It’s quite possible that Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Fer Isella is known more for his work behind the scenes than at center stage. As the producer for Sony and Universal Music on more than 15 gold and platinum albums, he’s played imperative roles for artists like Cibo Matto and Miho Hatori, among others. Additionally, he’s also racked up Latin Grammy nominations, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music, and was even named Cultural Entrepreneur of the ear by the British Council.
Birthed out of weekly spontaneous sessions with Ulises Conti and influenced by Chilly Gonzalez and Sakamoto, the nine tracks on The Art Of The Possible are guided by the piano and delivered with the utmost sophistication from a deeply personal standpoint. Opening track “Conversacion” is a prime example of the exquisite atmosphere Isella builds, where introspective keys occasionally burst into louder moments. The following selection, “Simple,” which is not at all simple, turns into a more moody, slightly darker playing.
While most of the tunes here, especially the cascading “Deseo” and playful “Dan,” are nothing short of poetic, “Pendulo” is a rowdier offering, where piano acrobatics and volume are increased for an uproarious effort that few could replicate. The album exits on the wispy, emotive and enthralling “Despedida,” which puts a punctuation mark on the mature, calming nature of the listen.
An album that could make even the least interested ears of classical music into a fan, and at a time when music has become so complicated with overdubs, looping, and countless other noisemakers, it’s nice to know that organic, instrumental music like The Art Of The Possible still exists, proving that less is often times still more. Fer Isella has successfully trumped the impact of most of today’s music with a just a piano in a room.
