Danilo Gallo – bass, baritone guitar, acoustic guitar, composition
Massimilano Milesi – tenor / soprano sax / clarinet
Francesco Bigoni – tenor sax / clarinet
Jim Black – drums
Parco della Musica Records / March 2020
1 DEMOLITION 6:50
Beginning with a baritone figure, then joined by Black on drums and both saxophonists in left and right stereo fields; this piece immediately pulls you into the sound of an actual band – not a glorified jam session. This music has a real polyphonic texture with independent lines which influence each other. Black is not just a drummer pounding out an incessant groove, but a color palate of sound and dynamics. Gallo is a rock of constant support, underpinning Bigoni’s adventurous solo. This is child of Jazz and Rock in a beautiful dialog. The groove changes for Milesi’s solo as the tonal pallet of the baritone guitar gains an edgy distortion. Bigoni and Milesi join forces while never stepping into each other’s way. A great ending with interesting down tempo pings of metallic soundscape.
2 THE TREE AND THE WATER 6:34
A beautiful and sensitive beginning with a clarinet duo, which morphs into polyphonic ballad with the saxophones. A third part comes in over a steady groove. I love how Gallo drops beats without filling up every moment with sound. Black is a sure and deft accompanist for the double saxophone feature: Bigoni out right solos while Milesi accompanies with multi-register lines. Music like this couldn’t be played if the musicians didn’t respect the composer, the music and each other. It’s never too full and always moving. Milesi breaks out with a solo in the fourth movement which spearheads the dynamics in a crescendo that erupts and dissolves. Dynamics! The writing is thoughtful and beautiful, the ending is through-composed art.
3 RUBBLE DUST 6:41
A beginning sound collage with a drum groove that lays a bed for the saxophones to offer sound. The second movement shows Black to be an unpredictable master of broken-beats. It feels un-composed while being totally under control. Both horns solo over different tutti band moments, which are brilliant. Somehow another groove evolves, before the end – in a cloud. The dynamics shift for Gallo’s solo offerings, before the horns and drums accompany with muted colors. The end is patient and sincere, as Black lays back for the trio to fade.
4 NO BOUNDARIES 7:58
A shimmer of color. An atmosphere. The sitar-like vibes of the guitar are inviting. Space is used as deftly as sounds and effects. In the second movement a groove emerges with Milesi on soprano and Bigoni on tenor. Pulsing and droning at once. This band has a multi-movement sound and approach which is unique and masterful. The groove disintegrates before your eyes as the band retreats back into Gallo’s shimmer. Well done!
5 SHORT MEMORY REPRISE 0:28
True to its name, Bigoni and Milesi give us a brief glimpse of a memory – this sets up a contrast on the record – where one can never expect what tonal palette will happen from track to track. Always thoughtful, never cliche. Capturing your full attention, yet breathing.
6 EYES OF TWILIGHT 6:32
Like the meditation bell starting a session. The horns in stereo paint colors and lead us into the great hall. Tinkling and metallic soundscapes great us there. Swirls of sound and incense arise, warm smokes fills the sonic room. This ensemble makes sound and music, never predictable – always lovely. A groove arises while Bigoni solos on the clarinet and Milesi accompanies on tenor sax. Black is ever present but never overbearing. Gallo leads with concept, a crystal hand in a velvet glove. As unexpectedly as the groove arises does it evaporate, the band just disappears.
7 IF YOU RAISE A WALL YOU GET LOW 8:03
A soprano sax and clarinet double-improvisation, over a random noise generator and acoustic guitar pickings. Contemporary, but rooted in mastery of traditional forms of composition and improv. The distorted bass and drums enter with a muscular groove. Time dissolves over a free jazz interlude with electronic accentuations. Multi-movement – grooves come and go, start and stop with joyful abandon! This songs ends without premeditation, all end at once in a lovely chord.
8 I CAN’T SEE YOU 7:14
Bigoni begins alone, evoking the full sound of his horn, Suddenly, Black and Gallo enter with a droning groove over tinkling sounds. Bigoni’s melody begins before Milesi enters with his own invocation of the pallet of the tenor sax. Then, both horns trade turns on stating the melody or harmonizing with Gallo’s bass figure, or with each other. Big drum toms punctuate Milesi’s solo, as Bigoni supports with Gallo. In the final act, the baritone guitar sets up another penetrating line to guide the band, as Black switches to brushes. This music is dynamic, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud – but always in control.
9 BRICKS ON TILT 3:24
An edgy brick of a sound in the center of the stereo field. Suddenly, a powerful pseudo-blues emerges. Powerful and central, almost punk-like in its audacity. Gallo jumps across registers, while the horns engage in a bull-fight with Black. Free-jazz Punk, if you will; and a refreshing sound. It ends with a rounder brick of a sound.
10 A VIEW THROUGH A SLOT 4:25
The clarinet and soprano start with percussion accents. Then Gallo and Black fully enter. Again, Black masters the broken beat without distracting from the flow of time. It’s beautiful to hear them maintain this feel and evolve into a different more steady feel, before returning to the broken beat feel. A true band at work with a great composer. Somehow, I am reminded of Charles Mingus – and this is good, as the band conjures his control of sounds and tempo.
11 INSIDE THE CRACK 1:39
An electronic cloud, with pulsing distortion. Suddenly, the sand churned up by the underwater storm is cleared and we find ourselves in a dense landscape. Four tracks of horn sounds: clarinet far left, both tenors in the middle, and clarinet on far right! Out of nowhere the road ends right at the stop sign, and the engine turns off!
12 SHORT MEMORY 7:17
The short memory is expanded here into a commentary. Layers of sound and different grooves. The climax is a rise in energy, but not a loss of control as the tenors intertwine. Power rhythm section work. The third movement continues to rise as Black pumps and pulls the band. The last band hit precedes the sitar-like guitar’s final comments.
13 THE TREE AND THE WATER REPRISE 1:07
The bright acoustic strumming is also careful and sure. It is as beautiful as a children’s song, but for a mature audience. The record ends on a sincere promise.
Hide, Show Yourself! is a full work, a musician’s opus which is never disappointing. I would love to see this live and to watch the music made before my ears and eyes. This record feels like a concert which happened without an audience; intimate but accessible to the masses. You can dance or you can brood in a corner. You can listen with your lover, or rock out while you burn down the town. Rarely does a work of art address all the moods that we need it to, while being a singular and universal communication. Bravo and well-done!!
Chicago, January 2021
Kelvin Sholar – Pianist, Educator