De Rossi e Bordini is a project that dates back to 2008 when keyboardist Gianluca De Rossi and drummer Carlo Bordini recorded an instrumental piece entitled “Il pozzo dei giganti” that was included on the 2008 Musea - Colossus themed compilation Dante’s Inferno - The Divine Comedy Part I. Then, both musicians were part of Cherry Five’s new line up along with Tony Tartarini, Ludovico Piccinini and Pino Sallusti. Unfortunately, when Cherry Five’s bassist Pino Sallusti passed away the band had to stop and De Rossi and Bordini went back to the duo formula. In 2021 they released an eponymous album on the independent Ma.Ra.Cash Records label. The art cover is taken from a tableau by Norman Blake painted in 1826 and represents a scene from Dante’s Divine Comedy...
The opener is a brand-new version of “Il pozzo dei giganti (Inferno, XXXI)”. It starts with Carlo Bordini reciting some verses from the Divine Comedy related to the scene depicted on the art cover, where you can see the giant Antaeus helping Dante and Virgil during their journey... “Ere further on we go, so that the fact may seem less strange to thee, know, then, that towers they are not, but Giants...”. The new version is prevalently instrumental, with Gianluca De Rossi singing just a few verses of the lyrics written by Tony Tartarini for Cherry Five’s version but it was not easy to replace the theatrical style of the vocalist and frontman. Anyway, the music is great and the result is not bad at all...
“La porta nel buio” (The door in the dark) is a new version of a Taproban’s piece from the 2013 album Strigma. It’s a long suite, a nearly 19 minute tour de force for the duo, that deals with a feeling of deep fear and the desperate search for an escape from a difficult situation. In the new arrangement the drums are in the forefront from the very beginning and their interaction with Gianluca De Rossi’s keyboards is perfect...
The last two tracks, “Natività” and “Camellandia”, come from the repertoire of Rustichelli e Bordini and were both included on the 1973 album of the duo entitled Opera Prima. The new versions were recorded live in Rome during the 2019 Progressivamente Free Festival and showcase all the potential of the duo on stage but, in my opinion, a little help from some guest musicians would have improved the performance...
On the whole, despite the lack of really new compositions this is a good work that is worth listening to.
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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