The Italian duo of Paolo Monti (Guitar) and Federico Gerini (Piano), known as The Star Pillow, have two concurrent releases that are very different from each other. Here are some excerpts from my review on Improvised Blog:
"The Beautiful Questions could best be described as ambient. It’s a quiet, ruminative affair, with the musicians establishing soundscapes that float in the air. There’s an ornery side to their musical personality, though, as one or the other will throw in a curveball to disrupt the flow, before returning to a more placid state."
"Via Del Chiasso is a very different affair. The Star Pillow add Bruno Romani on sax and flute, and this brings out the free improv side of their personality. The three musicians work well together, generating a nice dialogue between them. The music on Via Del Chiasso seems to have some pre-determined themes, generally introduced by Gerini, that frequently have a darker, pensive quality about them."
You can read the full review on the blog.