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My last review of an acid jazz album was more than a decade ago. Gazzara's new album Portrait In Acid Jazz (2018) is a welcome gift to return to this genre. Its heyday was in the late eighties and early nineties. But at no time did the flame of this style go out. The Italian band Gazzara bears the name of its founder keyboardist and composer Francesco Gazzara, who together with Massimo Sanna (bass) and Mauro "Mirtao" Mirti (percussion) really got jazz going.
The group started with the aptly titled album One (1996), followed by Grand Central Boogie (1998), and The Spirit Of Summer (2002). Francesco Gazzara also released as solo artist Hammond Express, The Piano Room, Brother And Sister (2006), My Cup Of Tea (2009), The Bossa Lounge Experience (2013) and Gazzara Plays Genesis (2014).
With We Had a Ball return the memories to the good old time, when music had that special swing and lightheartedness. Mix a little Brian Auger and The Trinity with Ronny Jordan or Zachary Breaux and you get some taste of this kind of vibe and jazz. The gospel-soul influenced song Heaven sends us the revelation of dream singer Lily Latuheru. This vocalist with Moluccan heritage is someone definitely worth to discover.
Jazid Wonderland is an jaunt into the land of funky wah-wah guitar during an electronic sightseeing tour. Jazz Is real play. This is Gazzara's special Bossa definition of jazz. Lily Latuheru's silky voice is anew the sparkling jewel of Into the Night. Sanità is a healthy blend of relaxed percussive groove. Dario Cecchini unleashes an earthy vortex on his saxophone.
If you have no idea, what Portuguese Soul is all about, just listen to the pleasant track. Laces makes a melodramatic impression, that is somewhat in contrast to the other songs on the album. Yasemin Sannino lends words to the drama. The cheerfulness returns with Sunday at Six, an enjoyable excursion into cosiness.
How to compose a piece about Water? The band sees the essential, water flows and so does the music. On Galactic Cowboys the band ingeniously mixes elements of country music, represented by the harmonica, with spacy keyboard sounds, spiced up with a fast pace. Last tune of the album is In The Beginning which is by no means a contradiction, but a promise of continuation. The piece is interspersed with a melody sequence that is still known to many from the Temptations.
Gazzara delivers with Portrait In Acid Jazz an abundance of undeniably fresh music with a stylistically incredibly broad palette. This album is for all who love contrasts.
Buy the album in all stores
Album Information
Title: Portrait In Acid Jazz
Artist: Gazzara
Year: 2017
Genre: Acid Jazz
Label: Irma Records
Tracks:
1 We Had a Ball 3:56
2 Heaven (feat. Lily Latuheru) 4:44
3 Jazid Wonderland 5:00
4 Jazz Is 3:48
5 Into the Night (feat. Lily Latuheru) 4:51
6 Sanità 4:22
7 Portuguese Soul 5:21
8 Laces (feat. Yasemin Sannino) 5:41
9 Sunday at Six 3:50
10 Water 5:25
11 Galactic Cowboys 4:44
12 In the Beginning 5:34