Trio Pipeline: Kakuan Suite

The concept is simple enough; sandwiched in between two group improvisations is the Kakuan Suite, a series of seven anagram parts (a couple repeated) that make up the ten tracks heard here. Giancarlo Nino Locatelli (Bb and alto clarinet) composed the pieces, based on the movement of his fingers on his instruments' keys, in effect creating dances. His Trio Pipeline ensemble, part of a stable of "Pipeline bands" (Pipeline 3, Pipeline 5, and Pipeline 8), includes bassist Andrea Grossi and drummer Giancarlo Nino Locatelli. The music, like the anagram concept, is spun and rearranged to make altogether new music. "Rito" (ritual) becomes "Tori" (bull), then "Orti" (vegetable gardens), "Irto" (bristling), "Tiro" (shot), "Otri" (Möbius strip), and "Roti" (wheel).

The music is a fusing of chamber music and jazz improvisation. "Rito" has the cooling swing of a Jimmy Giuffre composition and "Roti" plays off stuttering start/stop passages as a means to mine the entanglements of the three musicians. Locatelli's compositions require a drilled discipline that is quite apparent here, but they also display the self-restraint that makes for a satisfying listening experience. The trio step on the accelerator with their first take of "Orti" and then swap it for Calcagnile's funky pulse on the second take. This music is an excellent articulation of a unique concept.