Riccardo Chiarion, Paolo Jus, Francesco Vattovaz - Arabesques (2025)

Ten years after «Waves» – his third album as leader for Caligola, following «Sirene» (2012, with Michele Polga) and «Mosaico» (2013, with Pietro Tonolo) — guitarist Riccardo Chiarion returns to the Venetian label. On «Waves», the Gorizia–born musician led a sextet featuring, among others, John Taylor and Diana Torto. This time, he is at the helm of an essential yet remarkably cohesive trio, completed by two rising talents of the Italian jazz scene: Paolo Jus, bassist from Friuli – formerly one of Chiarion’s students at the Trieste Conservatory – and Francesco Vattovaz, a younger drummer from Trieste. Between «Waves» and this new project came «Quiet Stories» (2020), a solo guitar album, as well as a long recording hiatus filled with an intense commitment to teaching, both within and outside the conservatory. «Arabesques» features nine compositions by Chiarion, marked by elegant harmonies and a solid, dynamic rhythmic design. Jus and Vattovaz – musicians with impeccable technique, yet flexible and deeply sensitive – engage in a continuous and rewarding dialogue with the leader’s guitar. The trio’s music stands out for its constant interplay of improvisational lines among all three instruments, unfolding within a rich and varied harmonic landscape. The result is a subtle and ever–evolving balance of tonal textures and interwoven timbres. Musically, the trio moves within post–modal jazz, where harmonies shift and modulate with brevity and clarity. The influences of Bill Evans and John Abercrombie are apparent, alongside echoes of Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor, with whom Chiarion has both recorded and performed. The rhythmic dimension is equally crucial, exploring a range of meters — including five and seven — with intricate rhythmic embroidery made possible by the group’s natural and constant interplay. The album moves from the brisk, energetic 3/4 of “Snow Dance” to “Sofia”, a tender and romantic ballad; from the pulsating 7/4 groove of “Seven” to the “hidden” blues of the third tune; and finally to “Light”, bright and graceful, almost dance–like – a perfect close to a long–awaited, convincing album. With «Arabesques», Riccardo Chiarion reaffirms himself as one of the most talented, original, and refined guitarists on today’s Italian jazz scene.