CROSSING

Surely an excellent album, the second one of the ECM era; no doubts, I think, about the technical skills of the musicians: Ralph Towner is, in my opinion, togheter with the brazilian Egberto Gismonti, one of the most impressive and refined acoustic guitar player; Paul McCandless is a really well distinguished wind instruments player, often present in the Eberahrd Weber groups; Collin Walcott, prematurely died, has been a charismatic percussionist, capable of interesting collaborations (i remember,for example, a splendid duet with the guitarist Steve Eliovson)... but, getting back to the album... among the nine traks, all entirely acoustic and quite different, my favourite are Pepé Linque, a very sparkling counterpoint between the percussion and the other instruments, especially the clarinet; and Kronach Waltz, where a melancholic piano, whose rhytmical movement reminds to the cadence of the funeral procession in the South of Italy, sounds with a whispering oboe. My rate is four stars.