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Claudio Scolari (Project) — Lines of Now
(Bandcamp No #, 2026, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-08-16

Lines of Now Cover art

The Claudio Scolari project is back once again with their trademark brand of modern jazz sounds, ranging from composed and arranged to outright chaotic madness and everything in between and then some. Those familiar with the six albums beginning with Upside Down (2019) will be in relatively familiar territory, this is a group that doesn’t change that much from one release to the next, at least as to the execution of their craft, though they tend to get more daring and fearless, and the latest album Lines of Now illustrates this growth. The group is unchanged from their 2025 album Bloom: Claudio Scolari plays drum kit 1 and synth programming, Simone Scolari plays trumpet, Daniele Cavalca plays drum kit 2, live synths, Rhodes and piano, Michele Cavalca plays bass, and the woefully under-utilized Ilaria Cavalca contributes mostly wordless improvised vocals, making her first appearance at track seven, the explorative eight minute “First Light,” one of the better tracks on the album. She only appears on three of the album’s tracks, including the brief but beautiful closer “Edge of Silence”. It’s worth saying that most of the pieces seem to come to life through a rich collective improvisation, each of the four main players seems to always be contributing something to the mix, and when double-drumming is used, the result can tend to get fairly complex. A powerful opener “Subtle Currents” and its follow-on “Fractured Horizon” are brilliant examples of their groove and chaos, melody and menace, each over eight minutes in length, pieces that a listener can truly get lost within. The synth-vibes solo near the end of the nine-minute “Holding Still” is another highlight, subtly reminiscent of Chick Corea. Claudio Scolari Project continues on their creative upswing without missing a beat. If one loves a modern jazz sound, their recordings should be on your to-hear list.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Claudio Scolari (Project)

More info
http://claudioscolariproject.bandcamp.com/album/lines-of-now

 

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