The two musicians who make up Italian improv duo Zero Centigrade are a crafty little crew. On "I'm Not Like You," they use acoustic guitar, trumpet, and percussion instead of racks of pedals and big amplifiers to create their organic sound. Trumpeter Vincenzo de Luce's playing stretches the sonic possibilities of his horn, burbling, scraping, and gargling its way through the disc in a style that occasionally echoes Greg Kelley. At times bandmate Tonino Taiuiti hacks and slashes at his guitar with a deconstructive glee reminiscent of Derek Bailey or Christopher Riggs, but he also demonstrates an ability to sit back and let the duo's improvisations develop, utilizing silence and space as effectively as noisier parts.
"Dirty Times" begins with de Luce's trumpet pulsing like a sick machine; as the track progresses, broken and stuttering guitar runs interlock with the pulse. "Cold and Grey Summer Day" is an open-ended, sparse, and cautiously developing piece that mixes pick scrapes and blurts of churning horn scuzz. The title track is a good example of the duo's ability to listen to each other, as they drop the call-and-response style that marks earlier pieces for a decidedly more ensemble style of playing.
These uncluttered improvisations at times come off as a bit too austere and slow to develop, but the cleverness of the musicians involved allows for enough variety in what might be considered by some listeners to be a limited sonic palette. De Luce and Taiuiti are making adventurous music here—in ways that don't always succeed, but they deserve high marks for the inventiveness of their sound. 7/10 --
Mike Griffin (28 July, 2010)
