Bija is a core trio of Gabriele di Franco/g-loops, Francesco Pellizzari/dr-perc and Marco Puzzello/tp-fh with some guest work by Emanuele Coluccia/sax and Stefano Luigi Mangia/voc. The unorthodox trio works wonders here, with Puzello’s gentle and romantic horn working wonders as he dances with di Franco’s guitar on the gentle “Cipolla” and flowing “Gonna.” Mangia eats up the beautiful “AR” while the mix of dark guitar sounds and muted horn make Donna Oriente” and ominous delight. Coluccia’s soprano flows around some stringed musings on”Apnea” and Puzzello squeezes out notes on the trudging “Ampolla.” The band tries to sound like a bunch of surf rockers on the hard hitting “Dubby” but that’s little more than a bump on this elegant road. Impressive and freely relaxed.
Slam Productions