Iconoclastic Italian guitarist
Enzo Rocco shows his eclectic side for this live series of duets recorded in London, England. Performed over a series of four nights at a few different venues, the six selections feature
Rocco with four different freestyle Englishmen: soprano saxophonist
Lol Coxhill, drummer
Steve Noble, drummer
John Edwards, and pianist
Veryan Weston. The guitarist's choice of partners is revealing; each is a superb individualist, not fitting any predetermined mold.
Rocco adjusts nicely to the different styles, the quiet, abstractions of
Weston being among the more interesting.
Rocco is one of those few postmodern guitarists who combines the almost random aesthetics of
Derek Bailey with the jazz skills of a Joe Morris -- although
Rocco is not as strong a player as either. Highlights include the two
Coxhill cuts, although the two players sometimes seem to be playing alongside, rather than with one another. Elsewhere, there are solid, sometimes fascinating, if not always extraordinary, excursions into unexplored worlds.