Imagine the worried queries from those who are not percussionists. Is there no “regular” instrumentation on this album? Will it, at the very least, provide a few snippets of easily droning, pseudo-melodic stuff to hook a mind fed up with the ugly things in this world? Is this an extravaganza of hyper-technical rolling and thumping, the equivalent of the feared Friday Night In San Francisco syndrome transposed on drums and cymbals?
We would not, of course, want to disappoint our twelve or so readers, who will no doubt be ready to accept the gift – no, several gifts – coming from Gino Robair, Cristiano Calcagnile and Stefano Giust. Endowed with responsive acumen, and aware of the inmost aspects of interrelational dynamics, these three instrumentalists have put their craft at the service of an unwavering artistry which is undoubtedly free of any self-serving undertones.
Recording on multitrack, the trio was able to originate a kinetic system that sounds both organic and graceful. One of NoNoNo’s greatest qualities is probably the ability to derive intricate structures and tactile pleasures from interlocking parts born as idiosyncratic spurts. The skillful contributions of Robair, Calcagnile and Giust have resulted in an expressive fluidity that never implies monotony, owing – beyond the obvious intricacies – to the natural beauty of the skins flexing beneath the drumsticks and the power of the metals resonating in our skulls.
There is more than simply percussion, though. Subtleties of a prepared piano, well placed electronics, a tabletop guitar that occasionally provides some chiming. While there’s no denying the trio’s improvisational singularity, it is understandable for this unimaginative writer that, in the more “percussively complex” passages, certain listeners could feel rather close to pages torn from Edgard Varèse’s book. And, get this, they might even pick up on vague AMM-ish shades where NoNoNo’s chiaroscuros suggest floating dust illuminated by oblique rays of light. Through deft, forceful yet not violent motions, their joint instrumental quintessence radiates diversity.
MASSIMO RICCI. TOUCHING EXTREMES. 