Fabio Petretti Quartet feat. Bebo Ferra - Petretti Sound (2017)

It has been far too long since the last record as a leader by Fabio Petretti, a saxophonist much appreciated by insiders as little known to jazz enthusiasts. «Petretti sound», a long waited and meticulously prepared work, should finally fill this gap, giving him a leading role in the jazz saxophone scene in Italy. Actually in recent years he has been busy as an arranger, conductor and teacher (for over twenty years teaching at the conservatory). The last album with his own name dates back to 2007 («The song is ended», in trio with Paolo Ghetti and Massimo Manzi), but he had had a much relevant role in the project «Mozart in jazz» (sax quartet plus rhythmic section) from the previous year.
The quartet that the saxophonist native of Romagna is leading in this latest recording is solid and close–knit – Petretti had previously published the wonderful «Italian tunes» in 2005 in duo with Michele Francesconi – and with the title «Petretti sound» he seems to want to establish a now well–defined style and sound, the result of an arduous but successful musical maturation. His sound, while drawing inspiration from the great American masters, appears perfectly recognizable today, rooted in modal and bop tradition and at the same time extremely timely. This is confirmed by the dynamic and zigzagging opening track, which gives the album title, where Petretti, masterfully chased by the rhythmic section, perhaps gives the best of himself.
The variety of atmospheres evoked manages to find, thanks to the leader’s musicality, a delicate and magical balance. Without any jolt we go from a modal ballad like Aero–song to the abstract, almost ethereal Esodo – the inspired guitar of Bebo Ferra joins the quartet right in the two most intimate and reflective songs of the album – from the visceral funk–blues in ORF, with Paolini’s drums in perfect Blakey style, to the dreamy lyricism in Angelato (where the refined pianism of Francesconi emerges), up to the intricate but attractive pedal in Corner, ideal springboard for Ghetti’s double bass but also the perfect closure of an album destined to last.