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Nicolas Masson / Roberto Pianca / Emanuele Maniscalco: Third Reel

By Glenn Astarita
August 3, 2013
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Nicolas Masson / Roberto Pianca / Emanuele Maniscalco: Third Reel

This Swiss-Italian trio of well-travelled musicians benefits from ECM Records' fabled sonic ambiance, largely brought to fruition by distinct audio engineering processes, owing to spatial characteristics and great depth. Its sound is categorically different than customary jazz, jazz-rock or avant- garde-tinted productions. Whether it's the artists' subtly creative exercises that are introspective and understated, or guitarist

Roberto Pianca

guitar, electric
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Roberto Pianca's hardcore rock guitar voicings manning the helm, the band is also at ease when lightly navigating across rolling hills and winding paths.

Saxophonist Nicolas Masson's surging sax parts often take on spiritual implications. On "Improvisation 2," Pianca's grunge guitar phrasings offer an expansive plane for Masson's yearning lines atop

Emanuele Maniscalco

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Emanuele Maniscalco's snappy drumming. It's like the musicians are communicating with a higher authority, but with might and fortitude. With asymmetrical progressions framed on lament and solemn improvisational segments, the trio's diverse offering elicits a sense of anticipation throughout.

The trio enters a forbidden zone during "Freeze," amped by Pianca's distortion-laced notes and Maniscalco's tumbling tom rolls; yet Masson's singing choruses on "Improvisation 4" subliminally translate into an imaginary scenario of

Billie Holiday

vocals
1915 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Billie Holiday belting out an avant-shaped blues number. The trio mixes it up within the free-zone on "Neuer Mond," engaging in a clustering series of dialogues that serve as a robust vehicle for Masson. Intense and sublime, Third Reel presents an emotively charged force that yields an abundance of hearty rewards amidst the dips, spikes and offbeat passages, all meshed into a transcendental time warp of sorts.

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Track Listing

After All; Furious Seasons; Orbits; Improvisation 2; Bley; Neuer Mond Prologue; Improvisation 5; Miserere; Freeze; Fasten; Ginkgo; Sparrow; Spectrum; Eleventh Winter Tale; Improvisation 4; Neuer Mond.

Personnel

Third Reel

band / ensemble / orchestra

Nicolas Masson: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Roberto Pianca: guitar; Emanuele Maniscalco: drums.

Album information

Title: Third Reel | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: ECM Records

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