Released: 2026
SC 738 | EAN: 8018344217383 | 7" Coming soon
In the early 1990s, while the UK acid jazz movement was redefining the relationship between jazz, funk, soul and club culture, a vibrant scene was quietly emerging in Italy. One of its most creative hubs was Bari, where the Fez collective brought together musicians who shared a common vision: to reshape contemporary jazz through groove, experimentation and a distinctly Mediterranean sensibility. It was within this environment that the earliest recordings associated with what would become Schema Records first appeared, released at the time through Right Tempo. Today, those sessions stand as documents of a remarkable creative moment, capturing Italian musicians engaging in a dialogue with the British acid jazz movement while developing an unmistakably original voice of their own.
With a series of three 45rpm releases Schema Records revisits some of the its earliest recordings, all newly remastered from the original masters. More than reissues, they are a celebration of the sound, vision and artistic spirit that laid the foundations of the Milanese record label.
This second 7” records houses two different moods of one shared musical vision, revealing two complementary sides of Quintetto X’s artistic identity. On the A-side, “Senza Paura” reimagines a celebrated Italian classic made famous by Ornella Vanoni, featuring Sergio Bardotti’s Italian adaptation. Quintetto X transforms the song with subtle jazz harmonies and elegant grooves, preserving its emotional depth while placing it firmly within the contemporary sound of the Bari scene. The B-side brings back Jorge Ben’s “Balança Pema” reinterpretation, first released on the group’s 1994 EP. Rich with Brazilian flavours, jazz improvisation and infectious rhythmic interplay, it remains one of the finest examples of the musical language that defined both the Fez collective and the early years of Schema.
CREDITS
“Senza Paura” written by Toquinho, Vinicius De Moraes and Sergio Bardotti“Balança Pema” written by Jorge Ben
Publishing by Edizioni Ishtar
Artistic production: Nicola Conte
Arrangements: Quintetto X
Remastered in 2026 by Francesco Borrelli at Blue Spirit Studio, Milan, Italy
SENZA PAURA:
Francesco De Giosa - guitar
Piero Vincenti - piano, Fender Rhodes
Antongiulio Galeando - flute
Marcello Pierulli - electric and acoustic bass
Fabio Accardi - drums
Rosalia De Souza - Vocals
Recorded in May 1995
at Sorriso Studio in Bari, Italy
Sound engineer: Tommy Cavalieri
BALANCA PEMA:
Francesco De Giosa - guitar
Stefano Bruno - piano, Fender Rhodes MK I
Fabio Accardi - drums
Antongiulio Galeando - flute
Marcello Pierulli - double bass
Pippo Foglianese - trumpet
Federico D’Ammacco - tenor saxophone
Enzo Falco - percussion
Recorded live in studio in May 1994 at Tom Tom Studio in Bari, Italy
Sound engineers: Angelo Pantaleo and Maurizio Volpe