It seemed inevitable that German trumpeter and vocalist Till Brönner would collaborate on a full album with the Italian DJ, compiler, producer and remix master supreme Nicola Conte, he of the brilliant “Bossa Per Due,” among others. Brönner made guest appearances on such Conte albums as Other Directions (2004), Rituals (2009), Love & Revolution (2011) and Free Souls (2014), while Conte had worked his remix magic on Brönner’s “Sò Danço Samba” (2009) and Mark Murphy’s “Stolen Moments” (2007), which the trumpeter and vocalist himself produced.
What is less obvious, though, is that the two would conspire to conceive something as inspired and exciting as Italia. Here, Brönner concentrates on an all-Italian music program, with a passion and interest that seems to have been lacking on several of his more recent releases.
As its title promises, Italia – Brönner’s first release in four years and his first for a new label – is an exploration of the rich heritage of Italian popular music that has been too rarely celebrated or much appreciated outside of that gloriously musical country. This beautifully-curated program pairs a range of film and TV themes with a surprising three-decades span of pop songs. The production is credited to both Brönner and Conte, but these ears detect the latter’s formidable influence on the engaging proceedings, which contributes to its ultimate success.
The Swedish saxophonist, flautist and arranger Magnus Lindgren is credited with what feels like minimalist woodwind arrangements that nicely compliment Brönner’s likewise minimal brass arrangements. Lindgren has worked with both Brönner and Conte on previous projects. But while Brönner brings along such compatriots as keyboardist Roberto Di Gioia and bassist Christian Von Kaphengst to the set, Conte brings his go-to regulars as well, including Italian keyboardist Pietro Lussu, American bassist Ameen Saleem and Finnish drummer Teppo Makyen.
Brönner, of course, handles vocals on such pieces as “Viva la felicità,” “L’appuntamento” (both in Italian) and his own little groover “Cosa Vuoi.” But the producers invite such guest vocalists as Mario Biondi (who previously featured Brönner on his 2018 cover of Sade’s “Smooth Operator” – here on “Via con me”), Giovanni Zarrella (“Quando, Quando, Quando”), Chiara Civello (“Parole Parole”), Mandy Capristo (“In alto mare”), Sera Kalo (“L’unica Chance”) and background vocals throughout by the German-based Katrin Mickiewicz.
For once, though, the vocals don’t overtake the music. But it’s a sort of high-octane (and high-talent) – and rare – lounge jazz that is as easy on the ears as it is stirring to the heart.
This one is born from pure love.
Till Brönner” – CD Hype Sticker
Among the best-known songs covered here are the disc’s opener, Bruno Martino’s 1960 “Estate,” a well-covered jazz standard – and superbly rendered here – and its closer, “Arrivederci,” Umberto Bindi’s 1959 debut, and still popular among many European vocalists. Notably, both are ballads that benefit beautifully from Brönner’s lush and burnished tone on flugelhorn. Both are also ideally delivered as instrumentals.
Brönner, who is often favorably compared (in multiple ways) to the otherwise ill-fated Chet Baker, is likely paying tribute to his forebearer here. Baker, who often lived and recorded in Italy throughout his life, performed both of these songs, notably crooning “Arrivederci” in the 1960 film Howlers of the Dock (a.k.a. Urlatori alla sbarra), a scene which is lovingly repurposed for the closing credits of Bruce Weber’s 1988 documentary Let’s Get Lost.
But it’s what’s happening between the bookends that makes Italia the dynamic outing it is.
Among the film themes are Ennio Morricone’s memorable “La Donna Invisible” (1969), Peiro Piccioni’s lovely “Travolti da un insolito destino nell’ azzurro mare d’agosto,” the main theme to Lina Wertmüller’s 1974 film Swept Away, and the fantastically exciting “Il trucido e lo sbirro,” Bruno Canafora’s kinetic theme to the 1976 polizioteschi (crime thriller) Tough Cop (the song is incorrectly credited here to Franco Micalizzi and wrongly attributed to the 1977 polizioteschi Dirty Gang, which is also scored by Canafora) .
The addition of the spunky “Viva la felicità” (Long Live Happiness), the theme to the classic Italian cartoon series “Mister Rossi,” is a happy surprise. Brönner gamely handles the lead vocal – in Italian – and offers a tasty splash of a horn solo.
The pop songs covered here are surprisingly well cast, too: from a disco take on “Quando, Quando, Quando,” a 1962 pop hit that Engelbert Humperdinck had an English-language hit with in 1968, Ornella Varoni’s 1970 hit “L’appuntamento” (featured in the 2004 Ocean’s Twelve), and Italian singer Mina’s 1972 hit “Parole, Parole” (co-written by noted Italian film composer Gianni Ferrio) to Luccio Battisti’s 1977 number-one hit “Amarsi un po'” and the one-time Mrs. Björn Borg, Loredana Bertè’s 1980 dance classic “In alto mare.”
“Parole, Parole” gets a brassy arrangement that recalls Sérgio Mendes’ “Mas Que Nada” and a far-too brief outro that riffs nicely off of seventies-era CTI. But the highlights are surely Paolo Conte’s 1981 hit and signature song “Via Con Me” (featured in many films, including the 2022 Patricia Highsmith adaptation Deep Water, where actor Ana de Armas played it herself on piano) and the superbly funky “L’unica chance,” a 1973 Italian hit for singer/actor Adriano Celentano.
Brönner delivers one hell of a cool, spacey trumpet solo on “L’unica chance” that would surely make Mwandishi-era Eddie Henderson proud. One could wish there was more of this, or that it could have gone on longer.
Brönner’s only original, the funky “Cosa vuoi” (What Do You Want), mixes a basic English-Italian lyric with a terrific arrangement that harks back to the 1981 Bob James-Rod Temperton collaboration Sign of the Times. Its only drawback is that it gives short shrift to Brönner’s always riveting horn work, a problem that plagues a bit too much of Italia. The effect is as though Brönner appears as a guest soloist on his own album (“L’appuntamento” actually fades on Brönner’s all too-brief solo).
Like so many of Brönner’s previous releases, there seems to be an obvious attempt to “crossover” here. Italia seems like it has a good shot at doing just that. No single has yet emerged from the disc. But some smart DJ somewhere is sure to pluck one of these nuggets for much-deserved airplay or club action. I would propose “Estate,” “Viva la felicità,” and “Via con me,” “In alto mare” or the disc’s dancefloor darlings, “Il trucido e lo sbirro” and “L’unica chance” as viable candidates.
Italia strikes this listener as one of Till Brönner’s most artistically rewarding and genuinely entertaining releases. A great success. May there be more in store for Till Brönner and Nicola Conte together. An Italia II would not be unwelcome.