Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Slivovitz: All You Can Eat

Slivovitz: All You Can Eat

By Dave Wayne
January 26, 2016
View read count

Freely grabbing inspiration from all manner of styles, the Neapolitan band

Slivovitz

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Slivovitz functions as a high- efficiency musical omnivore, digesting and reworking different aspects of seemingly disparate raw materials into a seamless, organic whole. All You Can Eat, an appropriate title for the band's fourth long player (and their third for MoonJune), doesn't appear to be the product of mindless gluttony. Quite the contrary, the music on this disc sounds more like the product of a slow, thoughtful distillation.

Italy has long been a hotbed of hybrid musical forms. During the early 1970s, bands such as Area, Canzoniere del Lazio (with saxophonist

Maurizio Giammarco

saxophone
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Maurizio Giammarco) and Aktuala (an early landing spot for

Trilok Gurtu

tablas
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Trilok Gurtu), juxtaposed jazz, classical, rock, avant-garde, and the folk music of the Mediterranean region to create music of stunning originality and lasting value. Slivovitz is cut from the same cloth. Completely eschewing paint-by-numbers fusion clich�� and overbearing technical displays, the music on All You Can Eat is characterized by strong, nearly indelible, melodies, satisfying grooves, and improvisations that rely equally on soulful expression and instrumental virtuosity. Slivovitz' sound is also quite unique, as the formidable 5-man front line consists of electric guitar, violin, saxophone, trumpet, and harmonica. He man behind the mouth harp, Derek Di Perri, doesn't stay in one bag for too long. His solo on "Passannante" is in a sparkling, highly technical style—similar to

Gregoire Maret

harmonica
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Gregoire Maret—whereas his solo "Currywurst" is surprisingly gritty and blues-inflected.

The tunes, composed by guitarist

Marcello Giannini

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcello Giannini (also a permanent member of

Enrico Rava

trumpet
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Enrico Rava's new electric band), saxophonist Pietro Santangelo and trumpeter Ciro Riccardi are complex, multi-sectioned and somewhat unpredictable. Though largely based in a funky jazz-rock style, "Mani in Faccia" ("Hands in the Face") and "Currywurst" take all manner of compositional twists and turns. "Oblio" starts out as a haunting, somewhat rustic, ballad before exploding into frenzied

King Crimson

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">King Crimson-style riffage. "Persian Nights" and "Hangover" are pretty similar to one another. Brooding, resolutely minor key, and dominated by romping 6/8 rhythms, these pieces sound like something off of the Tzadik label. The most heavily-composed pieces, "Yahtzee" "Oblio" and "Barotrauma," still leave plenty of space for improvisation. Yet, each are extremely well-integrated and come across as complete musical statements rather than a series of difficult riffs played in rapid succession.

It's worth pointing out that the subtitle to "Barotrauma," "La Zappa su piedi," doesn't refer to the late, great composer / guitarist. Rather, the phrase is an Italian colloquialism that means—roughly—to shoot oneself in the foot. Immensely appealing and full of musical surprises, All You Can Eat, does everything but.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Persian Night; Mani In Faccia; Yahtzee; Passannante; Barotrauma; Hangover; Currywuster; Oblio.

Personnel

Slivovitz

band / ensemble / orchestra

Pietro Santangelo: tenor & alto saxophones; Marcello Giannini: electric & acoustic guitars; Riccardo Villari: acoustic and electric violin; Ciro Riccardi: trumpet; Derek Di Perri: harmonica; Vincenzo Lamagna: bass guitar; Salvatore Rainone: drums.

Album information

Title: All You Can Eat | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Moonjune Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Victor Goines Quartet at South O...
< Previous

Take Five with William Hooker
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.