Jacopo Ferrazza: Fantásia

Jacopo Ferrazza's imaginative Fantásia opens luminous landscapes for his emotive basslines and Alessandra Diodati's dreamy vocals (in her recording debut) to float and wander over, around, and through. Ferrazza's bass and synthesizers lead an elastic quintet through a suite of soft compositions that reflect his romantic sound, his classical (piano) training, his jazz sense of curiosity and adventure, and perhaps even a poet's or painter's eye for pastel colors and harmony. Deep moaning tones from cellist Livia de Romanis flood each composition with extra breadth and depth.

Its first two tracks firmly establish this ethereal mood. The leadoff and title track opens with an acoustic piano melody that Diodati's evocative, wistful voice picks up and traces. But just as her voice lifts up and begins soaring over this spacy landscape, the music erupts into disparate bass, drum and trumpet sounds: Bass and drums dig so deep down they seem to claw a hole in the song's floor while guest Fabrizio Bosso's trumpet scrapes against its upper limits. These seem like two disconnected parts until Diodati's vocal floats in and descends like a bridge across them to close this first glimpse of Fantásia.

"The Explorers" is a great description of this ensemble as they traverse this tune. Drums open with a staccato beat that Ferazza's bass quickly picks up and strings together. Then the music goes through so many different passages, including a vocal section where synthetic and human voices dance on a melody as colorful and fleeting as a butterfly, that it's difficult to keep track. This leads drummer Valeria Vantaggio and pianist Enrico Zanisi, into an acoustic piano trio jazz section that relentlessly keeps changing its own rhythm and shape, some of the most amazing (jazz) music of the set. "The Explorers" is an excellent musical adventure for the listener, too.

"Step By Step" seems to build in precisely that way: Cello and violin twirl the first verse into a beautiful dance with piano and Diodati's spectral voice; pushed hard by the rhythm section, the remaining steps grow in power without increasing tempo or volume. Ferrazza's sympathetic bass thrusts and tugs, energizing pianist Zanisi's closing solo, a gorgeous jazz crown atop this curiously satisfying combination of instrumental styles.

Bosso's guest trumpet and Diodati's ethereal, haunting voice whisper eternity into "Old Souls," another beautiful reflection in this expansive journey through Fantásia.

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