The Lounge Revival of the mid-nineties began, like most revivals, quite promisingly. High-quality, high-profile reissues spurred interest in the genre, while a number of retro-friendly innovators -- Combustible Edison, for instance -- proved that modern indie rock could accommodate the trappings of lounge-era jazz. As the trend grew, it drew attention to other, similar sounds, like Italian film music of the '60s and '70s, bossa nova and Brazilian jazz. Gradually, lounge music -- albeit in a fairly generic form -- wormed its way into popular culture. By the end of the decade it was everywhere, but the music itself had degenerated into a sort of baseline club-friendly kitsch. Listeners, once delighted by the unexpected appearance of bossa-nova beats and swank South American influences, developed a distinct distaste for the pervasive mediocrity of cookie-cutter lounge sounds.
Nicola Conte is not a "lounge music" artist, but his work, which mixes retro-themed Italian jazz and bossa-nova with club beats, will appeal to fans of sixties exotica. And unlike the money-hungry pretenders and Shibuya-kei cannibals who drove the genre to near-ruin, Conte knows how to make a great album.
What's his secret? Well, much of Bossa Per Due's success can be credited to live instrumentation. Yes, those are real horns, a real double bass, a real saxophone and a real sitar you're hearing. Because he's not working with samples, Conte's compositions seem looser and more spontaneous, full of the punchy energy of live percussion and the varied textures of the strings. Admittedly, a lot of artists attempt to capture this energy and fall short, but Conte succeeds on pure sprezzatura. It's far easier to picture him conducting an orchestra, energetically pushing his musicians toward John Barryesque orchestral grandeur, than to imagine him sitting in a dark, foul-smelling basement tinkering with a laptop. Though purists will likely dismiss it as overly club-centric, Bossa Per Due feels like a proper bossa-nova jazz album.
If listening to the title track gives you a little déjà vu shiver, you're not alone. Conte licensed the song to Acura for use in one of their television commercials, and the odds are good that you've heard that thirty-second snippet a dozen times. If you're already tired of it, don't worry: Bossa Per Due offers eleven other delights. "Jazz Pour Dadine" is a particular pleasure; its jaunty horn refrain captures the grand spectacle of a James Bond soundtrack circa Goldfinger and Thunderball, while subtle turntable scratching hints at a modern touch. "Missione A Bombay" adds a sitar to a familiar proto-funk signature, while "The In Samba" is a retro-futuristic blend of carnaval-style polyrhythms, jazzy guitar noodling and seductive female vocals. "Dossier Omega" drags the sitar into a sizzling, disco-fied spy break, and "Fuoco Fatuo" sounds like a vibe-heavy cool jazz soundtrack to one of those "home of the future" documentaries. "Jet Sounds" doesn't deliver on its Beach Boys in-joke title, but its festive poolside ambiance -- complete with a few modest effects, such as reverse-gated cymbals -- won't disappoint, and neither will the hidden piano-jazz workout that follows it.
If you're burned out on lounge, you may wish to avoid "Il Cerchio Rosso" and "La Coda Del Diavolo"; despite live instrumentation and a generally spirited approach, they're likely to sound a little too familiar, though "La Coda Del Diavolo"'s vocals justify at least one listen.
In short, if you've been longing for some proper bossa-nova jazz, or if the genre-bending efforts of Bebel Gilberto, Amon Tobin and Tortoise have renewed your taste for exotica, Bossa Per Due could easily be the soundtrack to your summer -- an album that sounds as good by the pool at noon as it does on the dance floor at midnight.
