DARIO NAPOLI MODERN MANOUCHE PROJECT - Joie De Vivre
Available at: darionapoli.com/store/
Dario Napoli - lead guitar; Tommaso Papini - guitar; Tonino De Sensi - bass guitar
Sicilian-born and Milan-based bandleader & guitarist Dario Napoli has developed an enviable reputation on the European Sinti Guitar circuit as a talented exponent of the deathless style created virtually singlehandedly by the mighty Django Reinhardt, the popularity of which continues undiminished across a European network of festivals and concert tours. Modern Manouche Project is his personal contribution to the genre: while staying within the boundaries of a style the rules of which have been strictly codified for over half a century, he has used the project to introduce his own original compositions and expand the repertoire to include material by such diverse composers Johnny Mandel and Charlie Haden. The latter’s Our Spanish Love Song is given a modern tango feel that recalls Piazolla: Mandel’s The Shadow Of Your Smile is given a subtly swinging ballad reading over which Napoli spreads skeins of flawlessly articulated arpeggios and storm clouds of tremolo chords in the approved manner. He’s a superb technician, his speed, fluency, accuracy and imagination matched by a clear delivery and an infectious sense of swing: Tonino De Sensi matches his speed and accuracy on his signature series bass guitar, so that the two of them can break into burbling high-speed unison on the introduction to the Napoli’s original You, and De Sensi is more than capable of sharing solo duties throughout, duplicating Napoli’s fluent runs and arpeggios in a lower register. The choice of instrumentation gives the album an intimate chamber feel: Napoli’s compositions mostly sit well within the tradition, with some nice sophisticated arrangement touches (as in the infectiously joyful title track), though No Regrets ventures into a smooth jazz-funk that’s equally easy on the ear, and Simple Pleasure ventures into unexpected blues-rock territory to inconsequential effect. Highly accomplished in both conception and execution, this is a worthy addition to the genre, though its appeal to its constituency may hinge on the listener’s appetite for solos played on the bass guitar rather than the more traditional violin.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Available at: darionapoli.com/store/
Dario Napoli - lead guitar; Tommaso Papini - guitar; Tonino De Sensi - bass guitar
Sicilian-born and Milan-based bandleader & guitarist Dario Napoli has developed an enviable reputation on the European Sinti Guitar circuit as a talented exponent of the deathless style created virtually singlehandedly by the mighty Django Reinhardt, the popularity of which continues undiminished across a European network of festivals and concert tours. Modern Manouche Project is his personal contribution to the genre: while staying within the boundaries of a style the rules of which have been strictly codified for over half a century, he has used the project to introduce his own original compositions and expand the repertoire to include material by such diverse composers Johnny Mandel and Charlie Haden. The latter’s Our Spanish Love Song is given a modern tango feel that recalls Piazolla: Mandel’s The Shadow Of Your Smile is given a subtly swinging ballad reading over which Napoli spreads skeins of flawlessly articulated arpeggios and storm clouds of tremolo chords in the approved manner. He’s a superb technician, his speed, fluency, accuracy and imagination matched by a clear delivery and an infectious sense of swing: Tonino De Sensi matches his speed and accuracy on his signature series bass guitar, so that the two of them can break into burbling high-speed unison on the introduction to the Napoli’s original You, and De Sensi is more than capable of sharing solo duties throughout, duplicating Napoli’s fluent runs and arpeggios in a lower register. The choice of instrumentation gives the album an intimate chamber feel: Napoli’s compositions mostly sit well within the tradition, with some nice sophisticated arrangement touches (as in the infectiously joyful title track), though No Regrets ventures into a smooth jazz-funk that’s equally easy on the ear, and Simple Pleasure ventures into unexpected blues-rock territory to inconsequential effect. Highly accomplished in both conception and execution, this is a worthy addition to the genre, though its appeal to its constituency may hinge on the listener’s appetite for solos played on the bass guitar rather than the more traditional violin.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
