Even if the Hammond organ plays a major role within GuitArt Quartet, the band led by two guitarists as its name clearly suggests. The musicians are Antonio Tosques, born in Foggia in 1965, and Dino Plasmati, born in Matera in 1972, both having significant artistic careers. They lead the quartet with assurance and great interplay, so much so that the ten tracks of «On Air» flow smoothly, without a hitch and are never a reason to compete and see “who plays faster”.
There’s much respect for the nine selected standards which belong to the great American songbook as well as to contemporary composers like Rollins, Coltrane and Coleman. Respect doesn’t mean playing those standards stuffily or simply showing off technical skills, but rather a sincere and original tribute to the jazz tradition, something the two musicians know and love deeply. The powerful sound produced by the two guitars – they are played with a traditional technique anyway, without the help of electronics – strikes from the very first notes of the fast–paced, but also hypnotic Airegin; it is effective even when the atmosphere becomes more relaxed, as is the case for the sole original song in the album, Boundless Energy by Dino Plasmati, where space is made for the excellent bluesy organ played by Bruno Montone.
The relaxed manner of the guitars tackling the mellow In Your Own Sweet Way is impressive, as well as the pensive delicacy which surrounds the performance of I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, thanks to the efficient work by Montone. Marcello Nisi’s drumming, at ease even with the Latin rhythm of When Sunny Gets Blue, is discreet and always on point in every track. The Coleman–esque blues Turnaround, played superbly by the two guitarists with no rhythm section, closes in the best of ways a pleasant, rich in contents album to listen to in one breath.
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