Michele Franzini - Out of a Logical Choice (2020)

Everyone considers Francini a prolific jazz musician. But don't let this adjective mislead us. "Prolific" should not be understood in a simplistic way. Composing a lot does not necessarily mean composing "light" or harmonically poor music. In his case, this is not the case at all! The composer Francini is actually a musician who is constantly in search of structures and sounds that are thought out and verified in order to be able to accurately convey a certain mood that will later develop during improvisation. Therefore, the ideas underlying his compositions are not just melodic intuitions, on the basis of which you can substitute several chords and improvise. The initial idea of his compositions already contains the germ and outline of what will happen later, thanks in part to the contributions of other band members. Four pieces called Studio Attitude 1, 2, 3 and 4 deserve special mention: they are the result of completely free improvisation in the studio, without any harmonic, melodic or rhythmic restrictions. Nothing planned or predetermined. They were born out of the playful and relaxed atmosphere created in the recording studio with Francisco Mela (their name "Studio Attitude" is intended to refer to this state of well-being and relaxation among musicians at a moment of great harmony, proving that one can play freely without looking aggressive or "annoying" towards the listener). In fact, it wasn't difficult to fit these pieces into a context that mostly consists of more structured compositions. The album keeps its balance, and the result is interesting and very enjoyable. It should also be added that thanks to the relationship that has existed between these musicians for several years, and due to the degree of their mutual knowledge, it became possible to limit the recording to a couple of takes for each piece, thereby preserving spontaneity and freshness even in non-improvised works. "Out of a Logical Choice" was recorded in two different studios and mixed by Stefano Spina from Soluzionimusicali – Milan with excellent results, according to all the musicians involved in this album.