There aren’t a lot of jazz artists that subsidize their careers by running a pizza parlor, but Connecticut alto saxist Matt Criscuolo mixes flavors, spices and sounds with Larry Willis/p, John Clark/French horn, Gerald Cannon/b and Billy Williams/b on this collection of originals and covers that is as varied and tasty as an Sicilian antipasto.
The mix of Cruscuolo’s “al dente” alto and Clark’s sweet as capers French horn make a front line as rich as a creamy 4 Cheese sauce, as shown on the grooving “Generally Not” and the serpentine lines of “Ronnie’s Tune.” The bluesy bop of the title track has hints of “Epistrophy” while Criscuolo’s horn cries out like a Venetian boater, and the lazy drive of “ Somethin’ Like That” that hums like a Vespa. Some kinetic activity on “The Rock” supplied by Willis beats into your system like traffic on Via Nazionale, while Cannon’s bass work on the vulnerable “Inventiscoved” serves as a perfect risotto base for Criscuiolo’s alto to flower little sharp sprinkles of flavorful flakes of notes on top. A quietly galloping “The Larry Willis I Know” has the grace of a Maserati, while the closing take of “My Ship” is as smooth as a marinara sauce. Buon Appeitite!