Review by John Barrett on Green Mountain Jazz Messenger September October 1999  A great magazine....check it out!
Spajazzy: SPAJAZZY

It happened over an espresso. Sergio Bellotti and Tino D’Agostino had come to Boston to study. While scheming about the record they wanted to make (with Mike Stern – that was their goal), the door opened and in came Jim Kelly, a guitar instructor at Berklee. A band was formed with several other Berklee alumni, and rehearsal began.

The record is a model of variety: from trio to sextet, there are six different lineups in seven songs, including three with Mike Stern. It's funky and gentle and full of fun – the bilingual packaging is a hoot. And it was influenced by coffee - how many jazz records can you say THAT about?

The beat comes down hard on "Son Finite Le Vergini." Bill Vint struts his tenor with authority, and the funk is set early. Vint is angular on his solo, peering around corners and sneaky in general. He can also scream, and shows us as the groove develops. Tino’s bass is round and solid; he and Sergio are the only constants as the cast keeps changing. During Vint’s turn there's a spot of guitar and a smoky synth; when Stern does his echoey solo (he's warbly and slippery) the sound is an organ, gathering steam and driving the Piece. Tino doesn't solo, but he turns on the fuzz near the end, and it gives the track muscle.

This is a fun record, mixing funk and jazz in equal portions. Vint and Andren do their parts well, and the guitarists have a lot to do with the album's success. If I can say a horrible pun, Spajazzy is tasty.