Record of the day: Bebo Ferra, “Isole”

Bebo Ferra, “Isole” (Cd EGEA SCA 074)

We begin the last month of the year with the music of an authentic champion of the Italian jazz music scene, the guitarist Bebo Ferra. Born in Sardinia and deeply linked to his cultural roots, Bebo is not only an excellent instrumentalist but a composer of notable stature, whose inspiration manages to always be fresh using a language that brings together the threads of jazz, Italian melody and popular music , with results that combine refinement and great listening immediacy.

His personality also has an extremely aggressive and experimental side (which manifests itself in particular with the funk-electric quartet that sees him together with Mauro Negri) but this “Isole” from 2002 shows us his more lovable and sunny side. Together with friends of proven skill such as Paul McCandless (historical member of Oregon, dealing with a number of wind instruments), Paolino Della Porta (double bass) and Fulvio Maras (percussion), Bebo unravels the thread of his compositional frame with beautiful themes (“Elle”, “Pigami”, “Mircau”) with simple melodic lines combined with sophisticated harmonic progressions, which reveal the love that Bebo has for Bill Evans and Ralph Towner but always move within a now personal and consolidated stylistic code.

Half of the album is dedicated to the compositions of Paolino Dalla Porta who, in addition to being the extraordinary instrumentalist that all jazz enthusiasts have known for years, is also an author of great quality with a more reflective and melancholic melodic vein than that of Baby. “Bagatella Mediterranea” and “Celeste” would be enough to demonstrate Paolino’s compositional skill, but all the songs on the album are excellent (among other things, magnificently recorded, restoring the variety of colors that the four musicians manage to create spontaneously).

Maras’ percussions are delicate, always kept in a low voice, skilfully coloring the very expressive melodic arcs that McCandless’s oboe intertwines with Ferra’s guitar, allowing himself to be “infected” by the Italian singing of his fellow adventurers, thus appearing even more relaxed compared to the recordings with Oregon. An exquisitely crafted album that will allow you to face the cold of December in the best possible way.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.