Tino Tracanna & Paolino Dalla Porta (Splasc: Nudes

Nudes represents a collection of aural portraits brought to us by saxophonist Tino Tracanna and double bassist Paolino Dalla Porta consisting of duet performances that might be analogous to the visual arts as the musicians artfully sculpt detailed curvatures of sound. Yet, the ten compositions presented here symbolize a bit more than just an agreeable set of tone poem incantations! The musicians kick matters into high gear on works such as “Born In The Zoo” where Tracanna sustains expressive lines that quietly swing - while they also render rapid bop-ish unison themes amid frisky dialogue on the piece titled, “Crossroad”. With “India Gate”, the instrumentalists emit tender lyricism while attaining a fine degree of concord or harmony as they counterbalance thematic invention with shifting meter and cunning improvisation. On the composition titled “Kim”, Traccana pursues sweet melodies offset by brisk, angular phrasing while Dalla Porta shifts tempos via his sonorous and thoroughly resplendent acoustic bass lines. Throughout, the duo is most effective at bouncing ideas off one another yet remain focused and sensitive to compositional form and structure.

Overall, Tracanna and Dalla Porta should be commended for their synergistic and intuitive involvement as the music portrayed on Nudes melds swing and bop motifs with intricate patterns yet more importantly, delves into the human spirit in stirring fashion. Recommended. - * * * *

Visit the “Splasc(H) Records” website at: www.ijm.it/splasc(H)