Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nicolas Masson / Roberto Pianca / Emanuele Maniscalco: Third Reel

7

Nicolas Masson / Roberto Pianca / Emanuele Maniscalco: Third Reel

By

Sign in to view read count
Nicolas Masson / Roberto Pianca / Emanuele Maniscalco: Third Reel
This Swiss-Italian trio of well-travelled musicians benefits from ECM Records' fabled sonic ambiance, largely brought to fruition by distinct audio engineering processes, owing to spatial characteristics and great depth. Its sound is categorically different than customary jazz, jazz-rock or avant- garde-tinted productions. Whether it's the artists' subtly creative exercises that are introspective and understated, or guitarist Roberto Pianca's hardcore rock guitar voicings manning the helm, the band is also at ease when lightly navigating across rolling hills and winding paths.

Saxophonist Nicolas Masson's surging sax parts often take on spiritual implications. On "Improvisation 2," Pianca's grunge guitar phrasings offer an expansive plane for Masson's yearning lines atop Emanuele Maniscalco's snappy drumming. It's like the musicians are communicating with a higher authority, but with might and fortitude. With asymmetrical progressions framed on lament and solemn improvisational segments, the trio's diverse offering elicits a sense of anticipation throughout.

The trio enters a forbidden zone during "Freeze," amped by Pianca's distortion-laced notes and Maniscalco's tumbling tom rolls; yet Masson's singing choruses on "Improvisation 4" subliminally translate into an imaginary scenario of Billie Holiday belting out an avant-shaped blues number. The trio mixes it up within the free-zone on "Neuer Mond," engaging in a clustering series of dialogues that serve as a robust vehicle for Masson. Intense and sublime, Third Reel presents an emotively charged force that yields an abundance of hearty rewards amidst the dips, spikes and offbeat passages, all meshed into a transcendental time warp of sorts.

Track Listing

After All; Furious Seasons; Orbits; Improvisation 2; Bley; Neuer Mond Prologue; Improvisation 5; Miserere; Freeze; Fasten; Ginkgo; Sparrow; Spectrum; Eleventh Winter Tale; Improvisation 4; Neuer Mond.

Personnel

Third Reel
band / ensemble / orchestra

Nicolas Masson: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Roberto Pianca: guitar; Emanuele Maniscalco: drums.

Album information

Title: Third Reel | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: ECM Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.