Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Actis Band: Garibaldi

Actis Band: Garibaldi

By Glenn Astarita
April 18, 2003
Sign in to view read count

Tenor saxophonist Carlo Actis Dato pokes a little good-natured fun at the father of Italy’s modern era, Guiseppe Garibaldi, via the cover art - featuring the band dressed in period garb marching to victory. On the flip side, the saxophonist steers this quintet through some of the hardest hitting modern jazz tinged rock you’ll likely hear. Perhaps Dato’s mindset was to emulate some of Italy’s fiercest military battles via music as they intertwine bubbly Mediterranean themes with wacko electric guitar lines and various, pulsating time signatures. They pronounce triumphant choruses on “Viva Zapata” amid progressive-rock musings and breezy soloing. They stomp and grind by way of pumping 4/4 beats on “Porci Padani coinciding with a few unexpected shifts in direction.

Dato and his counterpart, saxophonist Massimo Rossi, generally soar skyward throughout, and guitarist Antonio Fontana turns up the heat when the occasion arises. In addition, Fontana strums some pleasant surf guitar licks on “Dulcinea.” No doubt, this is hard hitting stuff from beginning to end. Another strong outing by one of Italy’s modern jazz visionaries who simply refuses to rest on his laurels. Recommended...

Visit Leo Records

Track Listing

1.Vulcano Boro 2.Oued 3.Viva Zapata 4.Miso Soup 5.Porci Padani 6.Dulcinea 7.Makeba 8.Agdz 9.Taihenda 10.Polpi d

Personnel

Actis Band

Carlo Actis Dato: tenor & baritone sax, bass clarinet

Album information

Title: Garibaldi | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Leo Records

< Previous
April 2003

Next >
Welcome to All About Jazz!

Comments

About Actis Band

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.