Italiano
Guitarist Renato Podestà releases his first album as a bandleader, with a trio that has been playing together for the last ten years, featuring Gianluca Di Ienno on organ and Roberto Lupo on drums. One track features a duo with his friend and mentor guitarist Sandro Gibellini.
The inspiration for this record came after a long trip to the US and a deep immersion in both the New Orleans music tradition and the contemporary New York scene. This dualism is reflected in the choice of material and in the treatment of the tunes: daring, yet also rooted in the tradition and history of jazz, and playfulness and emotional complexity coexist merrily in the album.
The organ trio format is not only a tip of the hat to some of his main influences, such as Peter Bernstein and John Scofield; it also enables him to have a great deal of freedom and instantaneous communication with his bandmates, while always keeping a full and grooving sound. Gianluca Di Ienno perfectly complements Renato Podestà’s style with his impeccable harmonic and rhythmic flair, and Roberto Lupo’s dynamic drumming propels the music effortlessly. Sandro Gibellini’s contribution on the duo track is exquisite and has the album end happily on a high note.
Renato’s foolish little dream come true is to find beauty and meaning in music from such diverse sources as 20s show tunes, early 30s “syncopated” songs, bop heads and big band arrangements, as well as original compositions, and to infuse them all with a good dose of New Orleans groove and fearless interplay.
