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Carla Marciano Quartet – A Strange Day

Black Saint 120184-2

Carla Marciano – alto and sopranino saxophones; Alessandro La Corte – piano; Aldo Vigorito – bass; Gaetano Fasano – drums.

Recorded Napoli, December 20-21, 2004

Six of the nine numbers on this album are written by Carla and one by Alessandro La Corte and both the writing and the performance mark this quartet as another European powerhouse of jazz. Carla is a profligate improviser and has a considerable technical ability that gives her control of both music and instrument. Her post-modern, hard-bop style has a typically European sound to it, in spite of her obvious leaning towards Coltrane. Her first album, Trane’s Groove, won her the not-unwelcome sobriquet ‘Coltrane's Spiritual Daughter’ (and another, ‘Hurricane Marciano’!) and her approach on both alto and sopranino saxes demonstrates Coltrane’s influence. Her playing often echoes his pioneering, prolonged scurries and cries and her solos are frequently built around such gesticulations.

Carla’s technical skill and improvisational flair lend much excitement to her solo work, especially with Alessandro La Corte’s hard-bop piano-work alongside. There is too a huge contribution in the spot-on drumming of Gaetano Fasano and the solid, rhythmical stance of bass player Aldo Vigorito.

Carla’s lyricism gleams through each tune and every track sounds like an established jazz classic, performed by musicians of repute at the peak of their form. That alone is a measure of the quality and power offered by this album. Influenced by Coltrane she may be, but the nature of her writing suggests that her aim is to realize his essence all over again.

A superbly exciting album and what I now need to know is – when can I hear them live?

Reviewed by
ken cheetham