Ske
is the brainchild of keyboardist and composer from Varese Paolo “Ske”
Botta who features also in the line up of bands such as Yugen and Not
A Good Sign. In 2010 he gathered around him some excellent musicians
such as Fabio Ciro Ceriani (percussion), Valerio Cipollone
(clarinet), Enrica Di Bastiano (harp), Maurizio Fasoli (piano), Elia
Leon Mariani (violin), Nicolas Nikolopoulos (flute), Giuspeppe Jos
Olvini (theremin, percussion), Roberta Pagani (vocals), Valerio Neth
Reina (vocals), Mattia Signò (drums), Markus Stauss (sax), Fabrice
Toussaint (trombone), Pierre Wawrzyniak (bass) and Francesco Zago
(guitars) for the recording sessions of a début album, “1000
Autunni” (Thousand Autumns), that was released in 2011 on the
independent label Altr0ck/Fading Records). The result is an amazing
instrumental work, extremely rich in sounds and ideas, where you can
find a perfectly balanced mix of classical influences, vintage
keyboards, symphonic rock, avant-garde and many more. Anyway, the
beautiful art work might describe the music better than my words.
The
opener “Fraguglie” sets the atmosphere painting an evocative
autumnal landscape. You can almost hear the gentle steps of a giant
moving through an enchanted wood and directed to the court of the
Crimson King. You can even hear some nice tunes soaring from the
wood, then the mood becomes hypnotic and you risk to get lost. The
following “Denti” (Teeth) is darker and filled with a heavy
tension.
Well,
perhaps the giant is not directed to the hall of a British castle but
in a mysterious nursing home in the Carpathian mountains. The music
goes on with the exotic, sensual “Carta e Burro” (Paper and
butter) and the nervous, tense “Scrupoli” (Scruples). To be
honest, I've recently read a novel by French writer Maurice Renard
titled L'homme truqué (The phoney man) and when listening to
this album the rhythm and the images evoked by the book come back to
my mind, I can't help it! The novel starts as a crime story: a
physician is murdered, then the investigations reveal some secret
experiments on human beings and the attempt to discover a sixth sense
through the implantation of electroscopes into a blind man's eyes.
What would it happen if they applied an electrical-ear on your
optical nerves? “You would see the sounds, you wouldn't listen
to them any more, you would have a visual perception of the world of
sounds...”.
“Delta”
begins with a relaxed, dreamy mood that seems to conjure up some
memories from a happy childhood, then the course of thoughts risks to
get lost in the ripples. “Scogli 1” (Rocks 1) comes as a short,
disquieting break while the ethereal “Sotto sotto” (Underneath)
delves into the unconscious... “Those who have lost their loved
ones know the sacred game of reviving them concentrating all the
forces of memory and imagination to create shadows that look like
them...”. Just another short quotation from L'homme truqé
to introduce the following “Mummia” (Mummy) and its bold games of
shadows and lights.
“Scogli
2” (Rocks 2) is a short, dark interlude that leads to the charming
“La Nefazia di Multatuli” (I fear the title can't be translated
and I don't know if it contains any reference to the Dutch writer
Multatuli or to a siren queen called Nefazia). Another short
interlude, “Scogli 3” (Rocks 3) leads to the conclusive
“Rassegnati” (Resigned), a beautiful, complex track with sudden
changes in mood and rhythm.
On
the whole, this is a great instrumental album where not a single note
sounds out of place. It could be the perfect score for a thriller,
the music is challenging but never boring and it's really worth
listening to.
Ske:
1000 Autunni (2011). Other opinions:
Raffaella
Benvenuto-Berry: An intriguing, refined album, 1000 Autunni offers
something for nearly everyone. Even though those who crave extended
compositions, with flights of instrumental fancy and lush vocal
harmonies, will probably not appreciate the album as much as
RIO/Avant and Canterbury devotees, this is a truly eclectic effort
that bridges the gap between the great Seventies tradition and the
more forward-thinking directions of progressive rock. Like most
AltrOck releases, the album is also a treat in the visual sense, with
a stunning cover shot of autumn leaves (taken by Botta himself, who
has a background in design and visual communication) and the stylish
layout of the very detailed liner notes. Definitely one of those
discs whose full potential will unfold at every successive listen,
1000 Autunni is poised to become one of the standout releases of
2011... (read the complete review HERE)
Steven
Reid: Not for the feint hearted, 1000 Autunni is a hugely
satisfying and rewarding listening experience which makes an
immediate impression, whilst still growing in stature the more
familiar you become with it. Impressive stuff indeed... (read the
complete review HERE)
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