Serial Killer

The title of this recording is founded upon dodecaphonic (twelve-tone music) fundamentals and the nature of the soloists' aggressive exchanges. However, with this release, keyboardist/arranger Riccardo Fassi and his large ensemble have branded an irrefutable winner. Augmented by a truly outstanding audio engineering process, this band, featuring Italian trumpet great Enrico Rava, is a high-octane implosion, awash with multi-layered charts and much more. The opener, "Serial Killer, Pt. 1," features accordionist Antonello Salis' bop-like improvisation amid the leader's gleaming Fender Rhodes work and the horn section's forceful arrangements. Here, bassist Luca Pirozzi sets the gears in motion via Jaco Pastorius-influenced lines. Ultimately, this piece elicits notions of Weather Report performing with a full-blown horn unit. But this recording is chock-full of brazenly rendered passages, breezy swing vamps, and tricky rhythmic maneuvers. Essentially, the program features an interwoven series of works that runs its course like an ongoing saga or backdrop for a fast-moving urban metropolis. On the piece entitled "One for Leonardo," flutist Riccardo Luppi adds sultry overtones to engagingly melodic little big-band-style choruses. This is a vastly pleasurable affair and not to be overlooked.