La Misterioso Della Regina Loana

Reviewed: 2019-09-12
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: This hugely enjoyable and highly inventive album is dedicated to the late Umberto Eco. Eco’s The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna, a meditation on the nature of memory, inspires Trovesi and Coscia on their own nostalgic and exploratory journey, referencing music mentioned in the novel and free-associating upon its philosophical themes. The Italians cast a wide net, playing songs associated with Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller and George Formby, paraphrasing Janáček, dipping into movie music, and improvising most creatively while keeping their dedicatee in view.
If You Like: Dino Saluzzi, Ken Peplowski
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
1/ Interludio (3:02) – accordion starts slow & quietly> builds in volume> fade
2/ Nebjana (0:43) - accordion starts slow & quietly, joined by clarinet> quick stop
**3/ Basin Street Blues (3:38) – clarinet starts> midtempo duet> clarinet solo> accordion solo> midtempo duet> swells in volume> quick stop
4/ Nebjana 2 (0:20) – clarinet starts> short duet> quick stop
*5/ As Time Goes By (1:59) – accordion starts> slow duet> accordion solo> clarinet solo> quick fade
***6/ Pipo No Lon Sa (1:25) – accordion starts> uptempo duet> quick stop
**7/ Fischia El Vento (2:17) – accordion starts> midtempo duet> accordion solo> midtempo duet> fade
8/ Moonlight Serenade (4:34) – accordion solo starts> slow duet> accordion solo> slow duet> fade
*9/ In Cerca Dite (2:41) – accordion starts> slow duet swings to midtempo> accordion solo> clarinet solo> midtempo duet. fade
*10/ Belami (3:02) – accordion starts> midtempo duet> melody shift> quick fade
11/ Eco (1:48) – clarinet starts> slow duet> fade
*12/ Eiar: 1. Ma L’Amore No/ 2. Silenzioso Slow/ 3. Tu Musica Davina/ 4. Bambina inamorata/ 5. Mille Lire Al Mese (7:17) – accordion starts> midtempo duet> morphs into melody shift> melody shifts again to uptempo duet> quick stop
**13/ Gragnola (5:17) – accordion starts> slow duet> swings uptempo> pause> midtempo duet swings to fast tempo> slows to fade
14/ Neblana 3 (0:34) – clarinet starts> short slow duet> fade
15/ Inno Dei Sommergibli (1:43) – accordion starts> midtempo duet> quick fade
***16/ Umberto (3:05) – accordion starts> slow duet quickly builds to midtempo, then swings uptempo> slow fade
**17/ Volando (2:29) – clarinet starts> pause> midtempo duet morphs into uptempo> pause> midtempo duet> quick stop
***18/ La Piccinina (3:35) – accordion starts> uptempo duet> pause> uptempo duet slows to midtempo & melody shift> pause> midtempo duet swings to uptempo> slows to fade
19/ Moonlight Serenade (variation) (1:07) – accordion starts> slow duet> slow fade

Gianluigi Trovesi - Piccolo Clarinet, Alto Clarinet
Gianni Coscia - Accordion