Rosario Bonaccorso: A Beautiful Story

What does Theodore Roosevelt have do do with jazz? The saying "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far," is attributed to the American President (1901-1909). What isn't well known is that he borrowed the proverb from West Africa. Which brings us full circle to African Americans, and, of course, jazz. That same platitude could be applied to Italian bassist Rosario Bonaccorso's recording A Beautiful Story for Via Veneto Jazz and Jando Music, since the music is pleasantly gentle, yet packs a punch.

Bonaccorso wrote all but one of the tunes on this recording which features the matured sounds of pianist Enrico Zanisi and Dino Rubino's flugelhorn. Bonaccorso and drummer Alessandro Paternesi power the velvet attack with the steadiest of hands. Opening with the title track, the music signals the next hour will be filled with a measured and deliberate calm. Certainly Rubino's flugelhorn (think Enrico Rava-meets-Chuck Mangione,) is utilized for all it's creaminess and charm. "Come l'Acqua tra le dita" with Zanisi's pulse and melody before Bonaccorso's vocalized solo over the brushwork of Paternesi, adds body to the music. This is candlelight canoodling music of the first order. Even the upbeat funky pulse wraps its arms around you. The compositions are bite-sized gems of melody that pull this quartet into a cooperative mellifluousness. The leader generously features Rubino and Zanisi. The pianist has a certain modern sound you might hear in Frank Kimbrough and Pete Malinverni's music. Versed in the jazz blues tradition, he  doesn't eschew melody over technique. This is some gorgeous stuff. It is, as they say, "easy on the ears."