Alessandro Bertoni – ‘Keystone’ [Review]
You have a choice here: Set your mind to ‘Blown’ now, or let this album do it for you. Alessandro Bertoni is an exceptionally talented composer – and on Keystone his own formidable keyboard skills are backed up by three legendary fusioneers in the form of Brett Garsed, Ric Fierabracci, and Virgil Donati. Expect grooves aplenty, cliffhanger staccato moments, and pristine production from first track Megas Alexandros Pt. 1: The Great Portrait alone.
As for the rest of this LP, it’s a wondrous and awe-inspiring guided trek through the neural firings of a truly stellar jazz-rock quartet. Megas Alexandros Pt. 2: City of Gordium drifts lazily, taking in slippery soloing, spookily placid cleans, and dense harmonic structures; Pt. 3 takes a heavier, Satriani-esque turn; the Bertoni-and-Garsed-penned Pacifica Rampage is full, punchy, and downright bestial; Tertium Non Datur trips, stumbles, and rocks; and Galactic Halo pushes relentlessly skyward with some really out-there soloing. Finally, The Keystone Age brings things down a notch before the delightfully quirky Magnolia Sunrise seamlessly slides into and out of existence.
If prog and fusion are your favourite musical flavours, you’ll find so much to enjoy via the Bandcamp player below.
Links / Listen
Alessandro Bertoni official website.
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