SWITTERS [GIANNI GEBBIA/VINCENZO VASI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - Current
Trends In The Contemporary Italian Music Disaster - Vol III
(Improvvisatore Involontario 11; Italy) This is the second disc from
Switters, a trio featuring Gianni Gebbis on alto sax & flute,
Vincenzo Vasi on theremin, electric bass & voice and Francesco Cusa
on drums & lyrics with Xabier Iriondo on table guitar & synth for
three pieces. The title of this disc was most likely inspired by a
Butch Morris disc called "Current Trends in Racism in America".
Switters have a twisted sense of humor, a look at some of their song
titles can attest to this: "Afro Groove Masturbation" and "Paris
Hilton's Fundaments of Economy". Like their previous CD, this disc
consists of some 18 pieces, most under five minutes. The liner notes
to this disc by Wu Ming are some of the most honest, rudest and most
direct of anything I've ever on a so-called jazz disc. Totally
hilarious and totally ridiculous, yet completely appropriate. The
"disaster" they refer to in the title is the state of Italy, the
state of jazz and the current state of the world. On four of these
pieces Vincenzo sings in his swell, silly yet cool voice. I just wish
the lyrics were translated into English, no doubt we'd get some more
laughs. On each track, the trio twist their songs inside out, with
fascinating and diverse results. On "Call Center Woman" the rhythm
team shifts tempos throughout while the sax goes off in other
directions, yet there is a unique interconnected tightness. "Why
Ornette Would Be Unknown Today" sounds like a variation on "Dancing
in Your Head" by Ornette, with some Prime Time references thrown in
as well. Not bad for just a trio to move through the different worlds
of Ornette. These cats are hard to take too seriously but I must
admit that I did often smile and even laugh out loud a few times.
Their often crafty playing and composing is beyond reproach but the
humor does overwhelm the music at times. While an insensitive cretin
might want to just say, "Shut up & play your guitar or sax," I know
we all need a bit more humor to help us make it through these
troubling days. Right on, Switters, right on! - BLG
CD $15

SWITTERS [GIANNI GEBBIA/VINCENZO VASI/FRANCESCO CUSA] - The
Anabaptist Loop (Improvvisatore Involontario 02; Italy) Switters is
a trio featuring Gianni Gebbis on alto & sopranino saxes & flute,
Vincenzo Vasi on electric bass & theremin and Francesco Cusa on
drums. Gianni Gebbia is one of the best and most distinctive saxists
to come from Italy in the past decade and can be hard on some 16
discs from labels like Rastascan, Victo, 482 Music and CMP. The other
two rhythm section members I am not previously familiar with,
although their drummer, Francesco Cusa, has two discs out as a leader
on this same II label. There are some 17 tracks on this fine discs
and all are under 5 minutes in length. Each track sets up a different
challenge for the trio. Both their bassist and drum are consistently
creative through and work their way through a variety of styles and
challenges. On "Domino," Cusa plays many great skeletal rhythms on
the drums. Often, as in the past, Gianni's tone on alto sax is
similar to John Zorn's. On "Langley" the trio strips the piece down
to its bare essentials with just minimal hand percussion and soft
squeaks on the sax. It works since they make each note count and part
of a bigger picture. Each piece involves a different style or
approach. The drummer seems to at the center of many of these pieces
creating odd rhythms and structures to deal with. I like that this
trio has a twisted sense of humor and that you never know which way
each track will develop. This disc was inspired by the works of two
novelists, Tom Robbins and Wu Ming, an odd pairing no doubt. I also
dig that this disc is consistently interesting and adventurous
without really going to far out. It each seems to have a sense of
purpose and/or a subliminal thread. - BLG
CD $15