II - Fiorentino & Quartarone
This album is destined to become a collector's item!
Their music, in perfect balance between formal rigor and improvisational freedom, is a careful look at the state of the art of modern guitar. The pieces from the American jazz tradition become a pretext for the development of dreamy atmospheres and surprising harmonic and melodic realizations. More than a traditional album, it is a tribute to the art of improvisation that winks at classical music and the counterpoint of ancient music.
The first album, "Anamorfosi," was recorded in a single, long studio session lasting an entire day in November 2019, to which an additional track was later added, which became the album's opening track when it was released in 2022. The two artists met again in February 2022, allowing themselves a five-day margin to record new songs; to stretch out the process and follow their creative vein; to play from morning to night, following inspiration and stopping when necessary. "Before we started, we evaluated what we'd like to play," the two guitarists recount. "With the goals set, the rest came by itself. It only took three days." It took another year to organize the pieces and listen to the recordings, and then came the call to the head of Birdbox Records, Lorenzo Vella: "Would you like to do a sequel to Anamorfosi?"
"II" is a more "rational" album. "That's what happens," Quartarone says with a laugh, "when you lock Fiorentino and Quartarone in a room to create music!" Fiorentino and Quartarone are two visionary composer-improvisers who effortlessly dialogue with one another, the former on semi-acoustic guitar and the latter on classical guitar. Both are passionate about electronic music, and for a couple of tracks, they wanted to include loops created by recording percussive sounds on the guitar itself. Overall, the feeling you get when listening is that of a single, great guitar.

"II" includes eight tracks that share the common thread of repeatedly using the blues form with an expansive development.
Nightingale Studios, Palombara Sabina (RM) Recorded in May 2022. Mixed and mastered February 15-16, 2023. ℗© 2023 Birdbox Records s.r.l.s.