the calm waters of cuts like “Giochi di Luca” and “Recitativo”. In the latter, Tangherlini’s pianism emerge with surrealism like raindrops falling delicately from the sky. The dreamy tones are corroborated by Zennaro at first, but his guitar sparks more and more with energy as the group gets closer to the end.
“Simala” is another piece that embraces soft textures at an early phase. The waters are considerably agitated by Galleoti’s strong percussive presence, as well as individual statements and the dynamic comping that underpins them.
Not particularly affluent in twists, When Nobody is Listening compensates with consistent musical moments where the chemistry between the musicians involved reveals to be decisive.
Grade B
Favorite Tracks:
03 - Camporovere ► 06 - How Time Flies ► 09 - Recitativo