This new album by Gerardo Frisina should have been called “Olympia – Part II”, since it ideally restarts where the previous EP “Olympia” had arrived. It’s been recorded by the same line-up: John Guerretti (piano and Hammond), Ernesto Lopez (drums and percussion), Hendrickson “Pucci” Mena (trumpet), Domenico Mamone (baritone and tenor saxophone), Alessandro Marcado (bass) and Gilas (flute).

Looks like a classic jazz ensemble; however, a strong passion for afro and Latin sounds, combined with abundant dose of electronic music, leads to a completely different result. Frisina’s trademark hasn’t actually changed: jazz music contaminated by Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Latin-jazz elements, all made fluid, compelling and above all… danceable!

It is almost impossible, in fact, not to associate Frisina’s music to a dance floor environment, and “Blue latin” is no exception: conceived, as its predecessors, as the ideal musical accompaniment to a packed dance hall, also this record reinterprets a musical genre – jazz, of course! – which even decades ago was considered the dance music ‘par excellence’, and delivers it, extremely modernized, to the present day.

Among the six tracks from “Blue Latin”, exclusively printed on LP, there’s a personal rework of “Naquela Base” João Donato, where the original piano melody is played by wind instruments, and the almost-meditative “Incanto”, which combines spiritual jazz influences and African atmospheres.