Glera

Marco Benevento’s Glera is the Woodstock-based pianist and composer’s ninth solo album and his first for Big Crown Records, released July 24, 2026. Its title refers to the Italian grape used in Prosecco, an apt image for a record that is effervescent, colorful, and full of motion. Across 14 short, largely instrumental pieces, Benevento treats keyboards as the center of a cinematic ensemble, blending jazz, funk, soul, reggae, psychedelic pop, and library-music textures. The project began as a private writing exercise inspired by Italian film scores, and its titles and shifting moods give it the feel of an imaginary soundtrack—one that can move from a chase scene to a late-night lounge without losing its playful groove.

The album opens with the bright, propulsive “Frizzante,” before the smoky “Turandot” introduces Italian vocalist Marianne Mirage. “Big Top” brings an offbeat “circus funk” energy, while “Houdini” moves like a compact jazz-fusion dance track; “Zio Tony,” featuring Molly Lewis’s whistle, evokes the suspense and shadows of Italian giallo cinema. Benevento also uses guests to broaden the palette: Dream Crease appears on the dreamy “I Can’t Control This Bliss,” harpist Elizabeth Steiner lends “Miss Neptune” a soulful, reggae-inflected character, trumpeter Dave Guy plays on “Sorgini,” and Italian singer Chiara Civello features on “Quattro Passi.” The closing solo-piano piece, “Over Now,” provides a gentle resolution to an album that is eclectic but consistently warm, melodic, and groove-focused.