The duo of Francesco Bearzatti & Federico Casagrande in performance at the Arrigoni theatre in San Vito al Tagliamento earlier this year
The shock of the few
Cling on to the fact that the tunes here are originals - the shock of the ingeniously crafted few more than any fear of the new shouldn't be an obstacle.
Italian duo act saxophonist/clarinettist Francesco Bearzatti and guitarist Federico Casagrande who wrote the tunes recorded the album at Stefano Amerio's Artesuono studio near Udine. Â
Peirani player
Casagrande may be familiar to you from accordionist Vincent Peirani's 2022 album Jokers where he rocks out a lot more.
Contemporary sounding
The Casagrande guitar sound is cloudy and modernistic - a big step away from being prog.
But certainly there are hints. And what's here is contemporary sounding enough to make sense to a kind of jazz that is a long way away from the however much loved mannerisms and habits of the ''golden age.''
Muthspiel springs to mind
I can't really compare him to anyone apart from in one place. And that's where Wolfgang Muthspiel springs to mind. Specifically that happens on the track 'Step by Step' it's a little like the guitar sound found on the great Austrian's Driftwood track 'Highline' issued a decade ago.
Part of a commonweal
Produced by Ermanno Basso whose CAM Jazz is reliably a first rank operation - really you can only in all sanity put a few jazz labels anywhere in the same breath as his Italian operation - Blue Note, ECM, ACT, Edition if talking in terms of exporting such consistent quality and artistic vision.
The label's Kenny Wheeler output for instance Six For Six (2013) which has not only John Taylor and Under Milk Wood legend Bobby Wellins on it but the recently deceased Spin Marvel drummer Martin France in its personnel is among the glories of a bountiful back catalogue of considerable curatorial prowess and range.
Otto Preminger inspired elsewhere
Bearzatti is also on a new trio album entitled Behind Anatomy (Auand ***) out at the moment also recorded at the same studio. It's with double bassist Stefano Risso and drummer Mattia Barbieri and is inspired by Otto Preminger’s 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder.
Francesco Bearzatti and Federico Casagrande, photo: Elisa Caldana
Long play listen
By much more preferable contrast And Then Winter Came Again is very much a long play listen - meaning don't cherry pick.
Let the album play as its effects multiply rather than diminish.
Poise in a certain weightlessness
There's a strong intimacy and focus here. And on a track such as '3007' a lot of passion from Bearzatti otherwise kept firmly under wraps.
'Major Sadness' is the track that convinced us most.
But despite the gloomy track title the overarching mood on this piece, and speaking generally throughout the album, is more thoughtful and concomitantly poetic rather than self consciously doom laden.
Functionally there is no feeling of absence of bass nor drums.
Somehow because he is so rhythmic and knows so much about the weightlessness of subtle pulsar shifts Casagrande occupies what can't even be reckoned as any perceived absence unless you actively choose to obsess about this.
Bearzatti lightens the mood on 'Junky Pippo' - the fruity woodwind resonances at his disposal and the jaunty syncopation of the track means it is a different glimpse into what the duo are capable of. The circularity of the rhythmic set-up on 'Minor Happiness' is as fascinating as it is ear catching.
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