Enzo Rocco
SCRAPS: (very) old and (almost) new solo guitar pieces
Enzo Rocco is an Italian composer and improviser who has been active on the European jazz scene for decades. He’s been a collaborator with Butch Morris, Peter Kowald, and Lol Coxhill, among others. He has led his own groups, including the long-running TUBATRIO and acted as organizer of Bottesini Bassofestival (a festival dedicated to every kind of low-pitched instrument in all kinds of music). Rocco’s latest release, Scraps, is a collection of solo guitar studies, some conceived during Covid lockdown and other much older pieces.
“Strings Study,” “Thumbs,” “Mixolydian Study,” and “Hanging Harmonics” are the works created during lockdown. All of them are atmospheric, abstract guitar studies. Other pieces are live recordings from various concerts over the years. “Peaches Brew” was debuted at Città Sonora Guitar Fest 2020 in Milan. Rocco was one of several guitarists invited to contribute pieces honoring Frank Zappa on what would have been his 80th birthday.
Scraps will appeal to fans of free-form guitar experimentation — the sort of people who find Robert Fripp and Captain Beefheart thrilling.
