REVIEWS
I must say I'm impressed here. Filippo Bertacche managed to get this amazing latin jazz track out of an online collaboration, and the fact that it is so magnificently produced and performed says a lot of his musical talents.
For one, this is one hell of an instrumental, one of the best I've heard on mp3.com, and I've heard a lot. The instruments blend so well I can hardly tell they aren't all being played together live in a studio. The production on this track is so solidly done that it sounds like I'm hearing it in person.
And the drumming on this track, specifically, is completely top notch, and as a drummer myself, I am allowed to say that. Filippo has a lot of talent here, and to ignore this fine track would be ignoring some excellent jazz from a group who, though they may be working over great distances, have the musical tenacity to stick around in the business. Needless to say, I'm enthusiastic about what I'm hearing in "Samba Sueño".
I wish I could do more to urge you all toward this fine track, but all I can do is give you my word that this is one track you don't want to miss. But don't just take my word for it, see for yourself, because Filippo Bertacche is a name you'll want to remember. Gods Of Music
Ad ulteriore testimonianza di come in Italia vi sianno grandissimi musicisti ecco comparire il nome di Filippo Bertacche, batterista che considero come uno fra i drummer più intelligenti che abbia mai ascoltato. Se ci pensate bene quanti cd avete ascoltato di drummers che hanno superato la prova? Sì, è vero, Simon Phillips, Dave Weckl e Dan Gottlieb hanno anche inciso degli ottimi lavori, ma ogni volta c'è sempre quel qualcosa che non và, cosa che invece non si nota nei capolavori dei chitarristi fusion.
Oculata pure la scelta dei musicisti chiamati per la registrazione del cd, magari meno conosciuti di altri ma bravissimi nel calarsi all'interno dei brani. Lo stile di Filippo ci porta in quell'area di jazz-moderno contaminata dal blues, in un insieme di arrangiamenti semplicemente unici. Sembrerebbe quasi di avere nel cd-player un cd strumentale prodotto negli Stati Uniti, mentre invece il tutto èstato creato da un batterista vicentino.
Un consiglio..., se amate i virtusismi di classe provate ad ascoltare questo cd. Millerecord Reviews
Like Dicarlo said, all the words have been bantered about and used over and over...great, fantastic, excellent...I couldn't find one that would do justice to this piece. This is beyond words and into pure emotion my friend! Unbelievable guitar by Mr. Eichman. Live TIGHT drums with an easy touch but conveying drive and power by Mr. Bertacche, and the sweet sax of Mr. Alexis Van Eeckhout is not just a listen...it's a whole body experience
HILL OF ARES by Carl Eichman review by Kerry Martin.
...Great performances here. Bass duties are solid. The percussion by Filippo is also very tight, yet very flowing and imaginative... an effort that should make any independent musician using a drum machine want to discontinue usage of said device immediately.
Shades Of Grey cd by C.M. Reviewer: Alex Mindside
After working with me on That 70's Funk Sergio asked me to try my hand at a tune he had in the works. I really liked the tune but had to finish some other commitments first. Once I started working on it I had a blast. I was really stoked to work on a project like this. Filippo Bertacche of the FunkDawgs is a great drummer and I really enjoyed playing to his track. His playing was real solid and made my job that much easier
Bunny Bop by Sergio Valdes on angmar.com
Warm and laid back soultune on a dreamy guitar ... to enjoy on a hot summer's morning. Special thanks to Filippo Bertacche for his splendid drums track on our first online internet collaboration song.
Wake Up by Zuper on Rock-Industries.com
Lovely stuff, I can see why this does well! That drummer is soooo tasteful, great work by all! Enjoyed!
E chi Se No by L.Bygon on SongRamp.com
Just wanted to send you another note to tell you how much I love your playing. I'm fairly new to the Funkdawgs, and to your work. I have spent many hours over the past 24 hours listening to you play, and I just love every drop of it. I'm a drummer in New York. You have really inspired me to work towards playing like that. Outstanding, outstanding stuff.
Music Minus Drums MMO customer Frank R.
On behalf of my son, thank you very much for your international efforts. Music is a great community and your graciousness now, I believe is a good lesson for my son, Max, as he pursues his dreams and ambitions to become a competent musician. Thank you Bob (MMO customer)
Anytime you come across a piece of music in 7/4 time these days, you know you are dealing with someone who is proudly and defiantly staying out of the easy-to-digest mainstream of jazz. It takes some very talented people to pull this kind of tune off properly, and I am happy to report that guitarist/composer Carl Eichman and his internet-based trio (with Bill Lawrence on bass and Filippo Bertacche on drums) have the goods to deliver.
Crooked Mile is the kind of music we used to call art rock; back in the days when Gentle Giant, Yes, and Peter Gabriel-era Genesis were the newest and coolest things out there. With the more liberal definitions of jazz we use these days, the jazz fusion; label works just as well to describe this fine piece of music.
Eichman layers dense, processed chunks of Metheny-esque guitar with cleaner acoustic riffs, soaring electric cascades and varied synth textures. Combined with Lawrence's robust bass lines and Bertacche's active but tasteful percussion thrusts, the mixture is rich and satisfying to the ear.
The band rides through the odd meter time fluidly and comfortably, and Eichman establishes some solid melodic themes which stay with you long after the track ends. The composition is well considered, with rhythmic diversity, changing dynamics and thematic development keeping things coherent and evolving.
The improvisation is clearly very skilled (in particular the gymnastic bass solo which occurs around the 4-minute mark), but always the chops highlight and accent the music (instead of the other way around, as is sometimes the case in the fusion genre). It should also be pointed out that this recording is an example of the increasingly popular internet collaboration trend, made possible by sophisticated music recording/processing software and high-speed internet access.
Eichman is able to work in Connecticut, and send his partially completed recordings (in digital format) across the internet first to Bertacche in Italy to add his drums, and then to Lawrence in upstate NY for the bass part. The finished recordings end up back with Eichman for final mixing and production. The process is so seamless and the musicians so skilled that there is no hint in the finished product of the distributed nature of its recording. Ultimately, the success of a complex piece like Crooked Mile is judged by how well it works at both the intellectual and soulful levels, and for me, this piece delivers on both counts. This is a first-rate composition, performance and production - bravo!
Gods Of Music