An usual recording, with mixed results, Italian Luca Bonvini fronts a trio with bassist Ares Tavolazzi and percussionist Steve Argüelles through 13 impressionistic landscapes. Bonvini performs alternately on trombone, sackbut, slide trumpet and guqin (a 7-string Chinese zither). There are segments that devolve to new age warbling, but by and large this is an interesting project, a bit off the beaten path. Bonvini sounds something like a minimalist Miles on slide trumpet, and his trombone technique is competent, if undistinguished. His sackbut sounds much like a French horn, while his performance on guqin snares with its attractive atmospherics. The percussion of Argüelles is well highlighted throughout. Ultimately, it is the concept and the arrangements, rather than the individual soloists, which hold the most interest.
© Steve Loewy /TiVo