Cassani / Campbell are the utterly unique Italian double bassist and songwriter, Roberto Cassani, and the hugely gifted New York-based saxophonist and composer Fraser Campbell.
Their debut album arose from outdoor lockdown jams in Perth (Fraser's hometown and Roberto’s adopted home) and its title poet / shuts / clock is the geolocation tag for the bench in the city’s North Inch park where they’d meet to play. Released on US jazz label Sunnyside, it embraces spontaneous lyrics, quirky spoken word, bossa nova and the blues to create an unforgettable listening experience.
Earlier in lockdown, Roberto released Ansema, a joyous album of songs in the little-heard Rivoltano dialect of his hometown in northern Italy. Recorded with some of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians, the album rightly received rave reviews.
They’ve now put together a superb band that will combine material from both albums alongside some new instrumentals featuring Ross Ainslie (whistles), Graeme Stephen (guitar) and Doug Hough (drums).