Schiele

What magnificent breadth! Massimo de Mattia is Italy's answer to John Zorn — except that De Mattia offers a unique perspective through his warped lens that relies as much on contemporary classical sonorities as it does on jazz, and he does it somewhat less radically than early Zorn. You might think of it as highly eclectic pastiche, as each of the 15 tracks has a different approach, yet there is a unifying sound that is discernible. De Mattia wrote and arranged all the pieces, which show flashes of genius throughout — whether in their rhythmic abstractions or jigsaw puzzle-like combinations. As with Zorn, there is lots of variety, particularly with the changes in instruments. For example, the first track, "Io, Eterno Fanciullo," is a flute/ voice duo, while the following one, "La Nascita del Genio," is an octet with percussion, drums, piccolo, two saxes, trumpet, piano, and bass. This is followed by "Due Voci," with the unlikely combination of soprano sax and tuba. What makes it all connect is the continuity of the pool of performers, the very high level of writing, and the extremely effective improvisations by a band of players largely unknown in the States, except perhaps for pianist Giorgio Pacorig and bassist Giovanni Maier, who have made a name for themselves on other discs. The music runs the gamut, including some intense, freestyle blowing and some wild, string-based swirls. Daniele D'Agaro can be singled out for his light-footed, supercharged energetic contributions on tenor sax and bass clarinet, while each of the vocalists — Claudia Contin, Lorena Favot, and Ferruccio Merisi — throw in Barberian licks that subvert the foundations. For several of the pieces, De Mattia is listed as engaging in "conduction," (the process perfected by Lawrence Butch Morris) with which the leader (the "conductioner?") conducts without a fully written script. These tracks, too, succeed on every level, so much so that they flow seamlessly. A beautifully produced 16-page booklet offers well-designed photography and graphics as well as English translations of the lyrics.