Record Reviews

ROBERTO OTTAVIANO ~ DARK SIDES DODICILUNE 589 (Barcode: 8059772565899) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is an album by Italian saxophonist / clarinetist / composer / bandleader Roberto OttavianoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with oud player Peppe FranaFind albums by this artist, electronics manipulator Luca RoccatagliatiFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. DJ RoccaFind albums by this artist), bassist Giorgio VendolaFind albums by this artist and drummer Ermanno BaronFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, six of which are original compositions by Ottaviano, one is co-composed by Frana and Roccatagliati, two are traditional tunes, one is an adaptation of a Classical piece and finally one is by British composer Jocelyn PookFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely gorgeous, mostly superbly melodic and deeply lyrical, with strong World Music accents, emphasized by the presence of the oud, which gets a prominent soloing space, but also influenced by the choice of the material and the prevailing ambience. The usage of electronics is very subtle and suits the music perfectly, and buy staying mostly as ornamentation adds a nice touch to the whole outcome. Ottaviano, who’s wonderful tone and sophisticated melancholy adorn many great Italian Jazz recordings, keeps constantly evolving and changing his musical expressionism, but his name on a cover of an album always guarantees quality and extraordinary depth of emotion, which of course is also true this time. Overall, this is another excellent recording by Ottaviano and his cohorts, especially for lovers of the Mediterranean Jazz-World Fusion and music spiced with the smell of Orient and its ancient beauty, a music which is a reflection of my home and roots. This is one insanely beautiful piece of music!

Updated: 22/03/2026Posted: 22/03/2026

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