Smell Quintet - Too Close For Comfort (2006)

Two generations meet, and the music explodes. We are talking about jazz and we are talking about one of the icons of Italian jazz: Gianni Cazzole. It was 1957, when Gianni Cazzola officially crossed the border for the first time as part of the Franco Cherry group, since then there has been a series of prestigious collaborations with representatives of the jazz world such as Steve Grossman, Steve Lacey, Art Farmer, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz. Billie Holiday, Sheila Jordan, Sarah Vaughn, Gianluigi Troversi, Giorgio Gaslini, Franco D'Andrea, Massimo Urbani, Paolo Fresu. A CD of the highest quality and magnificent rhythm, dictated by an unmistakable common thread: jazz. Undoubtedly, it is Gianni Cazzola who conducts with the air of a veteran, with a noticeable and powerful rhythm running at full speed, like a cover train engraved on the lid of a watch, but, as a result, he is supported by four excellent Bolognese musicians who run through the melodies most dear to fans of the genre with freshness, without falling into banality, giving the right duende has individuality and deep originality. The unstoppable rocking of the drums is accompanied by notes of tenor and baritone saxophone by Michele Vignali, of which it is worth noting the composition Zelinda, masterfully supported on guitar by Marco Bovi, piano by Nico Menchi and Paolo Benedettini on double bass. An excellent performance, as evidenced by the extensive descriptive notes by Paolo Fresu, who took the time to write precisely in order to imagine listening to this CD, which should not be missed. The recording quality is excellent, perfectly balanced with spontaneous and never intrusive sounds with a natural sound, even in the context of traditional mixing. It is also recommended for audiophiles.