All About Jazz | Dan Bilawsky | 2019
The work of Italian cellist Francesco Guerri is wholly inclusive. It presents with both gravitas and playfulness, a classically-influenced standing and free- mindedness, and a general sense of wonder connected to the sculpting of sound. A solo recital set apart by an embrace of extended techniques, artful preparations and personalized tunings, Su Mimmi Non Si Spara! is a statement that moves beyond music, embracing visions of possibility in its every expression….
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/member.php?id=74649
Tracce di Jazz | Andrea Baroni | 2019
“Quello che colpisce del lavoro è proprio la capacità espressiva per nulla limitata dall’essenzialità della strumentazione: il violoncello di Guerri “parla” all’ascoltatore in modo chiaro e diretto sia quando affronta climi più dolenti o drammatici in “Lucy”, “Ciacco” o “Minosse”, derivati dalle esperienze teatrali sulla Divina Commedia con la Societas Raffello Sanzio, che quando dà vita ad articolate ed avvincenti strutture “narrative” (la title track e “Your beginning”), ovvero quando stravolge la propria natura per divenire una macchina sonora rumoristica (“Paper”, con l’uso di carta e clip metalliche, “My (ha)nd”, con l’elettronica che trasforma lo strumento in chitarra elettrica psichedelica).”….
https://traccedijazz.com/2019/11/04/su-mimmi-non-si-spara-francesco-guerri/?fbclid=IwAR3_S-RPVLnScD5wMVKlGxLAOC3dWHT62NxEA6cZYufBwOXgK-MyeCm4Q4I
The Wire | Daniel Spicer | December 2019
‘Guerri has a very impressive ability to weave fragile and deftly handled harmonics into rhythmic constructions that also combine extremely precise, songlike upper register melodies with more grounded chugs, creating a generous tripartite simultaneity.’
CrossFire | Reiner Langer
The first time I hear it, the incredible sensitivity of the musician Francesco Guerri comes to his instrument, the cello, in every pore of my body. High contrast up to the stop. Sometimes light, caressing, distorted, then with brute force. But never aimless or exaggerated. No, multifaceted, playfully easy, in the most difficult passages. Skillfully. One who can go insane. A master. Guerri himself says about his lecture, “I think that my music should be understandable for a child”. I also think that it is only possible to get halfway to these minimalist sounds if you firmly close all drawers on the subject of cello as an instrument, as is used in classical music. With these compositions the musician has to deal communicatively with the listener. Open to open the listener. Translated, the title of the record is “Don’t shoot Mimmi”. The deeper meaning is based on an experience. The bigger brother actually plays very lovingly with his little brother. Here he shoots his little brother with a water gun. An act of violence in a way and in a loving situation. He heard his wife call this sentence and immediately the contradiction of the lovingly playing children was aware, as well as that in every human being, this contradiction, namely good and bad, is fixed. Mister Guerri, who has worked with many greats of the avant-garde and does not push experimental music aside, does not improvise on this album. He put together a dazzling spectrum of acoustic inventions with a lot to discover. Always surprising. Cello brilliant.
Grade: 9 out of 10 points
Author: Reiner Langer
Lee Haynes | Gerald Moss
http://www.dlrance.xyz/francesco-guerri-su-mimmi-no-si-spara-solo-cello/
For this morning’s offer, we have cellist Francesco Guerri and his solo outing Su Mimmi No Si Spara! (RareNoise RNR0110CD, RNR110LP). The promo promo on the net captures my reactions perfectly when it says that it “blurs the line between contemporary classical composition and free improvisation”. On this his third album, he does exactly that with ten specially structured but loose solo segments, each bringing something special to the fore, then an appropriate finale for an electronically modified cello titled “My [ha]North Dakota.”
The latter is part of a kind of Avant Rock fashion that we usually hear on the RareNoise label, while continuing the particular sensitivity that Guerri brings to us on the previous ten solo segments.
Extensive techniques, special tuning and flawless forward curvature prowess, the high expression and the music-logic that Guerri brings to us in such a varied way, that this is the kind of flawless advance of High Rock and Free Improv or a passage from lyrical poetics. There is a certainty and an individual character overflowing at every turn.
Perhaps an unexpected discovery is this, and a happy one. Highly recommended for cello lovers and thoughtful listeners. The artist thinks that it is music that even a child would understand. I agree. However, it is by no means “typical” in a common sense. Well done.
The new Noise | Angelo Borelli
https://www.thenewnoise.it/francesco-guerri-su-mimmi-non-si-spara/
Il titolo dell’ultimo disco del violoncellista Francesco Guerri si riferisce alla reprimenda della moglie nei confronti del proprio figlio maggiore impegnato in un assalto alla pistola ad acqua ai danni del piccolo di casa: la musica di Guerri è imprevedibile come solo i bambini sanno essere, capace di invenzioni e sterzate figlie del suo stile peculiare, di accordature eterodosse e di un utilizzo dell’effettistica che spinge al limite le capacità espressive di uno strumento che, per la sua timbrica, non di rado trova impiego anche al di fuori della musica colta.
Partendo da una formazione classica, il violoncellista romagnolo si è poi spostato verso altri territori, dedicandosi in maniera sempre più approfondita all’improvvisazione, lavorando per il teatro d’avanguardia e misurandosi con il free jazz o l’avant rock, come nel caso della collaborazione con Carla Bozulich, che lo ha voluto nei suoi Evangelista: quest’ultimo disco appare un po’ come la summa della sua ricerca stilistica. Degli undici brani, tre sono stati composti per il teatro: la dolente e melanconica ouverture “Lucy”, fatta di contrappunti in dissonanza, e le due tracce, solenni e tragiche, dedicate a personaggi danteschi, un “Ciacco” nervoso e umorale e un “Minosse” che sembra quasi cantare la propria folle crudeltà, beandosene. La title-track costituisce un buon campionario delle abilità di Guerri, senza scadere nel virtuosismo, anzi mettendo ben in evidenza le imperfezioni, un incespicare dal piglio tanguero a tratti sublime. “Viola” e “Medusa” sono frutto di accordature alternative, interessanti esplorazioni di particolari intervalli armonici, in “Paper” trova spazio il violoncello “preparato”, il cui suono è stato modificato con strisce di carta e clip metalliche fra le corde, poi l’affabulare confuso di “AFK”, un inventarsi discorsi sonori che sembrano accavallarsi fino a perderne il senso. Si lambiscono territori rock, con i riff pseudo-chitarristici di “Mimmi Resisti” e “My (Ha)nd” (originariamente scritta proprio per la collaborazione con la Bozulich), in cui il suono del violoncello viene radicalmente alterato grazie all’uso di pedali per chitarra.
Rimane difficile incasellare un disco come questo in un genere preciso (su Discogs è catalogato addirittura come contemporary jazz: nulla di meno azzeccato) e questa, come spesso capita, è cosa ottima: pubblicato da RareNoise Records, cd e lp.
https://classicalmodernmusic.blogspot.com/2019/12/francesco-guerri-su-mimmi-non-si-spara.html?m=1
Extended techniques, special tuning and bowing prowess forward seamlessly the high expression and musico-logic Guerri brings to us in such varied fashion, whether it be the kind of unabashed forwardness of High Rock and Free Improv or a passage of lyrical poetics. There is surety and individual uniqueness overflowing at every turn.
An unexpected find is this, perhaps, and a happy one at that. Very recommended for cello lovers and thinking listeners. The artist believes that this is music even a child would understand. I agree. Yet it is by no means “typical” in some routine sense. Bravo.