Pipeline: Ahead Of July

With most recordings, listeners are conditioned to identify a leader. Typically, it is the artist whose name appears on the cover, or occasionally the composer responsible for the material. Pipeline upends that expectation. This is unequivocally an ensemble recording, and to further complicate matters, all of the music is collectively credited. For those familiar with the Pipeline project, this may come as a surprise. The concept was created by clarinetist Giancarlo Nino Locatelli, also one of the proprietors of We Insist! Records, and has previously existed in several configurations: Pipeline 3, Pipeline 5, and Pipeline 8. In those earlier incarnations, the music largely revolved around Locatelli's compositions, many of them inspired by the structural rigor and economy of saxophonist Steve Lacy.

What happens, then, when Locatelli assembles Pipeline as a septet—featuring Gabriele Mitelli on piccolo trumpet, Sebi Tramontana on trombone, Alberto Braida on piano, Luca Tilli on cello, Andrea Grossi on double bass and Cristiano Calcagnile on drums, and removes the safety net entirely? No written scores, no predetermined forms, only collective improvisation. Does leadership still exist under those conditions?

The answer is both yes and no. Locatelli was originally scheduled to perform his Kakuan Suite with Grossi and Calcagnile as the Pipeline Trio. However, with so many Pipeline collaborators already present and the full octet in rehearsal for an upcoming recording, he made a decisive pivot. Rather than rely on composed material or orchestration, Locatelli seized the moment and invited the ensemble to perform freely, trusting the shared musical language they had developed over years of collaboration.

For the LP edition, Ahead of July is divided into two 22-minute sides, while the CD presents the music as a single uninterrupted performance. In either format, the absence of a designated leader becomes increasingly evident. There is no dominant voice, no soloist steering the direction, and no compositional roadmap to follow. Instead, the seven musicians remain acutely attuned to one another, responding in real time to shifts in texture, density, and momentum.

The result is music that feels remarkably cohesive despite its spontaneous origins. The improvisation that unfolds with the logic and inevitability of a carefully-constructed work. Ahead of July ultimately demonstrates that when an ensemble shares deep trust and a common aesthetic, leadership can dissolve without sacrificing clarity, purpose, or direction.

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