Renato Cordovani - Cordonbleux At NOF [Aut Records 036]

Put on the circuit via Aut Records in June, 2k17 is "Cordonbleux At NOF", the first album crafted by the Italian producer and composer Renate Cordovani for the imprints catalogue. Recorded live at the NOF Gallery in Firenze in May, 2k16 the eleven tracks on this album present quite a leftfield approach towards the traditions of Jazz and Brass, weighing in hefty portions of both styles, although served with a little tongue-in-cheek attitude, whilst bringing in bits and bops of Free Improv or even gravitating towards a Film Noir'esque feel like in the beautifully arranged "24/12/1946", FreeJazz in "M.I.A. Con... Manico" or spine-tingling string vibrations introducing an outerworldly Bebop Swing in "Dissolution" whereas a tune like the furious "Contorsion" provides wild and storming action and havoc nicely contrasted by assortative melodic elements and a surprisingly mild plot-twist occuring throughout the mid-track breakdown. Not the easiest album to digest but a thrilling ride for die-hard jazzists for sure.

Album artwork on Instagram!