Great Live Music from Italy! by John Pritchard, Feb 15, 2022
Composer and keyboardist, Paolo Ricca, has just released a fantastic new album, Live and More, which is published and distributed by Ma.Ra.Cash Records.
It's really great to hear this band play live! While the entire album is fabulous, my personal favorite is track 4, The Woodpecker. Continuing in the playful spirit of their last album, Mumble, The Woodpecker is a lot of fun! Featuring impressive playing from the entire band, bass player extraordinaire, Andreo Manzi, plays some great lines in the beginning that are followed by Paolo jammin with joyous abandon on his Fender Rhodes and Diego Mascherpa swingin' out on his mellifluious clarinet.
Even the super-tasty drumming of Maurizio Plancher gets a few bars in at the 4:20 mark. You can hear him in all his glory beginning track 6, Strike.
Every single tune on Live and More will delight the listener with the band's impressive creativity and musicianship. You can tell these guys are seasoned pros who just love to play. I give it five stars and guarantee you will love it all!
Recorded live September 5, 2019 at In Progress One Festival (Sestu- Italy) except “Dimensione Terra” which was recorded live in the studio during the “Mumble” CD recording sessions (2013).
All songs on Live and More are written and arranged by Paolo Ricca except (7) written by Gigi Venegoni , Beppe Crovella , Arturo Vitale and arranged by Paolo Ricca .
PAOLO RICCA GROUP: MUMBLE
Fresh Italian Progressive Jazz
by John Pritchard
When Paolo Ricca contacted me last month about his new album, Mumble, I was eager to hear the music. Upon multiple listens, I am not dissapointed: it is a fabulous work in the great tradition of Weather Report, but with a decidedly upbeat and flowing Mediterranean flair (thanks to Paolo's inspired compositions and the sound of the clarinet). Mumble was produced by Beppe Crovella for the Italian Prog label Electromantic Music - Sub label TJRS (Turin Jazz Rock School) and distributed by Ma.Ra.Cash Records.
The title track, "Mumble" (listen above), says it all with superb musicianship featuring a blazing solo by guest guitarist, John Etheridge (Soft Machine alum), that is followed by an even hotter solo by Paolo on his Fender Rhodes. The very tight rhythm section of drummer, Maurizio Plancher, and bassist, Andrea Manzo, lay down solid grooves with the keys that also synchronize with the unique and refreshing sound of Diego Mascherpa on clarinet.
While I truly enjoyed every track, Orfeo stands out as my favorite. It begins with a dramatic intro and then features a great groove that drives the whole composition. There are wonderful vocals from special guest, Viviana Presutti, and the phenomenal clarinet soloing leads up to Paolo's best improvising on the album. He sure can play! Such a pleasure to hear a true master.
Other tracks that I found highly inspirational are Pastorale, with its tasty notes of peaceful beauty, and the final track, Istmo, that features a great bass solo by Andrea and ingenious drumming by Maurizio. But like I said before, the whole album is a delight to hear! There is much to love about it all.
So, it is quite obvious, from both the three cross-eyed creatures on the cover and the "Mumble" title itself, that the Paolo Ricca Group has a great sense of humor. These guys have fun. They have a great sound together and their music is distinct and highly creative... anything but difficult to hear. Definitely no mumbling. No mumbling at all. Sheer joy is what I get out of it... sheer joy... loud and clear!
— John Pritchard - 4/22/18
Mumble Line-up:
Paolo Ricca - Fender Rhodes piano
Diego Mascherpa - clarinet
Andrea Manzo - bass
Maurizio Plancher - drums
Guest Star:
John Etheridge - guitar
Special Guest:
Viviana Presutti - vocals
"One of the characteristics of this band is that from the first test, the music came out naturally, and every song I wrote was amplified by the personality of each of the musicians, but at the same time with a homogeneous and defined sound. It is not very common, and above all very difficult to predict; it is not enough to put together excellent musicians to have the guarantee of the result, it must take that extra something that makes the musical experience really special.
The decision to record this new album live in the studio, meant that we recorded the CD in a single recording session, recording only one version for each song; this certainly contributed to giving the right, correct dimension to work. John's contribution was important; his sound, so original, was perfectly inserted into the sound dynamics of the songs. With this new album, "Mumble" I think I took an important step towards the goal that I had set myself more than ten years ago, to create a sound that was electric but above all "our", Italian, to be realized both with the type of training (for example with the use, which is not very usual in these contexts, of the clarinet) but above all through the melodic-Mediterranean vein of the musical themes that naturally distinguishes us."
