Mimmo Langella

FUNK THAT JAZZ liner notes by SIMONE SALVATORE (Guitarist and contributor to Axe magazine) - The concept of "jazz" is difficult to define and like any other vague term it can mean anything. Over the course of their careers, many great musicians have altered the concept several times and with each time have redefined this term their own way; transfiguring - suffice it to think of Davis - what was taken for granted, into something new. Listening to the new work of Mimmo Langella forces the listener to smile for at least two good reasons: the first is that it’s about music that’s accessible and capable of being absorbed easily; second, bound up with the first, is that the guitarist succeeds in forgetting all the "grammar" making way for, in the ear of the listener, just its notes. Langella continues the musical journey begun some years ago with the record The Other Side. The jazz/blues influences absorbed after all these years merge naturally into a fine blend of styles on the rhythmic territory of black music roots (with pleasant hints of modern electro-lounge trends), colored with "retro" timbres so warm and "alive" that, when the listener closes their eyes, they seem to be there in the studio during the recording sessions. The bandleader shows great maturity in conducting the combo, accommodating his partners and relegating his fine guitar technique in the service of his music. The feeling that emerges between the musicians results in an artistic project pursued with the sincere and daily commitment of one, who deeply loves what he does. In terms of composition, the music of Langella is once again personal, fresh and melodically engaging; the phrases of the neapolitan guitarist are articulated in the rhythm that has the naturalness of one, who knows the language that he speaks perfectly and doesn’t need to confuse the listener with words borrowed from other people. The tracks sung by Marcello Coleman will make people think again who persist in maintaining that a catchy tune is the opposite of a sophisticated piece of music capable of communicating a deeper message; coherently with the rest of the project, the duets with Scott Henderson don’t have the connotation of a duel to the last note between virtuosos, but rather a much more enjoyable one of a dialogue between friends catching up on the latest news. This is a record that, thanks to its - seeming - simplicity, can be listened to on several levels: the singing quality of the music is such, as to win over even those, who have never approached the genre; the refinement of the harmonic solutions and the improvisations goes straight to the heart of anyone, who already loves this music.