Stella by Starlight is an unprecedented new quintet of 1970-1971 with no Piana, but with the battery and Cuppini Angel "Pocho" Gatti instead of Sellani. Gatti was an Argentine born in 1930, arrived in Italy after having worked in the U.S., where he had worked with Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan and Nat "King" Cole. The songs we hear are of great interest and show how the creative capacities of the two leaders had not been watered down. Opening it to "Eighty One," among the most celebrated passage of the second quintet of Davis, with Valdambrini to explore what would later be called inside-outside play (inside and outside the agreements), while Basso alternates melodic patterns to air manipulation of small melodic fragments. The trumpeter shows his interest in art in Davis also in the works, always very nice, with a special note for "consequences". "Sweet Little May" Jimmy Garrison and "Remember Me" Valdambrini are even more interesting because they show the complete mastery of the language of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry by all members of the quintet. It makes you think how much less expertise in the field of free jazz was the average of the contemporary masters "creative" Italians. "Donna Lu" returns to the song "symbol" of Bass in an arrangement different from that of 6 Exciting and provides a new way to appreciate the constant evolution of the saxophonist. (Funny how this piece made out to appear here Attilio Donadio, but in Steppin 'Out in 2007 the same theme with the title "Mr. GB" and composers such as Basso and Fulvio Albano).
With Stella by Starlight closes this first series dedicated to the formation of the longest running jazz Italian, with many records yet to be discovered reprint and many previously unpublished. We hope that the Dejavu get the attention deserved, not only in Japan, so to be published other disks of Gianni Basso and Oscar Valdambrini |
