On the Edge

With “On the Edge,” tenor saxophonist Mattia Basilico presents his debut album as a bandleader. Together with Alessio Pagliero on piano, Carlo Bavetta on double bass, and Bernardo Guerra on drums, he performs compositions by John Coltrane, Cedar Walton, Thelonious Monk, and Ornette Coleman in his own arrangements. Basilico’s playing is particularly influenced by Coltrane: alongside powerful, rhythmically incisive passages, he also makes room for lyrical lines. The quartet combines his engagement with the jazz tradition with its own interplay; piano, bass, and drums are more than just accompaniment for the saxophone.