In tribute to their late friend and famous novelist Umberto Eco (1931-2016), clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi and accordionist Gianni Coscia create a rich and nostalgic collection of lyrical duets, mixing songs from the swing era as well as free-associated themes inspired from Eco’s writings. The result is a cozy, folksy and intimate meeting that feels like a Sunday morning in the park with long time friends.
With Trovesi on the alto clarinet, he broods richly on “Eco” and is spacious on the starlit “Nebjana I” with Trovesi supplying rich textures as a backdrop. The two get coy on a fun take of “Basin Street Blues” and take “Moonlight Serenade” and stretch it out like buffalo mozzarella. Trovesi’s straight clarinet is woody and breathy for “As Time Goes By” and saunters during a bluesy “In Cerca Di Te.” Coscia is lyrical and gentle during “EIAR” and peppy for “Fischa Il Vento.” Almost all of the songs clock between 30 seconds to under 5 minutes, so the emphasis is on setting an atmosphere and bringing deep reflections up to a surface, like a scent of marinara sauce that lingers. Lovely.