Rocchi, Oscar -quintet-
Alchemy In Jazz
Besides being a leading session musician in Milan's jazz scene between the '60s and '90s, Italian pianist Oscar Rocchi created a number of exquisite library albums in the pop-jazz genre. These include among others 'Erbe Selvatiche,' 'Pop-Paraphrenia' and 'Woman's Colours' (the latter co-written with his friend Giancarlo Barigozzi) as well as 'Alchemy In Jazz.' Originally released on Ring, an imprint of Edizioni Minstrel, the album was recorded by a quintet featuring Rocchi on piano plus long-time collaborators Hugo Heredia (sax and flute), Sergio Fanni (trumpet), Gianni Cazzola (drums) and Furio Di Castri (double bass), and has since become a cult record in countries from the US to Japan, where it was released for the first time on CD in 2013. With a palette ranging from frenzied post-bop echoes('Gold-Fast,' 'Nigredo') to sentimental nocturnal ballads ('Solution,' 'Rubedo') to cheerful modern-jazz vibes ('Mercury,' 'Silver-Bop,' 'Sulphur'), here Rocchi paints an elegantly syncopated musical fresco that, like the magical, alchemical process referred to in the title, transmutes the harsher aspects of jazz syntax into a graceful and more euphonic style that is approachable for jazz neophytes and yet enjoyable for seasoned jazz lovers.