Short Reviews [Dino Fiore - 2013 - "Fleur Folia"]

The Italian musician Dino FIORE is best known as the bassist in Il Castello Di Atlante, one of the most important bands on the Italian progressive rock scene. When Fiore now steps out as a solo artist, it is with the help of current and former members of his band, supplemented by keyboardist Beppe Crovella and a few additional guests, who contributed on Fiore's debut solo production "Fleur Folia", which was released in early 2013 on Electromantic Music. While the label presents this album as one residing inside the jazz-rock part of the progressive rock universe, I sincerely doubt that those who have a soft spot for that type of music will find much to enjoy here. Improvisations of a somewhat free nature are a key element, as are compositions featuring an array of surging, fluctuating and often reverberating instrumental details, keyboards and saxophone most prominent. The bass guitar is safely tucked away beneath these escapades, but Fiore also incorporates sequences where his one skills gets to be highlighted. The end result is a collection of improvised sounding affairs ranging from chaotic, fragmented affairs with something of a cosmic vibe to them to fairly regular sounding purebred jazz excursions. A production mainly of interest to those with a soft spot for experimental jazz more than jazz-rock as such, and warrants a check by those who feel they belong to this particular audience.