submitted on Sat, 11/15/2008 - 07:05 in Jazz Group by Mike_Longo 
An attempt to define Italian jazz is similar to trying to identify an American by only traveling to Texas. Just as American jazz differs from New York to Chicago or L.A., the jazz of Italy has many facets and it continues to surprise and entertain with its many flavors and eccentricities.
Enter saxophonist Gaspare De Vito, whose jazz is rooted in both Cuba and Africa. On Passing Notes, he assembles a percussion-laden quartet for some stripped-down jazz that immediately captivates with infectious rhythms and sympathetic musicianship. The force with which Roberto Bartoli's bass and Danilo Mineo's conga drives this session is, like much Cuban music, the centerpiece of this session. De Vito (like Dizzy Gillespie before him) knows the 'it' here is the pulse. And he keeps that pulse very much alive...
Source: allaboutjazz
Author: Mark Corroto
