MMXIV is the debut album from Italian intellectual experimental Jazz quartet Cenobium, who manage to fuse the music of Joe Henderson and PH Harvey within the bands vision. The quartet are Andrea Lombardini, Edoardo Cian, Giulio Jesi and Francesco De Tuoni who between them have played with among many others Donny McCaslin, Mario Biondi, Eugene, S. Robinson, Nico Gori and Freddie Hendrix. The album was produced by Andrea De Marchi at Virtual Studios in Treviso and mixed and mastered by Antonio Nappo at Q Recordings Milano.
The album opens with a cover of Joe Henderson's Afro-Centric an afro-jazz fusion of brass runs, fluctuating bass runs, drums that haven't quite decided to start talking, but are finding intricate patterns between the horns. Ornette is being chased down a hall by Bill Frisell to places deeply prog.
Grains Of Sand has a Post-rock Post jazz feel like Her Name Is Calla with a John McLaughlin twist, inevitable screeds of sound develop a maelstrom of noise, giving way to peacefulness storm passing.
Curly whirls downwards into a deep late night stroll, abstruse drumming with delicate horn work blowing across the piazza, a guitar snaking its way with reference to Rudolf, into a fusion universe I generally keep clear of, this is out there, Marta Frigo's guest scatting is hauntingly beguiling.
Missed is the bands PJ Harvey cover that slows the original down, this has an air of menace, in how the horns work behind the vocals, they get more intense in the reflections of who is now Missed, Sax solo tries to outdo Terry Edwards I love where they take this classic.
Shaping Smiles is especially important when making difficult music, making sure they are smiles and not frowns, this could almost be a Jamie Cullen ballad, but thankfully it's not that bland, especially in the interplay between the drums and sax.
The album closes with Eggplant that has a delicately flavoured parmigiana feel, soft silky notes, perfectly cooked, no burnt edges, just a relaxed satisfied post meal feeling, until it's time to get going with darker guitar and an insistent bassline, driving them back out into the dark night once more.
Find out more at https://cenobium.bandcamp.com/album/mmxxiv https://www.facebook.com/cenobium
