Lorenzo Feliciati: Frequent Flyer

Like countless modern-era bassists, Italy's Lorenzo Feliciati derives influence from Jaco Pastorius. Possessing formidable chops and gaining a reputation as a session bassist of choice, Feliciati struts his stuff on his third release, featuring Naked Truth band-mate/trumpeter Cuong Vu, saxophonist Bob Mintzer, King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, and many others who lend their wares to this diverse program. In a loose sense, the album mirrors a resume that encapsulates Feliciati's broad interests and capabilities, spanning Latin, jazz, jazz-fusion DJ-inflected grooves, and additional stylizations.

Vu sits in on "Never Forget," casting an ethereal and harrowing outlook via his echoing and out-of-phase lines. The pieces demonstrate yet another side of Feliciati's musicality, although he lays low by injecting subliminal phrasings such as a chord voicing here or there, but it's uncertain if he's streaming his bass through electronics in tandem with turntablist DJ Skizo. The musicians generate a broad temporal plane atop a subtle pace laid down by drummer Paolo Ferroni, summoning a cinematic flair perhaps equating, with interweaving electronics effects, to a soundtrack for a documentary about black holes.

Temperately cataclysmic, Vu's resonating sound-sculptures inject a variety of mood-evoking contexts. Nonetheless, Feliciati conveys restraint, as "Never Forget" suggests that the bassist is more concerned about the music, contrasting with the typical chops-driven implementations evidenced on many solo ventures by bad-ass bassists.