Falga: Falga

Originally formed in the Netherlands in 2013, the group Falga brings together four artists from Italy and one from Serbia, all of whom have past connections in duo and trio formations. This like-minded quintet has created a debut that reflects their individual sense of innovation and the synthesis of ideas nurtured over a two-year period. The self-titled album is a revealing and challenging avant-garde outing.

Amsterdam-based baritone saxophonist Giuseppe Doronzo has a background that includes modern classical, jazz improvisation and non-western music. His solo work, written for dancer/choreographer Cora Bos-Kroese was performed at the New York University and he has performed with saxophonists Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, trombonistRobin Eubanks and trumpeters Paolo Fresu, Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi. Federico Pozzer studied classical piano from childhood and into his time at the Conservatory of Vicenza. He and drummer Aleksandar Škorić recorded as the duo Sitting Bull on their self-titled release (Self Produced, 2016). Bassist Andrea Caruso has performed throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. and has studied with John Patitucci and Marc Copland. The young guitarist Lucio Tasca attended Berklee College and studied in New York as well.

"Goedenavond" begins with Pozzer's deliberately spaced chords, slowly building tension until fused with the leveling effect of Doronzo's baritone. The two intuitively mesh without being in complete unison or taking a predictable route. "Fail Song N.2" features slow melodic sax lines contrasting with the discordant backdrop of the piano and other contextual sounds. The whole piece eventually devolves into individual improvisations that bear little discernable relationship to each other.

The compositions are often minimalist experiments with a subdued noise element, such as "Craters at Sunset" and "Pigeon" where those components meet up with fragments of melodies, frequently dissipating and then reforming as extended themes. The reverse method can also be true, as with "Mannaggia" which initially sounds close to a conventional swing rhythm but changes course to abstraction and back again with a slow build up between each phase. "I Don't Know the F Chords (I Could Not Be More Clear Than This)" is a repetitive theme with the more intangible improvisations kept in the background, at least initially.

Falga is a transformational recording where each player is given a distinctive voice, though Pozzer and Doronzo are the directional forces in these pieces. There is almost a constant state of flux in the music, accomplished without unnecessary fanfare and with an organic feel. While each of the pieces is different, there is a consistency throughout as the quintet retains just enough fundamental jazz ideology to help weave their very creative improvisations into thought-provoking works.