js
Risk” is the latest CD by Italian avant-garde saxophonist Stefano Ferrian and his group known as “Ferrian’s Nutimbre”. The music on here is on the “fun” side of the avant-garde equation with lots of slam bang deconstructionist humor and tasteful witty improvisations that avoid the indulgences that mar many "outside" outings. The band lists a virtual who’s who of classic avant-garde jazz artists as their influences, which all may be true, but Nutimbre really seems to favor those who can take an almost flippant or self-deprecating approach. Some of Nutimbre’s music may remind you of Henry Threadgill, Sun Ra, The Art Ensemble of Chicago or Dolphy’s “Out to Lunch”. Along with the jazz influences, Nutimbre can also recall deconstructionist rock artists such as Ivor Cutler or Fred Frith, especially in the stuttering and stumbling semi-rock beats often favored by their drummer, Fabrizio Camiero. On the other hand, the quieter cuts on the album, such as “Hazardscapes”, can sound like modern concert hall music.
Album opener, “Oblique” sets the tone for the album with harsh yet goofy staccato chords on the piano driven by a drunken rambling rock beat. Trumpeter Vito Emanuile Galante locks in with the piano’s broken phrases and they sound like a skipping record until Vito takes off on a fractured Dixieland melody and so it goes from there. On the title cut “Risk”, the band sounds like a comically angry version of your typical pub bebop group getting increasingly off center as they trade solos in the style of an overly enthusiastic local amateur combo. “Neuphorin” shows off the band’s jazz chops with a high speed free bop romp that recalls early Ornette Coleman. Overall this CD should appeal to fans of modern avant-garde jazz, as well as fans of clever deconstructionist music in general.