Album Notes

"Fortynine Forever" is a beautiful album. Two years after "Fuori servizio", Stefano Benini restarts his collaboration with Marcello Tonolo and Danilo Gallo, recording this album that develops some aspects of the previous work. The new CD integrates the previous musical perspective with a more organic view, open to welcome the new guests, such as the saxophonist Pietro Tonolo. Benini's style always favored the modern mainstream (starting form the West Coast jazz and be-bop), where he has his solid background, but in this work, without betraying his identity, we can find many openings towards abstract and free improvisation, both integrated with Benini's quality of melody, perfect intonation and refinement. "Fortynine Forever" starts with "Clip Seven", a fresh melodic composition, that represents a small manifesto of the following musical pattern: after a short rubato intro with the flute, Benini shows the theme, while Marcello Tonolo characterizes it abstractly and hold Benini's tumultuous free intervention.
The CD presents fascinating lyrical moments like in ”Biba's Tree” and “ Strange Logic”, where we can find Benini's tone with the same aristocratic elegance of Buddy Colette. Some tracks have a funk rhythm, like "Grey Cat" and some connect 50s' jazz to free and post free jazz. "Saya", for instance, with a be-bop theme, opens up towards free and evolving instrumental relations. A succeeding CD, among Benini's bests and one of the greatest published in Italy during this season.