Rituals is the third album by talented Italian musician Nicola Conti. Conti has garnered critical acclaim for his fusion of bossa nova, Latin rhythms, Italian soundtrack influences and jazz. This is a funky and enjoyable album which will delight fans and newcomers alike. Conte s first album was Jet Sounds in 2000. The single Bossa Per Due gained international recognition and was an underground hit. It was used almost immediately for a prime-time commercial for Acura automobiles. The album was licensed for American distribution by Thievery Corporation s Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) label in the summer of 2001 as Bossa Per Due, and was slightly reconfigured version of the Italian Jet Sounds album. Rituals has received great early reviews internationally. which confirms the multifaceted talent of this artist and instrumentalist from Bari. As the review in Canada s NOW Magazine stated; A short-list candidate for jazz recording of the year, the elegantly turned out Rituals finds club-selecta-turned-bandleader Nicola Conte shifting away from knocking out more dance-floor bangers toward an altogether more spiritual aesthetic and a hugely expanded support cast and it turns out to be a brilliant move. Rituals is by far Conte s most substantial work to date, and should appeal to a whole new audience outside the club and cappuccino bar scene. Admittedly, with such a talented cast of players, including saxophonists Greg Osby and Timo Lassy, trumpeter Till Brönner and soulful vocalist José James, helping to bring the songs to life, Conte would ve had to work hard to mess things up.
