Guitarist Albare has released a handful of impressive and original albums, and this one might top them all. He teams up with a quartet of Joe Chindamo/p, Philip Rex/b and Pablo Bencid/dr, but the clever pick here is that he augments the band with a rich orchestra conducted by arranger Chindamo through a collection of movie themes.
Material like “The Magnificent Seven” and “Mission Impossible” swirl in excitement, creating perfect framework for Albare’s lyrical guitar solos. Chindamo’s piano work does some nice teamwork with Albare as on the pulsed “Goldfinger,” thoughtful “Taxi Driver” and the bluesy “Another Story.” The beauty of an album like this is that Albarea and Chindamo aren’t intimidated by familiar themes, as they take “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and with Bencid’s drum create a hip noirish atmosphere, while “Midnight Cowboy” is simply enchanting. This is a real fun one!
Alfi Records