Alberto Pinton: baritone saxophone, flute, bass flute, clarinet, bass clarinet; Peter Nylander: guitar; Christian Spering: bass; Peter Danemo: drums
Being clinched – or punched, for that matter – by Alberto Pinton’s baritone is always a positive stimulus, for that huskily frothy tone is a tonic guidance in liberated tracks like the opener “Off We Go” and the closing “Strength And Passion”, titles extremely revelatory about a certain approach to the theme-and-improvisation canon. But it takes a groovy (and utterly respondent) group to make a leader sound good, and Nascent are such a combo. The jazz they play might not be characterized by spearheading divergency, but sure enough it’s altogether serviceable in that it respects the listener: no cushy tricks, no artificiality, the few nods to existing realities never appearing as the last resort by an ensemble of copycats. Everybody contributes with enthusiasm to a mix of ebullience, organized freedom and will of sharing sympathetic vibes with artistic partners and audiences alike; this translates into various spurts of earnest interaction, minus the risk of getting lost in a maze of nonsensical hoaxing. Every line seems born to work in its proper context of use in a firm incentive to acknowledge and appreciate music executed with the right doses of “inner felicity”. The program also features shorter and calmer pieces, to be regarded as meditative interludes of sorts. They warrant an agreeable diversity in terms of sonority, showing that these gentlemen know the meanings of both “pedal to metal” and “restraint” beyond an inarguable instrumental competence.
MASSIMO RICCI. TOUCHING EXTREMES. 