Luca Aquino: Lunaria 2

Over the decades, Italian trumpeter Luca Aquino has delivered intelligent and thought-provoking music which, if one allows immersion in it, yields a treasure trove of beauty. He is a soulfully introspective artist whose lush playing and textural compositions channel, and at times rival, that of players such as Chet Baker, Tomasz Stańko, Roy Hargrove (with whom he has recorded), Miles Davis and Chris Botti. Aquino's Lunaria 2 offers 15 tracks of highly-textured and stimulating music.

The elegaic "Amman" sets the textural tone for what is to follow. The energetic "Cip e Ciop" is a brisk, multi-tempo, dramatic groover with Aquino blowing exotic scalar material over a repetitive bass and electric platform. This is the type of material that visionary Don Ellis might deliver if he were still with us. "Anita Dance" has Aquino Harmon-muted, swaying over a calypso bed. The tone shifts darker with "Killing Me," a slow, melancholic track with Aquino ending on a positive, redemptive note.

"Carnera" is the simplest of melodies. Lullaby-like, the tune belies the deep sentiments of Aquino's lush horn. "Halfouine," (a neighbourhood in Tunis in North Africa) is a Giovanni Francesca guitar feature dancing over Marco Bardoscia's repetitive bass. "X" is an exotic call and has Aquino altering his sounds to imitate more Middle Eastern instruments via quarter-tones, echo and other techniques. Aquino's horn is restrained, expressive and displays a seductive vulnerability. His penchant for brilliantly-played ornamentation sets him apart from other players. Francesca, Bardoscia and drummer/electronicist Gianluca Brugnano deliver outstanding performances throughout.

"Ali Raksat" melds a lovely melody with exotic ornamentation and amplified guitar. This is a lovely track. "Nicolino Locche," an upbeat samba, has Aquino's horn flitting and floating over the driving, vamp before developing into a free-form flight. A fun and absorbing track. "Nature Boy" is a Harmon-muted solo statement. "Can't Help Falling in Love," a rock classic, is taken straight by Aquino with appropriate reverb-guitar over a tom-tom pattern. "Ironic" has shades of late Miles Davis (as in "Time After Time") with Aquino muted. "Alfonsina Y El Mar" closes the session with Aquino's open horn slow and sentimental, in a last dance with Brugnano's bass. Lunaria 2 is another of Aquino's brilliant offerings. He continues to add to his reputation as a visionary worthy of acknowledgement, study and wider recognition.

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