Connecting The Dots

Commissioned and recorded by ABC Jazz, Ilaria Crociani’s latest work “Connecting The Dots” is not just a simple collection of songs. It is also an inspirational anthology of nine stories, all with a unique female character at their centre.

In celebrating significant women from Australian history and beyond, the album waives together narratives of hardship, vulnerability, resoluteness and redemption to paint an uplifting picture of resilience and hope.

Originated from the uneasiness of adjusting to her new life as a migrant to Australia, the album also represents the primary outcome of a journey of personal discovery and reflection that led its author to fully appreciate the importance of listening to the stories of other people as a meaningful learning path to healing, personal growth and fulfilment.

“Connecting The Dots” encompasses a kaleidoscopic variety of vocal jazz music with songs ranging from poignant and lyrical ballads (‘Cosa Resta del Giorno, ‘Gina’ or ‘Stones of Fire’) to time-signature changes rich tunes (‘The Angel of the Bush’), Euro-latins (‘Mary Lou’) and even experimental numbers with a jazz-rock feel (‘Silent Words’, ‘The author is dead’) or an angular funky-reggae beat. (‘Eat my dust’).

With all lyrics by Ilaria Crociani, this intensely coloured repertoire derives from the juxtaposition of Ilaria’s compositional style to the pens of her longtime collaborators Mirko Guerrini and Niko Schäuble and the inimitably sophisticated voices of Paul Grabowsky, Geoff Hughes and Ben Robertson.

More info at www.ilariacrociani.com and www.abc.net.au/jazz/featured-music/feature-albums/-connecting-the-dots-ilaria-crociani/102216012