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Reviews

Stefano Panunzi — Pages from the Sea
(Bandcamp SPMusic SPCD02, 2023, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-03-08

Pages from the Sea Cover art

We last heard from keyboardist and composer Stefano Panunzi on Beyond the Illusion (2021), which was a kind of mixed-bag album containing some intriguing instrumental music along the lines of other artists in the Jansen / Barbieri / Karn axis in conjunction with a few vocal tunes. Pages from the Sea, like that album, is chock full of impressive guest musicians, but the balance seems to have tilted a bit more toward the vocal side this time out. The singers interpreting Panunzi’s songs are Jakko Jakszyk, Peter Goddard, Robbie Aceto, and SiRenée. On bass, he’s got Fabio Trentini, Fabio Fraschini, Nicola Lori, and Stefano Petrocco; drummers include Alessandro Inolti, Cristiano Capobianco, Luca Fareri, and Pat Mastelotto; on guitar (and/or Touch Guitar) we find Giacomo Anselmi, Markus Reuter, Nicola Lori, and Robbie Aceto; and the sound is filled out by Sunao Inami (electronics), Mike Applebaum (flugelhorn), and Peter Dodge (trumpet). With so much variation in personnel from track to track, it’s amazing that the whole thing holds together, but there’s a remarkable consistency through the whole album. My favorite parts are the more energetic tunes, where the rhythm section lays down a really tasty groove with prominent fretless bass. “Which Truth,” “Not Waving, but Drowning,” and “The Secret” are all great tracks. The brass instruments are well used, but appear on only three tracks. All in all, Pages from the Sea is a really solid release, and shows Panunzi refining his craft as a writer, as well as knowing who to call to fill out his arrangements.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Jakko Jakszyk, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter, Stefano Panunzi, Fabio Trentini / Moonbound, Nicola Lori

More info
http://stefanopanunzi1.bandcamp.com/album/pages-from-the-sea

 

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