Marco Sanguinetti: Inmoral

Born, raised and still residing in Argentina, pianist-composer Marco Sanguinetti writes jewel-fine, poetic miniatures which bring back a time and place when individual voices of all talents were the wealth and treasure of any civilized society. Quite unlike, without getting too far afield, the mob-speak we're choked with today.

The dozen tracks that tell the story of Inmoral, Sanguinetti's seventh, is a mother lode of these shining miniatures. Like haiku, they last. And, as with haiku throughout the ages and continents, every re-read (or re-listen) reveals anew, conjuring and recalling quiet, fleeting moments when everything harmonizes and the world doesn't seem so dark.

There's an almost Philip Glass-like insistence to Sanguinetti's music, but it is far less claustrophobic and earth-bound. "Pulsar" keeps coming at you like the tides, gently lulling, crashing, lulling. . . For "Aquí y ahora" the same can be said, but the crashes are gone, replaced by a light and airy pop touch to the song's compelling climb and electronic swirl release.

"Primavera 0" has the whole quintet—cellist Violeta García, bassist Ezequiel Dutil, drummer Tomas Babjaczuk—in full drive. "Sudestada" is a sustained pull between muscle and melody. "Puente" opens lushly, with lilts and hints of John Lennon's memorial "Julia" in full view, until Sanguinetti and company follow the pianist's true romantic heart. It is a wonderful track to listen to and get lost in, especially given the quintet's precision, drone strike at the 1:47 mark, lasting barely one minute, but holding your attention then bringing you back to that romanticism you swear couldn't withstand a barrage like that.

There are plenty of reasons why Sanguinetti was awarded Best Musician, Best Pianist and Best Composer of 2017 by the Argentinean press, but the main one—as evidenced by the fact that Inmoral's longest track barely brushes the five and half minute mark—is the pianist's structured, yet effortless economy. There is something to be said for all the music that paints Inmoral. So give it a listen. You owe yourself the time to step back and listen to an artist tell you what's on their mind.