Dato is the clown prince of Italian jazz, with an enviable resume, having performed with the Italian Instabile Orchestra and numerous small groups. He is best known for his Eastern European melodies that sound like a mix of wedding music and free jazz. Here, he is featured in duo with guitarist
Enzo Rocco, who forces the saxophonist into a more serious mode. Rocco is a very fine musician, who seems most comfortable in the hard bop genre, although he flirts with adventurous harmonies and rhythms. Exposed naked,
Dato comes forward with panache, exploring a full range of emotions on the nineteen tracks of the recording.
Dato is particularly effective on bari sax, where his deep, sonorous tone is a perfect foil for the guitarist. The two perform all originals, which appear mostly freely improvised. This is a good place to be introduced to Rocco, and to discover a more reflective side of
Dato.