Francesco Aroni Vigone: Orbita

Believer or nonbeliever, either way it is simply impossible to deny the doxological nature of saxophonist Francesco Aroni Vigone's Orbita. His solo recording has a paradisiacal, even divine, sense about the sounds captured in this 32-minute disc. The Italian Vigone might be best known for his work in groups led by clarinetist Giancarlo Locatelli and bassist Enrico Fazio. Here, his alto saxophone is captured solo, but not in a studio. The recording was made in the Church of San Giuliano, in Vercelli, located in Italy's Piedmont region, between Milan and Turin.

Chosen for its specific acoustics, the church almost converts this solo saxophone recording into a duo. Vigone and recording engineer Edoardo Gennaro embrace the resonating sounds of the space, an equal partner in this outing. Comparable performances might be Stuart Dempster's recordings in a cistern, John Butcher's Resonant Spaces (Confront Records, 2008), Bobby Naughton's Solo Vibraphone (Otic, 1981), and the classic Tenor (Hat Hut, 1977) from Joe McPhee.

The saxophonist performed while walking through the church's nave during worship hours with parishioners transformed into his audience. Attentive to the location and audience, Vigone delivers a sympathetic and warm-hearted performance. He blows mostly gentle repeated motifs, taken from his own compositions. Each relies on, and is dependent upon, the reverberations of the ancient church. Not exactly a call-and-response, but the architecture demands a patient approach to this performance. With a proper deference for the space in which Vigone is performing, the sounds are beatific and exalted.

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