The Italian Instabile Orchestra is a large ensemble, formed in 1990 by the trumpeter Pino Minafra, and Live in Noci was their first release. Drawing musicians from across several disparate disciplines, the group tends to travel between free jazz, Italian folk traditions, contemporary classical ideas, and general good-natured wackiness, in some sense the Southern European version of bands like Willem Breuker's Kollektief. The "kitchen sink" approach, while enjoyably dizzying at times, tends to work against cohesiveness in certain compositions and may aggravate the listener just settling into a particularly nice section. The opening track for instance, Paolo Damiani's "Detriti," has several lovely portions, any one of which might have been comfortably stretched into a separate piece instead of episodically placed back to back. Likewise, Eugenio Columbo's "Ippopatami" begins in a delightful rampage befitting its subject, but then veers off into a relatively standard free jazz blowing fest. In fairness, Minafra, in his "Noci...Strani Frutti No. 1," is able to bring enough out and out wackiness to make one toss any reservations aside and just go with the flow, and there are more than enough fine musicians in this band so that one can simply listen to appreciate their soloing art. But one has the impression of more potential here than realization, fun though the ride may be. - Brian Olewnick
Tracks
1. Detriti (Paolo Damiani/Text by Peter Handke)
2. Ippopotami (Eugenio Colombo)
3. La Czarda Dell'Aborigeno (Giancarlo Schiaffini)
4. Pierrot Solaire (Giorgio Gaslini)
5. Noci.....Strani Frutti No 1 (Pino Minafra/Text by Vittorio Curci)
6a. I Virtuosi Di Noci (Bruno Tommaso)
6b. Munasterio E Santa Chiara (Alberto Barberis)
GIANLUIGI TROVESI alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
EUGENE COLOMBO alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
MARIO SCHIANO alto saxophone, voice
DANIELE CAVALLANTI baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
CARLO ACTIS DATO baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
BRUNO TOMMASO bass
PAOLO DAMIANI cello, bass, voice
TIZIANO TONONI drums, percussion
VINCENZO MAZZONE drums, percussion, timpani
MARTIN MAYES french horn
GIORGIO GASLINI piano
LAURO ROSSI trombone
GIANCARLO SCHIAFFINI trombone, tuba
SEBI TRAMONTANA trombone, voice
ALBERTO MANDARIRNI trumpet
GUIDO MAZZON trumpet, flugelhorn
PINO MINAFRA trumpet, flugelhorn, didgeridoo
RENATO GEREMIA violin
Recorded January 24, 1992 at Festival International du Jazz, Rive-de-Gier, except
Track 4 recorded June 30, 1991 at Europa Festival jazz, Noci
Leo Records - CD LR 182