Antonio Forcione Quartet (SkinnyFest2)
Forcione is always imaginative, coaxing a huge sound from his guitar with blisteringly fast runs and unfamiliar chords, before slowing to a reflective, shimmering beauty.
| 14 Aug 2006
Antonio Forcione-'the Hendrix of the acoustic guitar'- has a devoted following from his years on the Fringe. He is a modest virtuoso: putting his talent at the service of the tunes, he leaves space for his musicians to weave their own magic.
An intellectual rather than emotional pleasure, the quartet has a comfortable niche: rapturous applause greeted each song. They do slip into interludes that are all style over content- the encore 'Slap and Tickle' and 'Tiramisu' are particularly guilty, but for musical brilliance, the band is unsurpassable.
Forcione sets versatile jazz solos against pan-Global backing: Brazilian percussionist Adriano Pinto matches the guitarist's panache and finesse: Australian Nathan Thompson holds the beat on double-bass and adds ethereal flute, while Jenny Adejayan's melancholic cello bursts free from Forcione's shadow to broaden the sound. This unconventional line-up explores a range of moods, from seductive to overpowering.
The set begins slowly, demonstrating the band's proficiency, before building a greater intensity. The high-light is a duel between Forcione and Pinto, each battling to upstage the other. Forcione is always imaginative, coaxing a huge sound from his guitar with blisteringly fast runs and unfamiliar chords, before slowing to a reflective, shimmering beauty. But it is Pinto's drumming that gives the band their energy, finally exploding into wildness during the finale.
Their musical sophistication ensures that they are dynamic and sporadically breath-taking: if they could sustain the intensity, they would be superlative. (Gareth Vile)
An intellectual rather than emotional pleasure, the quartet has a comfortable niche: rapturous applause greeted each song. They do slip into interludes that are all style over content- the encore 'Slap and Tickle' and 'Tiramisu' are particularly guilty, but for musical brilliance, the band is unsurpassable.
Forcione sets versatile jazz solos against pan-Global backing: Brazilian percussionist Adriano Pinto matches the guitarist's panache and finesse: Australian Nathan Thompson holds the beat on double-bass and adds ethereal flute, while Jenny Adejayan's melancholic cello bursts free from Forcione's shadow to broaden the sound. This unconventional line-up explores a range of moods, from seductive to overpowering.
The set begins slowly, demonstrating the band's proficiency, before building a greater intensity. The high-light is a duel between Forcione and Pinto, each battling to upstage the other. Forcione is always imaginative, coaxing a huge sound from his guitar with blisteringly fast runs and unfamiliar chords, before slowing to a reflective, shimmering beauty. But it is Pinto's drumming that gives the band their energy, finally exploding into wildness during the finale.
Their musical sophistication ensures that they are dynamic and sporadically breath-taking: if they could sustain the intensity, they would be superlative. (Gareth Vile)
Assembly Rooms, George Street, Aug 9-28 (Not 14) £14 (£12.50), £13 (£11.50), 20.55