Claudio Scolari: Synthesis

Synthesis unites two Italian drummers-the leader, Claudio Scolari, an educator whose background is in classical music, and the younger Daniele Cavalca. Both complement many other instruments, including Scolari's son, trumpeter Simone Scolari, for a musical journey that seeks to find new melodic textures. This project continues the work of the trio that began on Colors of Red Island (Principal, 2010), but with new instruments and sounds.

All the compositions were written by the two drummers in a linear process. They began by sketching the primary melodic lines with vintage synthesizers and later added rhythmic percussion patterns and ornamented these lines with piano, flute, bass and melodica. The drummers exchange roles of time keeping with dynamics that aim to expand the expressive tonality. The trumpeter then interprets and improvises upon these thematic lines.

This process guarantees rich and detailed harmonic textures and driving rhythmic patterns, that have an accessible and too obvious structure, as on the Afro-Cuban "Rituals" or cinematic "Fragment of autumn," where the trumpeter takes a leading role. On "Hymn of the inventions" the trio experiments more with its palette of sounds, as the detached electronic sounds blend with the warm melodica, followed by a spare pulse, which creates a mysterious cinematic soundscape.

When the formula alters, as on the longest track, "Dialogue," infectious repeated piano lines meet independent and massive electric bass and drum lines and the music soars. Then, suddenly, the playful interplay of the duo reinvents itself and becomes open-ended and more muscular. The same happens on the improvised "Rebirth," with its tight piano-bass-drums groove that enables the trumpeter to flesh it out with effective and hard blows.

Colorful and engaging.