Featuring Francesco Bearzatti on tenor sax, clarinet & electronics; Stomu Takeishi on electric bass and Dan Weiss on drums. For Italian saxist, Francesco Bearzatti’s third disc on the Auand label, he chose the fine NY-based rhythm team of Stomo Takeishi (Threadgill’s Make a Move, Dave Tronzo & Myra Melford) and Dan Weiss (for Dave Binney, Carl Maguire & a leader on his own) on drums. Besides the originals of Mr. Bearzatti, this trio does select some odd choices of covers like Nirvana and a Led Zep suite. Starting with “Resurrectio” this trio blasts off into punk space with what sounds like electric guitar but must be distorted electric (?) sax! Stomu’s thick, eerie, fretless el. bass is featured on “Black Hole Sun” with some heavy sax from Francesco, which again sounds more like lead guitar than sax. I like the way the trio strip down “Smells Like Teen Spirit” down its bare essentials with the drums only keeping rocking power at the center. What is odd/unique about this disc is that it does often rock out with the sax sounding more like an electric guitar. Francesco even plays the dreaded wah-wah sax on “Ri-Virus” which doesn’t sound all that bad, the rhythm team sounds consistently interesting no matter what. I wasn’t sure why any jazz folks would want to do a Led Zeppelin medley, but it is an odd yet strangely appealing choice. “Black Dog”? “Heartbreaker?” “Moby Dick?” Should I lie and say that I actually like those songs? Hmmm. A barrel of fun either way you look or listen to it.
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