Guido Spannocchi Quartet – 'Live at Porgy & Bess Vienna' (2023) – Something Else!

Guido Spannocchi has made a significant impact on London’s jazz scene. He has procured a supportive cohort of stellar musicians who have welcomed this inventive, talented musician. I knew Spannocchi as a superb saxophonist with some of the best intonation I have heard in recent years, but did not realize what a great composer and arranger he is. Appearing at Porgy and Bess in Vienna, Spannocchi and the band had no idea the performance was being recorded – so the resulting LP boasts the pure essence of improvising musicians playing music in a relaxed setting. No playing it safe, but melt-yourself-down jazz music played at full throttle. Featuring Spannocchi on saxes, Ruth Goller (Vula Viel, Melt Yourself Down, Acoustic Ladyland and Shabaka Hutchins) on bass, Danny Keane (Mulatu Astatke, Anoushka Shankar) on piano, and Pete Adam Hill (Alfa Mist, Jo Harrop) on drums, Live at Porgy & Bess Vienna is engaging jazz music at its best. The tracks are original compositions by Guido Spannocchi, and the list reads like a best-of compilation of Spannocchi’s songs from previous albums, but alongside familiar numbers are new arrangements and works. The attraction of this music is how it is firmly embedded in tradition
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