Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Paolo Botti Quintet: Moto Contrario

Paolo Botti Quintet: Moto Contrario

By Glenn Astarita
May 7, 2003
View read count

Violaist Paolo Botti celebrates diversity through music via his compositions and arrangements. No doubt, Botti succeeds at redefining previously explored mainstream or better yet, traditional concepts on Moto Contrario. Botti and his band cover a gamut of genres, including blues, swing, and avant-garde styles, neatly wrapped into one progressive jazz package. Where contrasting themes coalesce, divide, and multiply as the band meshes a forward thinking outlook into variable rhythmic structures and much more. They pursue contemporary classical movements amid heated exchanges between soprano saxophonist Alessandro Bosetti and trombonist Marina Ciccarelli. On “Contrattempi,” Botti’s deft viola work drives a potent swing groove via his bowing and plucked harmonics, as the quintet renders tempered choruses while intermittently accelerating the tempo. To that end, Botti wears many hats.

You can also expect to hear gobs of contrapuntal dialogue in concert with layered arrangements of various colors and flavors. With “In Due,” Bosetti and Ciccarelli stretch their collective wares for a series of free-flight movements, awash with the latter’s multiphonics. In sum, Botti uses the jazz medium as a form of antagonistic expressionism. His vision comes to fruition in prolific fashion throughout this highly entertaining program. Recommended...

Visit Caligola Records .

Track Listing

1.Cattivi Maestri 2.Accordi in Prestito 3.Contrattempi 4.Freelippo 5.Ghost Notes 6.News From Anatolia 7.Softovoce 8.Vecchie Ruggini 9.In Due 10.L

Personnel

Paolo Botti

viola

Paolo Botti: viola

Album information

Title: Moto Contrario | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Caligola Records

About Paolo Botti

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Live From New York To Tokyo
< Previous

Emphasizer
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.