Largely Strino tunes this deeply impressive long play listen was recorded in June 2024 at the Artesuono studio near Udine. There’s no useful background information anywhere on the issuing label’s website which is a pity. But clearly this is an even more impressive recording from Strino than before on CAM Jazz.
Strino is so original a writer and the pervasive style of the pieces that all have a darting, dancing positive quality to them is so different from gloomy Nordic approaches that usually seize the agenda and belong in a different bracket entirely. The opening piece is a tip of the hat to Blue Note label guitar icon Julian Lage who makes use of Neapolitan sixth chords – a type of chromatic chord that functions as a predominant in classical music theory.
Even more convincing – it’s less retro – than 2023’s standards stocked I Got Strings with Greg Cohen and Joey Baron, there’s more in common here with say some of Chick Corea’s more Iberian type inspirations and there’s a playfulness and lightness of touch you sometimes get from a Paolo Fresu type release too. Worth discovering.
