Oscar Rocchi

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  plus long-time collaborators Hugo Heredia , Sergio Fanni , Gianni Cazzola and Furio Di Castri , 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.

PERSONNEL:

• Furio Di Castri - (bass)
• Gianni Cazzola - (drums)
• Oscar Rocchi - (piano)
• Hugo Heredia - (sax, flute)
• Sergio Fanni - (trumpet)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Gold-Fast
• A2. Mercury
• A3. Solution

• SIDE B
• B1. Silver-Bop
• B2. Sulphur
• B3. Rubedo
• B4. Nigredo