Vocalist Lara Iacovini leads a unique band that includes Steve Swallows electric bass combined with the team of double acoustic bassist Paolino Dalla Porta, drummer Adam Nussbaum/dr and pianist Roberto Soggetti as well as guests Andrea Dulbecco/vib and Giovanni Mazzarino/Rhodes. Her cheerful and morning sunshine voice is used in a mix of modern jazz compositions dominated by Swallow and Carla Bley, so the mix of material and sound textures brings a fresh feel to the session. The boppish bass lines of “Isfahan” include brand new lyrics, whiel the mix of Dalla Porta’s bowed bass with Swallows thick electric sounds make material such as “Do You Know What it Means” luminous and harmonically otherworldly. There is a spacious melding of vibes on tunes like “Carnation” and the percussively festive “Bug in a Rug,” and iacovini comes across like a member of the band instead of simply a singer in front of a supporting cast. She’s able to mix a deft use of the lyrics as both sounds and words to create moods in both spheres, no small feat. Impressive outing and able to please fans of vocals and instrumentalists.
A Beat For Jazz Records