| Django's Jungle is another notable example of what Italian Jazz at its height is capable of now producing .The recording is melodic,fiery,sweet,swinging,melancholy and joyful all at once , and the musicians'love of Django and Grappelli is evident throughout , yet the music feels new , and never retro.basically what Guiducci has done is take seven Reinhardt compositions and play them anew with a septet that features guitar and violin , of coures, but adds some unusual and very gipsy flavor with clarinet, accordion and trumpet in the mix. As with Django's work , the guitar is rarelycenter stage but it is happily driving the swing , taking the tasteful solo here and there. Chris Speed shows off his clarinet pedigree from his Pachora project , and his Eastern European flavored reed is a perfect match with the gipsy side of this music. So to with the great Gianni Coscia's accordion , as he brings his seasoned presence to the youth of the ensemble.The accordion feels gipsy , but it has Coscia's Italian roots as an undercurrent to the whole recording. This record is an easy candidate for the best of lists at the end of the year in MUSICA JAZ's 2001 pool) and about the only problem one can find with Django's Jungle is that after 47 minutes you'll find it is over too soon. Go out and get it. Phillip McNally |
| DJANGO'S JUNGLE Review from CADENCE Magazine (Usa) may 2002 |