Oscar Rocchi Quintet: Alchemy In Jazz (Vinyl LP)

Besides being a leading session musician in Milan's jazz scene between the 60s and 90s, Italian pianist Oscar Rocchi created a number of exquisite library albums in the pop-jazz genre. These include among others Erbe Selvatiche, Pop-Paraphrenia and Woman's Colours (the latter co-written with his friend Giancarlo Barigozzi) as well as Alchemy In Jazz.

Originally released on Ring, an imprint of Edizioni Minstrel, the album was recorded by a quintet featuring Rocchi on piano plus long-time collaborators Hugo Heredia (sax and flute), Sergio Fanni (trumpet), Gianni Cazzola (drums) and Furio Di Castri (double bass), and has since become a cult record in countries from the US to Japan, where it was released for the first time on CD in 2013.

With a palette ranging from frenzied post-bop echoes ("Gold-Fast", "Nigredo") to sentimental nocturnal ballads ("Solution", "Rubedo") to cheerful modern-jazz vibes ("Mercury", "Silver-Bop", "Sulphur"), here Rocchi paints an elegantly syncopated musical fresco that, like the magical, alchemical process referred to in the title, transmutes the harsher aspects of jazz syntax into a graceful and more euphonic style that is approachable for jazz neophytes and yet enjoyable for seasoned jazz lovers.

1. Gold-Fast 
2. Mercury 
3. Solution
   
4. Silver-Bop 
5. Sulphur
6. Rubedo 
7. Nigredo