ENGLISH
It is no small feat to pay homage to a composer like Bernard Herrmann – author of some of the most famous music themes in the history of cinema – without stumbling upon an easy, literal reconstruction of the original songs. Carla Marciano – and associates – does not stumble; rather, she puts together a track list that teems with originality and burning emotions. The Campania-born saxophonist does not, mind you, deconstruct: she reconstructs a musical process by interpreting the songs with the typical professionalism that defines her. Even the incipit of the well-known Taxi Driver theme, with its harrowing and at one time dreamy contralto toying with the chromatic scales, is a shining example of her mastery. The suave “carpet”, created by the impeccable accompanying trio, allows her to juggle as she pleases and to make room for intoxicating fresh variations. Just as sparkling is Marnie (Prelude), caught between La Corte’s hypnotic unrelentingness and psychedelic, trance-like movements interchanging with primigenial metric figurations. With its “pasty grain”, Vigorito’s solo enriches the meaty contents. Marnie features an orchestral, almost furious ardor that pairs with the harmonic variants designed to perfection by La Corte. Psycho announces itself through La Corte’s blazes, before launching the well-known theme building up in a bombshell of post-bop “chorality”. Marciano’s torrential soliloquy is supported by Fasano’s perfect drive, which creates embellishing timbres and colors. The prelude of Vertigo, full of contemporary sounds and unfailing romanticism, leads to Scene d’amour (Vertigo) which, more than ever before, seems to have been marvelously cut out for a jazz song. Carla Marciano also carves herself some personal, compositional space: In From Marnie To Twisted Nerve, she declines her harmonic-rhythmic vocabulary, breaking and reassembling melodic charts with flawless performing technique. There’s also room for an additional homage to John Williams through the Harry Potter theme, whose intro is entrusted to a brilliant La Corte, before unchained rhythms and tempos break loose. «Psychosis» is one of those records that don’t get made every day: a punch à la Mike Tyson and a caress à la Kim Novak.