May 21st, 2021 will mark the start of the Italian label Hora Records with the release of Unscientific Italians Play The Music of Bill Frisell – Volume 1. The ensemble Unscientific Italians, led by Alfonso Santimone, features some of the most gifted performers and bandleaders on the Italian scene.
Born in 2008 for a small feature of the Italian collective/label El Gallo Rojo at Centro D'Arte in Padova, this project went into hibernation for more than 10 years and came back in 2020, with a revised lineup and repertoire, for 2 days of rehearsals, concerts (at Torrione Jazz Club in Ferrara) and recordings (at Teatro Asioli in Correggio).
Bill Frisell is undoubtedly one of the most influential masters in today’s jazz landscape. However, his compositions remain unexplored, perhaps because of a lack of critical distance, perhaps because their apparent simplicity hides impenetrable folds to those who lack the right perspective.
Musically speaking, Unscientific Italians is not a tribute or an orchestral rendition of Frisell’s music, but rather an idiosyncratic rewriting and orchestration that borrows his compositional and instrumental language. This work has also a documentary value, since it draws from a seminal phase of Frisell’s production – the early Nineties – that today seems to be neglected despite his unambiguous celebration by audience and critics.
This release is published on vinyl and digitally, with the blessing of Bill Frisell himself, who generously offered some of his sketches for the cover artwork.
1. Before We Were Born
2. Probability Cloud
3. Unsung Heroes
4. Hangdog
5. Rob Roy
6. Twenty Years
7. Verona
Mirco Rubegni trumpet, flugelhorn, french horn
Fulvio Sigurtà trumpet, flugelhorn
Filippo Vignato trombone
Federico Pierantoni trombone
Cristiano Arcelli alto sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet
Piero Bittolo Bon alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Francesco Bigoni tenor sax, clarinet, live electronics on brass
Rossano Emili baritone sax, bass clarinet
Alfonso Santimone piano, live electronics on clarinets
Danilo Gallo double bass
Zeno De Rossi drums
All compositions by Bill Frisell (Friz-Tone Music BMI)
Arranged and conducted by Alfonso Santimone
Produced by Unscientific Italians and Hora Records
Recorded October 22-23, 2019 at Teatro Asioli, Correggio (RE), Italy
Recording Engineer: Diego Bergamini
Mixed by Alfonso Santimone @ blackHole unLTD
Mastered by Giovanni Versari at La Maestà, Tredozio (FC), Italy
