Recommended: Alex Puddu – “In The Eye Of The Cat”

 

Alex Puddu - "In the Eye of the Cat"It’s pretty easy to slide into the cinematic imagery conjured up by multi-instrumentalist Alex Puddu.  The Italian movie genre of giallo is his inspiration for this set of tunes, and Puddu gives In The Eye Of The Cat all the frenetic action, ominous danger, and suave personality that this particular style of storytelling demands.

The cool groove of “Il Sogno La Luna” strolls casually down midnight city streets.  “The Bull,” on the other hand, is a groove customized for car chases down those same city streets in the bold light of day.  And title-track “In the Eye of the Cat” decides that streets are for dancing.

But it’s not all about the grooves.  On tracks like “Magic Mountain” and “Una Donna allo Specchio,” the melodies step up and exert their hypnotic influence over the sonic imagery.  On the former, it’s done with fluid, quick lines of detail, whereas on the later, it’s a smooth pour of water.

Edda Dell’Orso adds her voice to some of the tracks, and she lends them much the same haunting beauty that she does the various soundtracks of Ennio Morricone.  Puddu utilizes an array of instruments, and it brings all kinds of texture and depth to the set.  This, plus string contributions from Orchestra Cinefonica di Roma cinch the deal, making this album as intriguing as it is fun.

Your album personnel:  Alex Puddu (organ, dulcimer, bouzouki, percussion, piano, conga, harpsichord, tambourine, zither, claves, crumar, flute, moog, bongos, cello, violin, drums, bass, acoustic and electric guitars), Edda Dell’Orso (vocals), Jesper Lovdal (flute, saxophone), Morten Gronvad (percussion, bongos, conga), Hendrik Jørgensen (trumpet), Gavino Congiatta (electric bass), Massimo Florentino (organ, piccolo), Orchestra Cinefonica di Roma (strings) with those strings orchestrated and conducted by Giacomo Dell’Orso.

Released on Schema Records.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Jazz from the Copenhagen scene.

Available atBandcamp | Amazon | eMusic