Federico Casagrande - At The End Of The Day (2014)

This is evocative music. “Once Upon A Time” is the opening track and recollects cinema settings. “Let’s Go See Around The Corner” follows close behind and really makes you feel like peeping to see what’s happening. The latest work of guitarist Federico Casagrande is an unending surprise, a journey that may lead you to a different place each time. It goes along and flirts with your current mood, diverting and involving you in unexpected digressions. In this endeavour Casagrande conspires with Michele Rabbia on percussion and electronics, Vincent Courtois on cello and Vincent Peirani on accordion. “At The End Of The Day” is the second recording led by Casagrande to be released on CAM JAZZ, after The Ancient Battle Of The Invisible that sparked so much interest a couple of years ago. The other group members are different, the ambiance is different, but the inspiration remains unchanged and leads the guitarist to compose a recording of great depth. Contemporary guitar music, as he puts it, of which he explores any and all expressive abilities - from the stripped down sound in “Some More, Please” to the charm of “Can You See It?” (the only piece written with Michele Rabbia) - that let the six-string instrument emerge from an intriguing, tumbling mass of sound. “Maybe Not This Time” is a wonderful haven of quietness one should listen to again and again. Both “Melancholia” and “It’s All So Rarified Out There” convey suspension, a kind of waiting feeling, with a slight tinge of uneasiness. In “So Clear You Speak” a captivating interaction between guitar and cello heralds the closing track, “All That’s Left Behind”, a sumptuous, fitting conclusion to this exciting, hypnotic album. Casagrande narrates in words, by means of a short, almost cryptic poem, that will guide you throughout your listening of “At The End Of The Day”.