London-based Italian-born pianist, producer and composer Nicola Guida is gearing up to release his debut album, Speleology, on saxophonist Greg Osby's label Inner Circle Music.
Holding a university education in both music and philosophy, it is unsurprising that Nicola Guida's Speleogy displays depth and multiplicity - being thoughtful and reactive, customary and current, harmonically and melodically rich, but with rapid driving rhythms. Following on from the singles 'Anamnesys' and 'Come Inside' featuring Karnival Kid, we have an exclusive premiere of 'Sycophant' ahead of the record's release.
Mirroring much of the album, 'Sycophant' is steeped in tradition but peppered with contemporary sentiments. In the opening moments, we're greeted with a warm and inviting lateral main melody, showcasing the incredibly tight trio of Guida on keys, Eddy Cicchetti on double bass and Dario Panza on drums. This main melody soon subsides to Guida's wistful wandering keys dancing above Panza's constant hi-hat hits and Cichetti's bounding bass, creating a more fervent atmosphere. In between fluxes of freer moments and the returning main melody, we're hit with punchy, punctuating rhythms as well as hip-hop-inspired patterns which creep in and help provide a hypnotic moment towards the end, where cascading drums wash over you.
'Sycophant' demonstrates top-class performances from all three instrumentalists, as well as the fresh outlook of Nicola Guida's compositions in Speleology.