Sense of Passage By Carlo Matti

 

Sense of Passage

By

Carlo Matti

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Another newish artist to me lands on my desk, this time it is the sensitive refrains of pianist and composer Carlo Matti and his latest offering Sense of Passage. I cannot emphasise enough the gentle and soothing nature of this new album, it would be a total joy for me to float with, and thus this is the musical sojourn we fly with right now.

One personal thumbs up for me, always comes when I see the artist place the title track as the opening piece, this is a huge opportunity to say, here it is, this is what my album is all about, Matti does that brilliantly with this song Sense of Passage, which I would personally rate as one of my favourites off the album, a smooth and calming refrain on piano, with soft and delicate symphonic gestures floating in the background.

Speaking from one who lives by the sea, I couldn’t imagine being without its utter beauty in my life, and if I were looking for a soundtrack to its glory then this piece The Sea would probably get the nod. The utter ambience of this track alone is pictorially brilliant; I could leave this track on repeat for hours and never get bored, I’m right there, watching the ripples, the colours and movement of a late autumn ocean, a lapis liquid heaven

A slight change in energy occurs here with the light hearted reverie of this next piece entitled Valse. This track has such a warming performance on piano by the artist, the presentation is akin to a sunny Sunday morning, where you pull back the curtains and watch the day unfold, with a smile of gratitude on your face.

It has become apparent that Carlo Matti is a musical story teller, and here on this next offering called Unveiling Sun, we have another fine example of that genius, the gentle floating notes and keyboards are simply blissful, the day is filled with a new energy, a simple joy to behold, and one like the composition, to be grateful for.

On Nine Dancers we are gifted a song that sparkles like the night sky on a clear evening. Matti’s sublimely crafted and cultured performance is heavenly to listen to and enjoy, the delicate movement depicts the subject matter with such a charming depth of grace.

As we approach the half way marker we come across a piece called At Dawn. This soothing musical narrative almost contains an energy that could be described as classical in nature, but at all times holds dear to its heart a full flowing and quite scenic performance within its soul, as Matti musically paints yet another wondrous picture with the keys.

Violet begins our journey home; this composition has a slight sense of reflection built into its flowing weave. Almost anthem like in structure, Matti has done it again by creating something meaningful and tender in texture, one that leads us carefully into the lands of this next arrangement entitled Jericho, a mood filled opus of aged memory.

Something we all crave for in truth is a Peaceful Land, from those reflective desires we fly headlong into sun kissed reveries of a new day, as this song wends its merry way. The melody here could easily be transcribed into a single, and I could easily here lyrics with it, in an almost Elton John styled arrangement; this is one of those stand out pieces that is utterly impossible not to like.

A short 5 minute walk from my home would take me to a view, a vista where I can see the Ocean Lighthouse standing proudly against the sky blue background of Cyprus, I closed my eyes and listened to this track, it was perfection! Through the performance I could see the waves crashing up to the rocks, and the gleaming white paint of the lighthouse shining in the radiance of the beginning of a new day.

The gossamer like tendrils of this next piece called Like a Fairy Tale, drifts around us with a light hearted intention, the performance here is indeed mysterious and magical, one that we can all enjoy together in its sun kissed melodic ambience.

So now we have arrived at the penultimate doorway of the album, and also the longest track off the release at just over six minutes, it is called Skies. I simply adored the keyboards manifestation of a hovering sense of anticipation here, the cadence of the minutes that pass and the vastness of the sky is portrayed superbly by the artist.

For our last track we go back to the beginning and sample a repeat of the title header, but this time it’s is a solo piano version of the classy opener Sense of Passage, a composition that due to its arrangement and melodic structures, I hope is released as a single.

Sense of Passage by Carlo Matti is one of those albums you may have had playing for several hours and not noticed, this is ambient piano at it’s very best, and because of its utter beauty and calmness of spirit, there is really little need or desire to spoil the moment by playing something else. Sense of Passage by Carlo Matti is an album I fell in love with from the very first track and onward, it is a peaceful reverie in a new dimension of tranquillity, one that will bring much to your never ending search for calm, and as such this gets a huge big thumbs up from me.