Soul Express CD Review

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I bought this album completely on the blind on the basis that it was "similar to the Koop album, but harder". I liked the sound of that. Anyway, I ordered the album and eagerly waited. On delivery from dear old Amazon.co.uk I was surprised to hear nothing of the sort! This is a very much straight ahead jazz album, rooted in the 1960s tradition but with its head fully in today. I was not disappointed one iota, far from it in fact. I have listened intently, and I do mean intently, to this CD many times and each time I hear something new and fresh.

The album sounds fundamentally different each time I hear it, and that to me is a great thing. Have no fear, this is a must-have CD and laughs in the increasingly featureless face of smooth jazz. Unlike the Koop CD this album is crammed with real musicians and the difference is amazing. I think this is Nicola Conte's third or fourth album and I have instantly warmed to this man's talent. This Italian effort is amazing and sounds just as good as anything out of New York. This proves, does it not how universal the jazz format actually is. It is a music force so powerful and diverse that it is one of the most inclusive musical religions I know.

Jazz is almost a universal language, it knows no language barriers and if handled properly cuts through social divisions easily. Nicola Conte has pefected this, and shows that he is no musical lightweight. Of course, the sum here is only as excellent as the musical parts. Appearing alongside Nicola (who plays guitar) are Gianluca Petrella on trombone, Daniele Scannapieco on tenor sax, Fabrizio Bosso on trumpet and flugelhorn, Rosario Giuliani on alto sax, Till Bronner on trumpets and vocals, Pietro Lusso on piano, Pietro Ciancaglini on double bass, Lorenzo Tucci on drums, Nicola Stilo on flute, and - phew! - Pierpaolo Bisogno on bongos and Vibes. Christina Zavalloni, Bembe Segue, Lucia Minetti and Lisa Bassenge supply vocals. Each musician stands up and gives their all on this set, the spotlight falls on each in succession in each track to allow their mastery to shine; this gives depth, bredth and some serious EDGE over lots of other more pedestrian outings.

The opening song "Sea And Sand" features German singer Till Bronner and is very interesting with regards to lyrical content and composition. It is gentle, slightly bossa and very NOW. The piano and double bass soon kick up the BRILLIANT, loose jazz vocals from Bembe Segue in the song "Wanin' Moon", reminding me slightly of Astrud Gilberto... the sensitivity from Bembe is almost askew, and the wistful wispish sway is almost distracted. This sounds odd, I grant you, but sounds great, and the supporting musical backdrop is nothing short of fantastic.

The reverbing drums and double bass suit the vibes that all infuse the heady brew that is Nefertiti. The trumpet is one of my favourite instruments and this performance is VERY Freddie Hubbard! I am not going to complain at that. "Impulso" is straight from the 1960s and reminds me of something we would expect to hear from Johnny Lyle circa his 1966 "The Loop" album. Add some soulful sax to the vibes and frenetic drums then the scene is well and truly set for 4:30 of jazz heaven!

Vocalist Lisa Bassenge has a great and distinctive voice and ebbs and flows symbiotically with the band on the carefree "A Time For Spring". We could certainly do with some Spring here - it still feels like Winter today. Thank God for this CD in that case, especially when Daniele Scannapieco pops up with some summery flute interjections. For me, though, the KILLER track is track 6, "Kind Of Sunshine" which, if anything, is the nearest thing to Koop that one can can find on this CD. This is a MONSTER jazz / dancefloor track of the highest order and I cannot stop playing it. Racy, horny and sending shivers down all the right places it never fails to get the feet tapping and the heart racing. I cannot imagine EVER getting bored with this track, let alone the album. For me this song alone made this a worthwhile purchase.

The tempo and feeling plummets to lesser astral highs with the superb instrumental, "Aphrodite's Dream" which is mainly one for those like me who adore Flugelhorn. Bembe returns again to sprinkle some stardust over the shimmering "Several Shades Of Dawn" which is another piece that would not be out of place on an old Blue Note LP from the early 1960s. "The Dharma Bums" is an odd and interesting title, but boy does this track!

The scat and bossa feel almost takes me back to the heady days of Sergio Mendes and his Brasil '66 combo. Think of any of those A&M LPs and you are there. There is but one cover on here, that of "All Gone" which was co-written by Johnny Dankworth! Never thought I'd ever mention dear old Johnny in any of my reviews, but here we are. Nicola has done a cracking job on this, and creates a sultry, slinky and sexy piece courtesy of Lisa Bassenge on vocals.

Lovers of double bass will not be disappointed with the brassy and effortless title track and neither will they have reservations with the superb vocal track, "The In Between". Nicola closes down this epic aural journey with the seriously downtempo and Bossa Nova number called "Le Depart" which is sung in French. My grasp of the French language is not very good, but this does not matter. The words sound very lovely nevertheless and suit the music perfectly. This is, in my humble opinion, a modern Blue Note classic and although this may not appeal to those dedicated only to soul, but those with an ear for jazz or jazz fusion should thoroughly enjoy it. I certainly did, and advise a listen as soon as possible - worth it if only for track 6! ESSENTIAL JAZZ.
- Barry Towler