No strangers to cutting-edge music, the Black Saint label maintains the momentum of Italian saxophonist, Carla Marciano’s debut Trane’s Groove. Her quartet’s latest record, A Strange Day brings exciting modal stylings and with so many originals ranging from bop to the avant-garde, it will surely appeal to straight-ahead fans. A Strange Day, an extraordinary album! This impressive ensemble includes Marciano (alto & sopranino saxophones), Alessandro La Corte (piano), Aldo Vigorito (bass) & Gaetano Fasano (drums) and their opening track, Dance of Mind is the first of many examples of each having a voice then weaving it around Marciano’s free style. Great performances reveal themselves on the mid-tempo number, Around Steps and, with a Dave Brubeck kind of vibe, you’ll be amazed to realize this is Marciano’s song! Her maturity as an artist, both in composition and performance, will take your breath away on the tracks, Far Away and I Try To Remember. Written with slower tempos and in the style of the standards, she explores and delivers stunning sax lines with lasting qualities. While, the title track A Strange Day is a hip number featuring only the sax and acoustic bass. Marciano’s arrangements offer differing and varied perspectives. She puts a little sass into the John Burke/Arthur Johnston classic Pennies From Heaven, and delivers a boppin’ version of Irving Berlin’s, Russian Lullaby. Like a shot of espresso, A Strange Day serves up a punchy taste of the avant-garde, stirs it with the sounds of bebop, then simmers with longingly-romantic interludes. With so much to offer, this could very well be the Carla Marciano4tet’ssignature CD!

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