| Jazz |
Gianluca Vigliar presents here his third album, which is actually the second one released by our friends at A.MA Records, whose productions are known to be among the finest in Europe, even surpassing larger labels in terms of artistic choices and recording quality. This rule is once again fully respected here, offering us an album of exceptionally high artistic richness. Continuing the themes explored in the 2019 album “Plastic Estrogenus” about plastic pollution in our oceans, “Eclipse” takes us further to comment on space debris and the overuse of satellites launched from Earth that clutter the cosmos. Saxophonist and composer Gianluca Vigliar is once again joined by his long-time musical collaborator Marco Valeri on drums, with the quartet completed by Ameen Saleem (Roy Hargrove Quintet) on bass, born in Washington DC and residing in Brooklyn, and Domenico Senna on piano.
The compositions by Gianluca Vigliar are on par with what you can hear on the finest American stages, developing a complex writing skillfully wrapped in warm arrangements and remarkable musicianship. To be honest, I have listened to this album seven or eight times before starting this review, as I am truly in awe of the playing of each instrumentalist on this album. It is undeniably music to be experienced live, yet the finely crafted production allows you to feel a performance very close to being “live.” Indeed, it is certain that this album will stand the test of time, thanks to its acoustic quality and Gianluca Vigliar’s highly modern playing.
“Eclipse,” as a track, represents the album’s ongoing relationship between the traditional sensitivities of bebop and pure jazz, combined with forays into experimentation with more contemporary and modern sounds, styles, and genres. It showcases the virtuosity of each Quartet member while keeping its focus on the album’s fundamental themes as a whole. This is the secret of this album, which becomes a magical object thanks to the skill of our friend Antonio Martino, who has the gift of discovering the best and providing them with a setting worthy of the talent of the musicians he collaborates with.
“Eclipse” is an album of exceptional quality, intelligent, enjoyable, slightly intellectual, elitist without closing itself off to a specific type of listener. As you may have understood, once again the editors of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move have deemed this album “Essential.”
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, January 24th 2024
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Tracklisting:
1. Not Again!
2. Electrostereo
3. Music, The Answer
4. Eclypse 08:57
5. Fe-On
6. Mani di Fata
7. August 25Th
8. Satellite’s Highway
9. Lost Ocean
Gianluca Vigliar Tenor Saxophone
Domenico Sanna Piano
Ameen Saleem Double Bass
Marco Valeri DrumsRecorded in Rome in the “Extrabeat recording” studio- 2023
Mixed and Mastered by Tullio Ciriello A.MA Records Studio Bari
Tracks 1-2-4-5-8 by Gianluca Vigliar ©&℗ A.MA Edizioni
Tracks 3-7- by Domenico Sanna ©&℗ A.MA Edizioni
Track 6 by Carlo Conti Copyright Control
Track 9 by Mercedes Rossy Copyright Control