| iO pages, decembrer 2005
Stefano Panunzi
Timelines
For his debut-album Timelines the Italian keyboard-player Stefano Panunzi has been able to trap a couple of renowned guest-musicians, who have contributed to the diverse, but also recognizable character of the music with their specific qualities. But it’s especially Panunzi himself who has taken care for that all these different aspects were being forged in one piece with his highly imaginative composition, crystal-clear production and massive, symphonic keyboard-washes.
The title-track, which opens the album, indicates plainly in which direction it will go the next hour: bright vocal, gliding guitar-flashes, spatial drumming, buzzing bas and the before-mentioned keyboard-sounds, it are the ingredients that bring memories of Indigo Falls and Jansen/Barbieri/Karn. And the following Underground, with a role for the Warr-guitar from Markus Reuter, also sets out into the parts into which the former members of Japan are staying, namely the dormant jazzy pop from No-Man (from which Peter Chilvers is also on the guest-list) and David Sylvian.
In Everything 4 Her, one of his five contributions, Mick Karn brings the tempo into a higher level, by which his funky bass-runs support the melodious saxophone-solo’s from Nicola Alesini (known form his Marco Polo-projects) and Panunzi’s Floydesk synthesizer-parts.
In the next No Answer From You trumpet- and Flugelhorn-player Mike Applebaum (who played with amongst others Randy Brecker and Ennio Morricone) introduces his atmospheric tone-colours which refer to Mark Isham. And the current drummer from Porcupine Tree, Gavin Harrison, shows in his on-off performance in Web Of Memories his lovely percussive style, on which all the other drummers seem to have taken example from. The creative impulses from the remaining instrumentalists and singers from Italy, Japan and Great Britain fit in perfectly to the mentioned performances, by which – like I wrote before – Timelines is a tight union.
A beautiful album therefore which follows the progression which is being launched by the mentioned artists convincingly.
René Yedema
iO pages
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