Marco Colonna and Noise of Trouble – Mis Sueños Son Irrenunciables, Obstinados, Yestarudos y Resistentes

Niafunken

For the latest Noise of Trouble release, main man Marco Colonna has gone for the clarinet as instrument of choice and has drawn in friends Luca Corrada on baritone guitar and Cristian Lombardi on drums, as well as a few others who make appearances along the way. I have to say that for me, the clarinet is one of those instruments whose sound is suffused with joy and this album does not disappoint. The sounds on Mis Sueños Son Irrenunciables, Obstinados, Yestarudos y Resistentes are full of life and more than a little playful as the clarinet runs rings around the simple repetition offered by the baritone.

You have little images of the kind of cool pieces Henry Mancini would have written for The Pink Panther in opener “Jellyfish”, the sweet confection of the clarinet sitting atop the playful rhythmic structure laid down by the other players. It is as much Artie Shaw as Roland Kirk and that is the beauty here; a hint of history with a search for something fresh to say. It is obviously a lockdown album, but the interaction between the instruments is impressive, the feeling of interplay is still there, even though it would all have been sewn together in the studio.

There is a sense of intrigue on “Luis” which is dedicated to Luis Sepulveda, with the baritone so sonorous and chewy you could almost touch it. The drums are all footsteps and cymbal breath, and the clarinet is all sinuous charm and temptation. The rhythm section’s ability to lay something simple but atmospheric is testament to their ideas and the clarinet leads a diffuse dance all the way through the octaves, lurking in shadows and then throwing open the shutters and launching itself laughing. You can hear the history, but you can also feel the embracing of Eastern ideas and African rhythmic hints, just to show that everything is accessible to these guys.

There are scattered notes and a sense of abstraction on “Lockdawn” that embraces the more forward-looking jazz ideas, and you can hear the instrument breathing on the slower “Meaning Of Brotherhood”, where percussive textures and strange sounds pollinate with an irresistible rhythm. I kept expecting to be reminded of a vocal-less Morphine, but the feel is generally more carefree and the willing embrace of so many other ideas and worlds. In some places, as on “Sanza”, it owes more to post-rock style electronica than to jazz, with some submerged electronic textures that glimmer in the background.

As well as there being a couple of instances of Marco playing against himself and setting an alto against a bass or introducing a soprano sax, we are also introduced to rapper RD, who brings the only vocals on “Apocalisse”. His croaky voice sounds really cool and although I know no Italian, his insistent rhyming is great and does well with the sparser clarinet. There is something ’80s indie about “Arising”, with its splashy cymbal washes, and their cover of Victor Jara‘s “El Derecho De Vivir En Paz” is a real heartstring tugger. More of a melancholic affair, the clarinet sings like birdsong with loads of colour palette over the careful, simple rhythm.

By the time the insistent Eastern influence of final piece “Prospettiva” arrives, we have heard a full rage of the clarinet’s capabilities with the interplay between it and the backing different every time. Individual characters emerge for each piece, sometimes lurching or meandering, at other times waltzing or leaping for joy. Mis Sueños Son Irrenunciables, Obstinados, Yestarudos y Resistentes throws a brief glance over the shoulder at what has come before and the a wide-eyed leap into the future, but always searching for companionship as it pokes and prods at its rhythmic counterparts.

This is a lovely and carefully crafted album full of joy and intrigue, texture and substance. If you care at all for the clarinet, you will love this, as will anyone jut looking for musical adventure.

-Mr Olivetti-