Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Daniele Cavallanti / Tiziano Tononi: Rings Of Fire

446

Daniele Cavallanti / Tiziano Tononi: Rings Of Fire

By

Sign in to view read count
Daniele Cavallanti / Tiziano Tononi: Rings Of Fire
Poet Robert Browning may not have written the line, "a man's reach should exceed his grasp" with musicians Daniele Cavallanti and Tiziano Tononi in mind. But if he were to listen to some of their music, he might just have added, "and sometimes, they get a hold of something special out there."

Rings Of Fire, a two-part suite, follows the duo's longtime collaborative efforts, which include time in the Italian Instabile Orchestra and on the discs Awake Nu / A Tribute to Don Cherry (Splasc(h), 1997), We Did It, We Did It! (Rahsaan & the None) (Splasc(h), 2000) and Peace Warriors (Black Saint, 2005). They are all sprawling, multidimensional works that reflect the artists dedication to create something larger (much larger) than themselves.

This work was commissioned by Long Song's Fabrizio Perissinotto and is comprised of two suites—"Faces," written by Cavallanti, and "Phases" by Tononi. Each utilizes an octet (or double quartet) of two-horns and two-strings. In this case American violinist Jenny Scheinman and Emanuele Parrini's viola, plus Cavallanti and Achille Succi on reeds. The group is rounded out by Tononi's drums and percussionist Pacho, plus the extraordinary electric guitar work of Massimo Moriani and bassist Giovanni Maier.

"Faces," is dedicated to film directors and is as varying as each name suggests—"Cassavetes," "Bertolucci," "Jarmusch," "Wenders" and "Eastwood." Cavallanti loves to mix chamber music with rock influences, the blues, and a bit of Americana (for the westerns). Scheinman is instantly recognizable, playing with strength and confidence, sharing the string parts with viola and electric guitar. When she squares off with Cavallanti on "Eastwood," the juxtaposition of his large tone and her snap at the strings makes for a smoky groove.

Tiziano Tononi's "Phases" suite was written for nature and natural occurrences. From the thunderous opening, the octet plays an ethnic/folk music with "Motionary Tales" that injects a jazz element. Like Cavallanti, Tononi is inspired to separate the horns from the strings and make each advance towards each other from their disparate sides. By the time the band gets to the fury of the last track, they have built a complex orchestrated tempest of sound that threatens to split open, but somehow maintains its lofty ambitions.

Track Listing

Shadows; Cassavetes; Bertolucci; Jarmusch; Wenders; Eastwood; Phase One: The Winter Moon Unit (ionisated Version); Unauthorized Fives; Motionary Tales; Phase Two: Before The Storm; Landscape #1: Where?; Phase Three: The Magnetism of Reiteration; Landscape #2: How?; Organically Returning Fives.

Personnel

Daniele Cavallanti: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Tiziano Tononi: drums, percussion, udu drum, kalimba; Jenny Scheinman: violin; Massimo Moriani: electric guitar; Pacho: percussion, gongs, conga drums; Emanuele Parrini: viola; Achille Succi: bass clarinet, alto saxophone; Giovanni Maier: double-bass, electric bass.

Album information

Title: Rings Of Fire | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Long Song

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

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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