Luca di Luzio - Globetrotter
Jazz Guitar Album

"An Italian guitar wiz that never heard of limits shows that music is the international language as he pairs up with some of stateside's top smooth jazz/fusion hitters for a date that's right in the pocket no matter what.

Smooth, as in stylish, this date has a back in the day feel without feeling like it has any dust on it.

With no one on boards fingers stuck in amber, contemporary jazz fans that like it on the easy side have a stellar winner of a set to deal with here."

"Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.

Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli.

Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.

Every track on the recording has a special meaning to Di Luzio. Together, the assortment showcases his versatility as a guitarist and composer. Creating a jazz hybrid, Di Luzio melds funk, blues, soul, and Latin music, creating an atmosphere fraught with pleasing aesthetics. A graduate of the Conservatorio di Musica Frescobaldi di Ferrara, a music conservatory in Italy, Di Luzio honed a vision that speaks the language of the human heart."

"Guitarist Luca Di Luzio has performed with many jazz bands over the last decade or so.

His latest album is Globetrotter with drummer Dave Weckl, George Whitty on keys, saxophonist Max Ionata and bassist/producer Jimmy Haslip.

There's a lot of warm soul on this one with a smidge of Latin and a lot of groove. That's Di Luzio's formula as he chronicles his musical life with seven originals and two standards.

Luca steps out on a number of cuts with buttery, liquid melodies that makes things pop. Haslip lives up to his billing shining throughout the set including a funky solo on "Jazzlife"."

"...Born in Italy and trained at the Conservatorio di Musica Frescobaldi di Ferrara, di Luzio has mastered electric, acoustic and classical guitars with the help of such mentors as Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Les Wise and Dean Brown.

On the surface, Globetrotter does bump against the genre we grudgingly know as cool jazz, but a closer examination of the people who play on this album suggests there's more to explore. I get excited, for example, whenever I see drummer Dave Weckl listed in the credits–he's one of those percussion masters who can play any time signature you can think of with eloquence and style. Jimmy Haslip's electric bass playing has been popping up on my radar lately–he's definitely a jazz musician in high demand. Luca di Luzio has filled out the line-up with other stellar jazz musicians such as sax player Max Ionata and keyboardist George Whitty. Listen closely and you'll hear the mastery and the skill in every note, every solo.

Globetrotter is about all these elements, but the main reason to listen is Luca di Luzio's guitar. He's thoughtful in the way he adapts his style to the specific instrument, how the electric guitars have that same lonely wail as Metheny, and how the delicate acoustic guitars reveal di Luzio's Mediterranean roots. Most of all, Globetrotter is the study of a man's heart, and how certain memories bring out certain emotions, emotions that are easily detected in the music that's inspired."