Friday, March 9, 2018

Francesco Geminiani "Colorsound" (AUAND RECORDS) out on March 9th

The impressionism of Francesco Geminiani in his new "Colorsound"
with Rick Rosato and Mark Schilders
The New York City-based Italian saxophonist
leads an international trio for his debut in the Auand Family

Colors are the driving force of Francesco Geminiani’s artistic development in his new Colorsound, out in March for Auand Records. The tenor saxophonist from Verona delivers a jazz work based on impressionism: his sounds assume clean chromatic contours, underlining moods, memories and objects. "It’s a work focused on the colors I see while listening to music – Geminiani says – a synesthesia that has always been with me and that turns every auditive experience into a kaleidoscope of visual feelings. I was aiming at turning some of these colors into music, while reversing the process: this time, it starts from the visual aspect to get to the music."

Such a precise and personal concept needed some trusted partners. Double bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Mark Schilders are more than prestigious colleagues: they completely understood and shared his intentions in the New York scene, where Geminiani could study after his experiences in Siena (Italy) and Switzerland, thanks to a scholarship for the New School in Manhattan. "They are two dear friends and unbelievable musicians, I really wanted to record my music with – the saxophonist explains –. In the many sessions I have done in New York before forming the trio, they stood up for their talent, they immediately understood my compositions and the aesthetic of the project from the beginning, making every parts their own. Rick has the ability to both glue any instruments in the band, and push me to find new musical solutions every time. Mark has an “inner clock” that makes every beat and every person swing, with a personal sound that transcends jazz drums: it recalls orchestral percussion, African rhythms, Rock'n'Roll and the bounciest swing you can think of!"


That is why interplay is the main element of Colorsound: "it is the will to break schemes in the most elegant and beautiful possible way to me. Each piece is set to create a cage, a precise musical atmosphere, the musicians must find a way to climb over, going even beyond the composer’s expectations, and making room to the purest forms of improvisation."

The composer, in this case, is Geminiani himself. He penned seven out of the eight pieces in the album, recorded at the Bunker Study in Brooklyn with the intent of bringing only music related to everyday feelings and the colors to them associated into the studio. That’s how pieces like "French Blues" or "Ambra" were conceived. But the most representative of them all might be "Agata Blu", defined by the author as "a slalom through tonalities and metrics that keeps going without asking for attention, but one that leaves you with some good memories and a short soundtrack, jazzier than usual."

Rick Rosato double bass
Mark Schilders drums