"CHANGIN'" - CADENCE

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I don't know who Daniel Visani is (this could be his first cd) but I can hear that he is a competent guitarist. This collection of bop and blues tunes nods in the direction of Wes Montgomery's early Riverside sessions and some of the wirk Grant Green did on Blue Note. Visani has a clean, vibrato-less tone, likes to push ahead of the bneat onn his solos, and rarely plays very hight notes. The piano work of Alain Jean-Marie shows him to be a good accompanist (his two-handed chord work on "Nanou valse" really shines) but his solo work is often choppy and pedestrian. Luigi Trussardi does a credible, workman like job holding down the bottom. I really do like the way drummer Charles Bellonzi pushes the quartet. His rapid-fire snare work on "R.W." is exemplary while his dancing cymbal work on "22 Novembre" brings Art Blakey to mind. Though the mix pushes the piano out front much of the time, Bellonzi is the true energy-source for the group.

I suppose my real problem with this cd is that Visani's melodies are just fair. I know it's primarily a "blowing" session and that solos are often built off chord changes but it's helpful to have a strong melody now and again. Nothing really grabs me about this music other than the work of the drummer. As background music, it's okay but, otherwise, Changin' lacks appeal.