Robotic Delusions by Sam Mortellaro

Sam Mortellaro’s existential music in ‘Robotic Delusions’ reflexions
The passing of time and the meaning of life in the Italian pianist’s new trio work

Three musicians, ten tracks, one narrative voice. Sam Mortellaro’s new work is led by a clear idea that follows a path every human being eventually crosses: «Each song represents a different story. Therefore, given ten songs it would be like having ten different books read by the same voice. Although that voice may run into dreamlike or realistic stories with some pessimism at times, the voice itself never promotes defeat, surrender, or resignation. Often, heroic feelings, joy, hope and radiant lights emerge from darkness.»

A positive and resolute road makes its way in “Robotic Delusions”, his new album out now on Auand Records Piano Series, through the Italian pianist, as well as through Angelo Minacapilli on bass and Francesco Alessi on drums.

The idea of time becomes central, not only in its endless combinations, as ‘Vanitas’ and ‘Good For You’ show, but also and most importantly in the band’s abilities to inhabit it and make it flow through interplay. In Mortellaro’s words: «I believe that time in music is a stream that constantly flows, which never started nor will it finish and always continues to flow even when we’re being silent. We must be able to tame its wave without tripping over it. This way we could perceive every single fragment of it, thus realizing that time is indefinite and that we simply flow with, in, and for it.

Adopting a style that questions the past, spreading contemporary elements here and there, it seems the music blend of the trio is able to generate the robotic hallucination the album title hints at: a smooth and vibrant team work that cannot be replicated by any algorithm or machine. And this approach unveils a reflection in its own terms: «Above all, mankind must find the strength to continue the journey even though the biggest mystery of all time has been chasing us forever: the meaning of life, and I mean the real one. The real truth that nobody knows and that no one can claim to prove through objective evidence. At least not yet.»