Emanuele Parrini Quintet

Not unlike George Orwell’s fable from which it take its name, the music on Animal Farm is both expected and enterprising at the same time. As the novel’s anthropomorphizes animal behave to provide a political message, so the group led by violinist Emanuele tweaks contemporary improv to add unexpected sonic interludes to seven compositions by five composers. Parrini who often plays with the likes of Daniele Cavallanti and Tiziano Tononi, is joined by s top-flight set of local improvisers: flutist/baritone saxophonist Piero Bittolo Bon, guitarist  Domenico Caliri, bassist Giovanni Maier and drummer Andrea Melani. Together the band mates  have also worked with musicians like Roberto Ottaviano, Zeno De Rossii and Alessio Pisani as well as Tononi and Cavallanti.

Encompassing atmospheric and ambulating timbres, the five emphasize  close-knit interaction with variations of the title track’s thematic expression serving as codicils to two tracks and in protracted or limited form elsewhere. On its own as “Animal Farm #3”  the sequence become a warmer build up featuring linear double bass thumps and the guitarist’s swing-style decorations. Mutating from reflective sweeps to multi-string stresses, Parrin’s subsequent transverse slide alongside Bittolo Bon’s sax smears pushes the adagio theme to a fitting conclusion.

Elsewhere the moderated and undulating groove set up by the first statement of the violinist’s “Animal Farm” composition is echoed on other tracks as a sort of pick-me-up when the expositions become almost too whimsical via gentle guitar strums, fiddle glisses and bass flute sighs. However  when “Animal Farm #2/My friend who  looks like a ghost” threatens to descend into a string minuet, it’s the baritone sax growls and the violinist’s woody plinks and squeaks that set up the contrapuntal response and resolution.

A freeform reading of Duke Ellington’s “Azure” confirms the quintet’s adaptability. Bottleneck-style guitar licks, altissimo or basement wallowing reed work and stop-time expression string plinks from the violinist are added to what is essence is a Blues tone poem with a strong percussion back beat. Meanwhile “Patchouli” mixes lightening fast guitar flanges, soaring reed trills  and the drummer’s stomps into a linear march-tempo.

Probably less outside than Parrini and company imagined, but certainly more musically advanced than a by-rote contemporary sessions, Animal Farm is a fine showcase for mature Italian players that pinpoint their compositional interpretations.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1 Antropofobia/Animal Farm #1 2. Animal Farm #2/My friend who  looks like a ghost 3. Animal Farm #3 4. Patchouli 5.Song  for Romero 6. Azure 7. Animal Farm #5

Personnel: Piero Bittolo Bon (baritone saxophone, flute and bass flutes); Emanuele Parrini (violin); Domenico Caliri (guitar); Giovanni Maier (bass) and Andrea Melani (drums)