Giovanni Tommaso - Via G.T.

Bassist Giovanni Tommaso has a knack for assembling talented groups. For this studio session, he brings together an all-star quintet of Italian hard bop: a front line of trumpeter Paolo Fresu and alto saxophonist Massimo Urbani, and a stellar rhythm section of Tommaso, pianist Danilo Rea, and drummer Roberto Gatto. The whole gels, as Urbani and Fresu produce the kind of lightening solos that have since brought them international attribution. Tommaso wrote all the tunes (with the help of Rea on "Take the Money and...Spend it!"), which occasionally suffer from an absence of fire. Still, the solos from each bandmember are superb, Rea proving himself an adept powerhouse, and Tommaso holding it together with a solid backbone. In all, this is a compelling example of Italian hard bop. AllMusicGuide