Ojos De Gato is music for the city, for the urban space, the theater and the cinema. I think of the cinema of Bertolucci and Pasolini, the music of Enrico Rava, Franco D'Andrea, Don Cherry and Aldo Romano, and - above all - Gato Barbieri. This project pays homage to the Argentinian saxophonist on the fortieth anniversary of the release of The Third World (1970).
And, just like all creations whose abstract origin is balanced by the visceral, their authenticity derives from the humanity they contain, the stories they have to tell. In this case, those are the stories of Mario Guidi and Gato, Giovanni and Laura Barbieri, who adopted the project as her own, and of all the incredible artists involved.
Let's begin with Gianluca Petrella, extraordinary musician and faithful companion of a thousand voyages, both personal and professional; James Brandon Lewis, incomparable saxophonist, raw and powerful; Francisco Mela's percussion, soaked in the culture of the Global South, in constant dialogue with the impeccable rhythmic concept of Chad Taylor, one of the greatest drummers of our time. And last but not least, free and original as the 1970's, the bass playing of Brandon Lopez.
In Ojos De Gato, I tried to unite all these elements in an intercontinental sextet, an ensemble that in my mind has its roots in Rosario, Argentina, just like Ernesto Che Guevara, Lucio Fontana and Gato Barbieri himself.

Excerpts from Giovanni Guidi's interview with Helmut Failoni in "La Lettura del Corriere della Sera"
How would you define your artistic language?
I can say with absolute certainty that a substantial part of my approach derives from the fact that I lack the talent of the artists I most admire.

What do you mean?
Many elements which have become part of my language represent the outcome of my unsuccessful attempts to integrate elements I admired in the playing of Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, or Stefano Bollani. Over the years, I went on to develop the actual results of these failures, making them my own.