NATURAL IMPULSE
Claudio Scolari | Principal Records (2018)

26.01.2018 By Jacek Brun

"Natural Impulse" is the title of the third project by the Italian improvisation drummers Claudio Scolari and Daniele Cavalca. Together with Scolari's son Simone Scolari on the trumpet, the three improvisational maestros from Italy incorporate elements of jazz, blues, neoclassic and experimentation into a brew that makes all the labels superfluous that I only gave her credit for.

This is music that is not simply driven out of the drums, but that brings every instrument into the role. There is a sophistication in the rhythmic structure of the pieces that is at the forefront of contemporary jazz play. Cavalca, the trio's multi-instrumentalist, uses the various keys, basses, vibraphones and electronic effects to create an intoxicating concoction of jazz, rock and funk.

All of these elements work in harmony with the evolving rhythmic patterns and provide a relaxed harmonic framework over which Simone's trumpet hovers. The trumpet itself has some reverb and echo to give it a spacey flair that highlights the eerie depths of the pieces. What is most beguiling is the gentleness of the trumpet and the serenity of the melodic lines played over the gently swirling backdrop of the other instruments.