INTELLIGENT BOMBS

Bombook is the fourth album by Agorà and was recorded live at Progressivamente Free Festival in Rome on September 20, 2015 with a line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic and electric guitar), Massimo Manzi (drums), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (bass) plus Patrizio Fariselli (keyboards - from Area) and Marco Agostinelli (flute). It was released in 2016 on the Cramps - Sony label and contains some brand new tracks along with brilliant new arrangements of pieces taken from their old repertoire. The art cover by Massimiliano D’Affronto depicts a very strange aircraft made of human bodies dropping books on a surreal landscape trying to convey the concept that culture and music can start a real revolution... 

 

The crisp, lively opener “Bombook” sets the atmosphere. It’s a new track whose title refers to the idea of books can be like joyful bombs with the power of shaking human society while the music every now and again reminds me of PFM. Another beautiful brand new piece follows, the acoustic, reflective “Reset”, where you can appreciate a great flute work. Next comes a re-vitalized piece from the seventies, “Costa dell’est” (East coast), mixing Latin rock influences and fresh breezes from the Birdland, pulsing rhythms and Mediterranean flavours... 

 

The live version of “Sensei” is more jazzy than the original studio one but maintains its reflective mood. Then comes the excellent “Punto rosso” (Red Point), a track from Agorà 2 named after a Milanese jazz club of the seventies, that here is enhanced by a great performance of the guest keyboardist Patrizio Fariselli who gives it an original touch and a vein Area’s experimentalism while the following “Ichinen” takes you back to softer territories evoking exotic flavours and mysterious landscapes... 

 

Agorà on stage, 2016

The dreamy “Puro” (Pure) is a good new composition with mild Oriental scents that leads to an excellent version of “L’orto di Ovidio” (Ovidio’s garden), from Agorà’s debut album Live In Montreux. Then it’s the turn of another new track, the slow, melancholic “Oak Ballad” and its almost bluesy mood... 

 

The album ends with a sparkling version of two tracks from Agorà 2. “Piramide di domani” (Pyramid of tomorrow) is veiled by a dark cloud of mystery that gradually melts into in a new light while “Cavalcata solare” (Solar ride) starts with Patrizio Fariselli’s keyboards in the forefront and features a powerful, radiant crescendo that closes the show in glory with a perfect interaction between all the musicians involved. 

 

On the whole, an excellent work that is really worth listening to. 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Agorà-Prog-Music-825976830866610/ 

WINTER ALWAYS TURNS INTO SPRING

 After a long hiatus, in 2002 Agorà came to life again on the initiative of original members Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar), Mauro Mencaroni (drums) and Lucio Cesari (bass) who teamed up with Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Maurizio Mercuri (guitar). Along the years the new line up went through some changes and it wasn’t until 2014 that Agorà finally released a new album entitled Ichinen on the independent Aereostella-Immaginifica label. It’s a kind of compendium of the band’s activity after the 1976 studio album Agorà 2 where you can find some new arrangements of old pieces, some previously unreleased tracks from the late seventies recorded before the split up and some brand new compositions. According to the liner notes, “the music was inspired by the fundamental Buddhist teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Human Revolution of the individual with its emphasis on the value and respect of the sanctity of life and the environment” and the art cover tries to convey this concept... 

 

The charming opener “Serra San Quirico” is a shortened acoustic version of a piece from their 1975 debut album Live In Montreux and was recorded with a line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic guitar), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass). It sounds very different from the original version with the interaction between the acoustic guitars in the forefront, soaring lines of cello and sax and a calm, dreamy mood... 

 

“Ichinen” is a new track recorded by the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Karl Potter (congas, djambè). Here the wordless voices are used just as another instrument and take you to exotic landscapes where you can relax and think about the meaning of life... The following “Sensei” was recorded by the same line up (without Karl Potter) and is a delicate, reflective piece dedicated to Japanese Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda... 

 

 

“Work In Progress” is a nice duet for acoustic guitar played by Renato Gasparini and Gabriele Possenti, then the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano) and Karl Potter (congas, djambè) come back for “Starstrings”, a reflective piece evoking the inner power that is hidden into everyone’s body and the ability to use it... 

 

“Istante per istante” (Moment by moment) is another beautiful acoustic guitar duet with Mediterranean flavours, this time performed by Renato Gasparini and Maurizio Mercuri, then it’s the turn of the Oriental scents of “Tre Maggio” (Third of May), performed in trio by Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals), and Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano, tabla). 

 

The slow, melancholic “Oceano” (Ocean) tries to take you on an inner journey in the depths of your ego and features Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass), Alessandra Pacheco (vocals) and Giovanni Ceccarelli (piano, tabla) while the following “Wood Of Guitar” is a good dreamy track played by Gabriele Possenti (guitar, bass) that reminds me of Will Ackerman... 

 

Next two tracks come out from the late seventies sessions of the line up featuring Renato Gasparini (Roland guitar synth), Ovidio Urbani (sax), Roberto Bacchiocchi (piano Rhodes), Robert Clark (electric bass) and Massimo Manzi (drums). “Progressive Suite” is full of positive energy and in the booklet you can read a quote from Nicheren Daishonin that well describes its feeling, “winter always turns into spring”, while the lively “Costa dell'est” (East Coast) could recall Weather Report... 

 

The medley “Piramide di domani - Cavalcata solare” (Pyramid of tomorrow - Solar ride) ends the album by blending two tracks from Agorà’s 1976 second album and delivering them in a new interesting acoustic version performed by the line up featuring Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (acoustic guitar), Gabriele Possenti (acoustic guitar), Gianni Pieri (cello) and Lucio Cesari (acoustic bass). 

 

On the whole, a very good album! 

 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

Agorà: Ichinen (2014). Other opinions: 

Conor Fynes: I feel mixed about this one. It seems like Agorà are at a tentative crossroads, and regardless of what years these tracks were recorded in, Ichinen is a reflection of that... (You can read the complete review HERE)

 

A SOLAR RIDE

Agorà 2 is the second album by Agorà and their first studio work. It was released in 1976 with a renewed line up featuring Roberto Bacchiocchi (keyboards), Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar), Mauro Mencaroni (drums), Nino Russo (sax, percussion) and Lucio Cesari (bass, percussion) and marks a step forward for the band that here is clearly focused on refining their jazz-rock sound showcasing a strong leaning for experimentalism and great musicianship. The wonderful artwork by Mario Convertino in some way captures this attitude with a nice black and white drawing...

The dreamy opener “Punto Rosso” (Red Point) is a nice, accessible track with a great interaction between all the instruments that every now and again could recall The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The following “Piramide di domani” (Pyramid of Tomorrow) starts calmly by hypnotic bass lines and a good acoustic guitar work, then the other instruments come in building a mysterious atmosphere sprinkled with exotic flavours. 

The long, melancholic “Tall El Zaatar” ends the first side of the original vinyl. Here the title refers to the tragic siege of Tel al-Zaatar, a fortified, UNRWA-administered refugee camp housing Palestinian refugees in north-eastern Beirut that was carried out by Phalangist forces in August 1976. It’s a kind of committed jazz elegy in memory of the victims...

The second side of the album opens with “La bottega di Duilio” (Duilio’s workshop) that, according to an interview with Ovidio Urbani, was inspired by a man who owned a workshop near the rehearsal room of the band in Serra San Quirico, a very special character in the life of that little town. The piece starts by a percussive pattern that introduces you in his strange laboratory and ironmonger’s shop... 

“Simbiosi (Vasi comunicanti)” (Symbiosis – Communicating vessels) was built up starting from a piano improvisations in the studio by Roberto Bacchiocchi and then elaborated with contribute of the other members of the band in a perfect symbiosis. In fact, the subtitle of this track refers to the name given to a set of containers containing a homogeneous fluid: when the liquid settles, it balances out to the same level in all of the containers regardless of the shape and volume of the containers. If additional liquid is added to one vessel, the liquid will again find a new equal level in all the connected vessels. Here this principle is applied to the music...

The long closer “Cavalcata solare” (Solar ride) is a kind of psychedelic jazz ride through the space. It starts slowly, then the rhythm rises for a long journey into unknown territories and forgotten dreamlands. This track was also released as a single and ends an album that is really worth listening to.

Unfortunately, despite the good quality of their music, Agorà disbanded in 1978 on account of the difficulties to make a living in the troubled, asphyxial Italian music business of the years of lead… 

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Agorà: Agorà 2 (1976). Other opinions:

Conor Fynes: Agorà never seems to stray needlessly, but the music often feels driven more by exploration than composition. The saxophone and Rhodes piano are given the most range here, with the thoughtfully melodic leads of the former generally paving the way on most of the songs… Even during the album's most laid-back passages, Agorà offer plenty to keep the attentive listener occupied. The approach to composition has clearly been designed with the intent of giving the instrumentation room to breathe and explore, but the way the music will always fall back on thick, band-oriented harmonies keeps the album feeling focused… It's not often a 'new' jazz band impresses me like this; if you're any bit into the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the jazzier end of Van der Graaf Generator or the classic sound of prog-fusion in general, check out this album and see what you think of it… (You can read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.agora-ichinen.com/

A GATHERING PLACE IN MONTREUX

Agorà came to life in 1974 in the province of Ancona, from the ashes of a band called Oz Master Magnus Ltd. The name of the band refers to a central public space in ancient Greek city-states and the literal meaning of the word is gathering place or assembly. The first line up featured Roberto Bacchiocchi (keyboards, vocals), Ovidio Urbani (sax), Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals), Paolo Colafrancesco (bass, vocals) and Mauro Mencaroni (drums, vocals), all in love with jazz rock and influenced by bands such as Weather Report and Perigeo. Thanks to a good live activity and to a manager who spotted them, in 1975 they had the chance to play live at the Montreux Jazz Festival and signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Their performance in Switzerland took place on July 7, 1975: a set of about thirty minutes that was entirely recorded and later released on their debut album entitled Live In Montreux. The quality of the recording is good enough to allow you to enjoy the talent of a young, promising band playing a jazz rock sprinkled with many Mediterranean flavours.

The opener “Penetrazione” (Penetration) starts softly by a guitar arpeggio. The atmosphere is dreamy, soaring vocals used as an instrument and a pulsing rhythm section take you away on a journey through the Mediterranean Sea where you can find a place to cry your blues under the moon… Well, all in all, everyone has a blues to cry!

Serra San Quirico, pic from www.comune.serrasanquirico.an.it

Then comes the long, complex “Serra San Quirico”. This piece was divided into two parts on account of the vinyl space available in those days and unfortunately the division persists also on the CD reissue where there’s no need to switch from side A to side B. The title of this piece refers to the village of Serra San Quirico, in the province of Ancona where in the seventies the band had their rehearsal room, in the sacristy of a disused church, by kind permission of the local priest. It’s the place where Agorà’s music was born from endless jam sessions and then shaped, refined and chiselled until the right balance to convey and stir emotions was reached. There are many changes in mood and atmosphere: to the nervous first part follow a calmer middle section and a finale in crescendo and there is many room for inspired solos...

Agorà 1975

Next comes “Acqua celeste” (Blue water), a calm piece but with many currents whirling under the surface and a subtle melancholic vein. It leads to the tasty closer “L’orto di Ovidio” (Ovidio’s garden): according to an interview with Ovidio Urbani, the title refers to the fact that the inspiration for this track came almost out of the blue after a pause where the musicians went out to pick up and eat some cherries from a tree in a nearby garden…

On the whole, a very good work that captures the energy and freshness of the band on stage. Moreover, the album was enhanced by the particular art cover by Italian artist Cesare Monti portraying a tree on the crossroad between via Tortona and via Savona in Milan: on the original version of the LP the tree can be raised and has a small stand on the back making of this album a very rare collector’s item.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

Agorà: Live In Montreux (1975). Other opinions:

Conor Fynes: Live in Montreux suggests plenty of potential and creativity. The last few minutes of this record are about as smooth as jazz fusion gets; I'm really left to wonder how far they might have gone if Agora had stuck together longer… (You can read the complete review HERE)

More info about the band:

http://www.agora-ichinen.com/

OF WIND AND WATER

OLOFERNE are an Italian band from Chiaravalle, in the Province of Ancona. The line up features Alessandro Piccioni (vocals, bass, flute), Giacomo Medici (vocals, guitar, percussion), Giuseppe Cardamone (violin), Gianluca Agostinelli (guitars), Stefano Procaccini (guitars, bass) and Marco Medici (drums, percussion).

They started their musical project in 1999 trying to blend different influences ranging from medieval atmospheres to folk rock and progressive. In 2001 they recorded an eponymous debut album that was released and distributed by the independent label Ethnoworld/Venus in 2003. Since then they have alternated concerts and activities for theatre maturing a very good experience on stage. In December 2004 they released a second album that obtained a very positive feed-back by critics and media, “Le Parole del Vento” (The words of the wind), self-produced and featuring collaborations with artists such as Gastone Pietrucci (La Macina) and Sandro Severini (Gang).

After an intense activity on stage, in 2008 they finally released a third self-produced album “Segno d'acqua” (Water sign) which in my opinion is their best so far...

The opener “L’argonauta” (The Argonaut) is a kind of musical travelogue on the wings of poetry, full of toasts and fragrances, where echoes of Latin America are mixed with a suggestive Mittel-European flavour. It recalls an electric tango featuring Gypsy violin counterpoints...

The following track “Volver” (Back) is in the same vein and features a lively rhythm and swirling flute passages... “I run away and I’m distracted by voices coming from the south... Don’t be afraid, fight the wind if it wears you out...”. 

Next comes “L’amore della salamandra” (The love of the salamander), a piece full of sensuality where the sexual act is celebrated like an old ancestral ritual by a beautiful witch... “It’s two minutes to 3 a.m. / I’ve already set everything for you and me / There’s a fertile moon, the salamanders are breeding / Hot stuff is running in the veins...”.

“La Piedra del Paranà” (The stone from Paranà) is another good track. It begins softly and the mood is dreamy, then the violin and flute lead to a lively dance where dreams can sail across the ocean and you can breath the clouds while melancholy and whispers flow away... “When my body will become of water / Death will die and I’ll be the stone of Paranà...”.



“La preghiera del marinaio” (The sailor’s prayer) and “A largo di Punta Stilo” (Off Punta Stilo) are linked together and form a mini suite about a naval accident that happened on March 22, 1965 near Punta Stilo, on the sea off the coast of Calabria. During a military exercise two ships of the Italian navy, the frigate Castore and another ship named Etna (as the volcano), collided and four sailors died. This piece is dedicated to the victims: Aristide Duse, Vittorio Celli, Domenico Franzese and Franco Pardini... “What’s up? What are these waves? Where is Aristide? / It’s the end, I’m drowning, it’s night... Domenico is not with me / The water is coming in too fast / Virgin Mary, help me!...”. There’s surprise but soon the rage against an incompetent captain takes over, there’s anguish and fear... “Captain, my captain, where are you? Maybe you’re already sleeping below deck / I hope that the sea will cover you as well... In a moment I understood how salted is the sea / It’s the mirror of those stars that you won’t see upon me...”.

 

The frigate Castore


“Controcanto” (Counter-singing) is a powerful ballad challenging the fate and the wind with its strong melodic lines... It’s about a song that soars against the wind in a warm night where the heart is open and makes you feel master of your destiny... “You look for the moon... You look for the fortune / But the wheel is spinning fast and it will never stop...”.

“Byzantium” and “Oggi i pensieri sono alberi” (Today the thoughts are trees) form another mini suite that begins by slow and hypnotic bass lines while evocative sounds in the background draw a mysterious Oriental atmosphere... “Today the thoughts are like trees / Thanks to the sun there’s more shade for me / I seem free among my Britons dreams / But from trunks to obstacles the step is short...”. Then rhythm takes off and thoughts become flying leaves, voices of a choir that mixed together are going out of tune... “Please do not sing, leave me alone...”. This track features the jazz-musician Leonardo Sbaffi as a special guest on saxophone who adds a touch of colour.

“Fa# come Fard” (F# as blush) is a lively ballad that was already present on Oloferne’s debut album. Here we find a new arrangement with violin and flute in the forefront. The piece is dedicated to Astarte, the goddess of music... “If the hell does exist / It’s just an impression or a moment...”.   

The last track “Il segno d’acqua” (Water sign) is another beautiful acoustic ballad. It’s about the wish to set off on a journey across the sea running after the dreams. But this wish is counter-balanced by the fear of the waves... “My tattooed anchors are sinking into the wine / Today I missed one more time the train leading to my destiny...”. After a pause appears, as a ghost track, a short recitative passage, a tribute to Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick” that concludes this very good album dedicated to water.

Oloferne: Segno d'acqua (2008). Other opinions:

Ken Levine: Oloferne's third disc is their most modern and polished, with an energy hitherto only hinted at. While the mystical and ritualistic mood of their debut is long past, the group seems to have achieved a better balance than on their sophomore effort. In fact there is a bit of a retrenchment towards their folk roots albeit at a higher octane level. The sound remains highly informed by the increasingly confident vocals of Alessandro Piccioni and Giacomo Medici , and the delightful celtic meets classical violin of Giuseppe Cardamone... (read the complete review HERE).

More info:

http://www.oloferne.com/

http://www.myspace.com/oloferne

http://www.facebook.com/oloferneband

http://www.lastfm.it/music/Oloferne

MARCHE

And now back to the coast of the Adriatic Sea for a visit to the region called LE MARCHE. In the late sixties URBINO, the birthplace of painter Raphael, in the northern Province of Pesaro and Urbino, gave us Anonima Sound Ltd., while PESARO, the birthplace of opera composer Gioachino Rossini, is home to an interesting contemporary band called Odessa (MySpace) and some emerging bands such as Rosso Imperfetto (Facebook), the psychedelic Vremenà (Facebook), the post-rock Montezuma (MySpace) and the prog folk Ricatti Acustici (MySpace). 

Heading south we pass through the town of Senigallia, where we find a prog folk band called Silverea’s Daffodil (ReverbNation), then we reach ANCONA, the capital of the region. In the seventies this city gave us a jazz rock band called Agorà (Official Website). 

Agorà recenctly reunited and in 2013 released a new interesting album titled Ichinen. The current prog scene of Ancona features also the experimental Garamond (MySpace), the dark, heavy I Compagni di Baal (Facebook), the psychedelic Atom Made Earth (Facebook) and an emerging band called Vicarus (MySpace).

Iesi is home to the psychedelic Virgin Iris (MySpace), while from the nearby town of Chiaravalle come Oloferne (Official Website) who began life in 1999 trying to blend different influences ranging from medieval atmospheres to folk rock and progressive. Since then they have been alternating concerts and activities for theatre maturing a very good experience on stage. In 2008 they released a self-produced album called “Segno d’acqua” which in my opinion is their best so far. Before leaving the province of Ancona we visit the town of Castelfidardo, best known for its Festival Internazionale della Fisarmonica, an international music festival dedicated to the Accordion, and for its Museo della Fisarmonica. Here we can listen to a prog band called Noxter (MySpace).

Still heading south we go to MACERATA where we find Jarictoo (Facebook) and a young band called Acid Rain (MySpace). Nearby this city lies Recanati, hometown of poet Giacomo Leopardi and of tenor Beniamino Gigli, which in the past gave us bands such as Lothlorien and Malleus. The current prog scene of the province of Macerata features The M.O.D.S. (MySpace) from the nearby town of Civitanova Marche and Pangaea (MySpace) from Camerino. Then we pass through the province of FERMO where we can listen to prog pop of Tepezé (Facebook) and the post rock veined of psychedelia of Pineda, a side project of Umberto Maria Giardini (Rockit), a.k.a. Moltheni, an artist from Sant’Elpidio a Mare.

We conclude our visit to Le Marche in ASCOLI PICENO where we can listen to the prog fusion of a band called Exprosin (MySpace) and to Paradiso Sotterraneo (MySpace).