X-Ray

Italian-born trombonist Gianluca Petrella, a frequent associate of Enrico Rava, was only 26 when he led this fiery and advanced quartet session. His front-line interaction with baritone saxophonist Javier Girotto makes for a music that privileges the low end of the sound spectrum. Paul Rogers' five-string double bass gives the lows even further emphasis. Francesco Sotgiu's crisp, well-recorded skins provide ample sonic balance and color. Petrella composed five of these 11 tracks; Girotto and Rogers each penned three. The group puts forth a rhythmically rooted avant-garde concept that ranges from frenetic and out ("Broken Head," "Crunch," "Grandes Amigos") to stately and melodic ("Femtosecond," "Reflex") to flowing and funky ("X-Ray," "G8"). Petrella varies the ensemble configurations at times, pairing sax and drums or bass and trombone, for instance, in the midst of an improvisation. "Ra" by Rogers, one of the album's most unusual entries, begins with a solemn chorale and then turns into an abstract sound-sketch. Girotto's "Araucanos" closes the album with a twist: the composer plays quena (Andean flute) and then soprano sax over a slow, hypnotic bassline in three, punctuated by trombone and drums. ~ David R. Adler, Rovi