10 July 2009
Times Online


After Herbie Hancock's dire bout of gee-wizzery at the Roundhouse in November, we needed somebody to remind us that fusion can amount to more than turning up the amplifier and indulging in crowd-pleasing gestures.

Antonio Forcione may have a worrying weakness for the sort of New Age pastel compositions favoured by Pat Metheny, but there is still a lot to be said for an acoustic guitarist who can draw quite so much energy from his instrument.

Forcione's name will be familiar to comedy fans as a result of all the touring he has done as a musical accomplice to that genial stand-up Boothby Graffoe. There was also a long-running partnership with another guitar virtuoso, Eduardo Niebla. His latest recording, Heartplay, is a low-key collaboration with that much-travelled bass-player Charlie Haden, a musician who knows all about the need to balance technique with emotional expressiveness.

Forcione's regular band is a clever blend of unusual ingredients. The percussionist Adriano Adewale boasts an imposing collection of firepower yet deploys it with rare restraint. Nathan Thomson's double-bass supplies broad, unfussy figures, while the addition of Jenny Adejayan's cello is an inspired touch, evoking some of the more stylish ensembles to come out of Brazil. Add Forcione's occasional flamenco flourishes, and you have a quartet that crosses frontiers with exceptional flair.

A pity that some tunes merely to simmer politely, hinting at hidden depths without really delivering. Still, Forcione's solo set piece always delivers sparkling, percussive runs, his hands flashing against the neck of the guitar while rapping a beat against the instrument's body. Guitar heroics, yes, but with a touch of class. And he celebrated his jazz roots in style on Waltz for Django, a piece that generated echoes of the Hot Club era without resorting to pastiche.