Anime Candide (War And Love Songs)

Daniel Sepe has long been politically involved, but on this album, his feelings are displayed quite blatantly -- indeed, the album is subtitled "Love and War Songs." Never one to keep a straight path, he's typically all over the place musically, going from the rough and ready folk song opener, to avant-garde jazz without missing a step. The emphasis is less on his own instrumental work, but on his collaborators, including trumpeter Roy Paci and percussionist Roberto Lagoa. Sepe might be Italian, but his folk sources are drawn from all over, such as Portugal on "Menina Estas A Janela," or Albania elsewhere. Rarely does he get more challenging, though, than on "The Happy End," an instrumental that seems to refract '20s German cabaret music through an avant-garde prism. Don't come to this expecting easy listening. In among the polemic is a challenge to the mind and spirit, and some very loud protests about war and its aftermath -- and the triumph of love and hope in a world gone mad. ~ Chris Nickson|