Nicola Conte
Rituals

Follow-up to the classic ‘Other Directions’ takes a more vocal route. The style (though not the vocal) resembles Mario Biondi’s wonderful ‘Handful Of Soul’ from a couple years back especially on Ellington’s ‘Caravan’ and the Eastern vibe of ‘The Nubian Queens’, the latter featuring Jose James. ‘I See All Shades Of You’ features the delectable Jazz vocals of Alice Ricciardi on a swinging groove that is on the one as they say. She also contributes on the waltz ‘Song For The Seasons’. The instrumental ‘Macedonia’ is a jazzy instrumental piece of some gusto. For Jazz dance aficionados this is a must buy and already a contender for Jazz album of 2009.