Cristiano Calcagnile Multikulti Ensemble - The Gift Of Togetherness (2019)

In 2013 Cristiano Calcagnile, a drummer who explores many genres, from avant–garde rock to experimental jazz, began working on the idea of a tribute to the trumpeter Don Cherry, a brilliant and visionary elf, precursor of world music. After its debut in 2014 in Milan and some festival appearances, the Calcagnile Octet recorded the material for its debut album, «Multikulti Cherry on» (2017, Caligola), during three 2015 October days in Mestre (Venezia).

However, the band did not deplete its creative path with that record. It continued to work and, although inspired by the Oklahoma trumpeter, it went on an increasingly original and evocative journey. The need to look ahead, even at cost of taking risks, without betraying the original sound, has made the release of a new work almost inevitable, using materials from that 2015 fruitful recording session (including one live version of Communion Suite), but with the addition of some studio overdubs.

The original compositions are privileged over Cherry’s themes on this occasion. «The Gift of Togetherness» confirms us that something new has taken shape under Don Cherry’s protective wings. Thanks to empathy of the band, that is now a nonet with the addition of pianist Alberto Braida – here at the Fender Rhodes – the strong personalities of its musicians are put at the service of the collective, without the individual freedoms being suffocated. That of the Multikulti Ensemble is an expressive urgency that is conveyed in a playful manner, at times irreverent, but not without engaging drama.