A MATTER OF CHOICE

Libero arbitrio is the first solo album by Amos Ghirardelli, a keyboard player and composer from Sassuolo, now based in the province of Venice, with years of experience behind him. It was released in 2024 on the independent Velut Luna label and recorded with the contribute of a group of talented musicians who help highlight the compositional value of the pieces, mostly inspired by the symphonic progressive rock of the seventies. In fact, the line-up includes Amos Ghiradelli himself (keyboards), Andrea Valfrè (keyboards), Filippo Ghirardelli (piano), Andrea Ghion (bass - from Egonon and Aldo Tagliapietra Band), Roberto Parolin (drums - from Egonon), Matteo Ballarin (guitar - from The Former Life and Aldo Tagliapietra Band) and Massimo Bellio (vocals). The recording sessions took place at Magister Recording Area, in Preganziol, Treviso on August and September 2024 and I’m sure that the final result will please many prog fans...

The title track, “Libero arbitrio” (Free will), is a sort of declaration of intent that opens the album. It’s a long suite that starts by rarefied and dreamy atmospheres. The rhythm is slow but gradually grows while the melodic lines evoke strange trajectories in space and time. Then a short funky section followed by a marching beat introduces the sung part. The title refers to the capacity to choose between different possible courses of action, an ability that is connected to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, advice, persuasion, deliberation and prohibition. But do not worry, this is not a boring philosophical treatise. The music and lyrics are meant to give a stern warning: it is better to take the time to listen and carefully consider the advice of interested benefactors who could do you a lot of harm. They are like beasts that hunt you, black crows that do not help you, they are like a pack of wicked children who do not know the limit of fear and who seek you... You’ve better get rid of those people! Think twice and make your own choices...

The long instrumental “Oltre la nebbia” (Beyond the fog) begins by a slow keyboard intro that paints in black the musical canvas. Then dark organ sounds set a mystical atmosphere and a sense of bewilderment and restlessness. The central section with a delicate piano theme could make one think of a boat searching for its way through the fog, illuminated by soft night lights, among the narrow canals of Venice, while the final part, more decisive and jazzy, seems to suggest the exit from the strange lagoon web made of fog, doubts and nostalgia and the beginning of a new journey towards the unknown...

“Frammento di me” (Fragment of me) is an introspective and melodic song that speaks of the awareness of one's choices with hermetic verses and fragmentary images. Without scruples the protagonist rearranges and finds new words that he then interprets. Shivers of fantasy flow and the colours of May offer us images and destinations without tomorrow where you can get lost. Try to surrender to dreams while the mind leads you to secret places where you can find new songs. Don't let yourself get down, choose and what you have chosen will become possible and will make you see the deception of your freedom...

Then comes another long instrumental piece, “Dreaming Sanremo”. The organ introduction evokes an almost liturgical atmosphere, then the rhythm increases and the music takes you on unexpected paths, where relaxed and nocturnal moments alternate with sunny and majestic passages. The sky is a wonder and flowers are everywhere. Maybe it’s not for nothing that Sanremo, the city of the title, is also known as the city of flowers. By the way, Sanremo is also famous for the Italian song festival, an event that fortunately has very little to do with this track...

The short instrumental “Malinconia” (Melancholy) closes the album with a soft and relaxed atmosphere. Here you can find a hint of nostalgia and a touch of regret while the notes are used as pastel colours to paint an expressionist picture...

On the whole, a very interesting album that is worth listening to.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://www.referencemusicstore.it 

CHILDREN OF THE STARS

Nuove dimensioni is the second album by Sezione Frenante, a band from the province of Venice whose roots date back to the early seventies. It was released in 2019 on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a renewed line up featuring Sandro Bellemo (bass), Alessandro Casagrande (drums, percussion), Luciano Degli Alimari (lead vocals), Mirco De Marchi (piano, keyboards) and Antonio Zullo (guitars) plus the guests Deborah Barbiero (backing vocals), Mauro Martello (flute) and Francesca Rismondo (cello). According to the band, this is a concept album about the origins of the universe, the depths of space, the nature of time and the fate of black holes with lyrics inspired by quantum physics, astronomy, ancient history and mythology. The beautiful art work by Walter Marin tries to describe its musical content...

The instrumental opener “Kosmos” sets the atmosphere. It starts softly, the mood is dreamy, then the rhythm rises evoking a long, epic journey across the mystery of the universe. There are no lyrics, but the liner notes give a clue of what the music is about... From ancient times, man has turned his gaze to the sky, hoping to steal its secrets, marvelling at the alternation of light and dark. Now, thanks to previously unavailable technologies, he can hear, see and study the harmonies coming from the depths of space... If the world is just a teeming of ephemeral quanta, an immense interplay between space and elementary particles, what place do we human beings have in all of this?

The title of the following “L’era di Planck” (Planck epoch) refers to an era coming immediately after the Big Bang, the event which began the known universe. The music and vocals conjure up the image of a little seed, dynamically balanced, silent and motionless in the absolute void. Since remote times it blossoms breathing in the nothingness. By chance, a magnetic current runs across that nothingness and unchains a reaction, pressure surges and you can imagine an empire of gas where protons, neutrons and photons randomly collide one against each other in an infinite chaos, creative furnace of new elements, planets, life... 

 

Sezione Frenante, 2020

An explosion leads to the next piece, “Fuso delle necessità” (Spindle of necessity) whose title refers to a model of the workings of the universe elaborated by the ancient Greeks where the sun, moon, five planets and fixed stars revolve around the earth. Here the music and lyrics evoke the Myth of Er, a legend about the cosmos and the afterlife that ends Plato's Republic. Er, dead in battle, rises from his funeral pyre to tell about his journey through the cosmos where he could see the souls of the dead in march towards their fate. Then he describes shining columns of light and the celestial spheres of the astral plane revolving around Ananke’s spindle...

“Principe del vuoto” (Prince of the void) starts softly, by acoustic guitar and flute, then the vocals evoke an ever present music expanding in harmonic planes where space and time blindly follow the rhythm and notes, soundtrack of ancestral events... But the harmony is disturbed by a different kind of notes, the notes that form the aura for the prince of the void, a merciless, hungry black hole that swallows the stars and breaks the astral fabric...

 

The dark, threatening “Orizzonte degli eventi” (Event horizon) conjures up the image of a lonely, breathless star and its explosion in an immense field of forces that suddenly invades the void. Other stars, old planets and comets are scared and try to escape from the dark monster that swallows everything around him, the black hole where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The feared boundary of no escape is called the event horizon...

The mood of the following “Venere” (Venus) is definitively lighter. Here the music and words give voice to a jealous planet with a female name, the name of a Goddess. Venus looks enviously at a celestial stone full of life, the Earth. She can’t give birth to any living being and so, during the night, she listen to the dreams and hopes of terrestrial lovers that at dawn she handles to the sun... All in all, aren’t we all children of the stars, children of the night that turns around us? 

 

The long, complex “E’ nata una stella (Giostra a catene)” (A star was born - Swing ride) is a charming track that depicts in a very original, surreal way the birth of a star and the formation of a galaxy. Here the lyrics are like brush strokes of colour on a black canvas conjuring up rainbow arches and column of light, shining creatures, little lively spheres, living stars... The new star is compared to a rotating Chair-O-Planes that travels across the galaxy, dancing with its sisters in a perpetual motion. This star is not the most beautiful nor the brightest one but it could be a source of life, your life!

“Nomadi velieri” (Nomadic sailing ships) ends the album with a funny description of the solar system with all the planets that turn stealthily around the sun hiding mysteries, drawing ellipses, rotating lightly but remaining always together like a deployed fleet of nomadic sailing ships in the sea of the universe. Their evolutions are like the paces of a baroque dance...

On the whole, a wonderful album full of excellent music and sense of humour where boredom has no place.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

More info:

https://sezionefrenante.eu/ 

https://www.facebook.com/sezionefrenante/ 

 

HEART OF DARKNESS

Elisir d’Ambrosia come from Venice and were formed in 2013 on the initiative of guitarist and composer Marco Causin and drummer and music teacher Simone Sossai. Their aim was to play original music inspired by the historic prog bands of the seventies but adding a touch of modernity and their own sensitivity, so they looked for other musicians who would share their project. After some personnel changes and a hard work, in 2018 the band self-released an eponymous debut album with a line up featuring Marco Causin (electric and acoustic guitar), Alessio Uliana (keyboards), Riccardo Brun (bass), Andrea Stevanato (vocals) and Simone Sossai (drums) and the help of some guests such as Quanah Parker’s leader Riccardo Scivales (keyboards), Paolo Ongaro (percussion) and Enrico Callegari (bass). In some way, the album cover by Simone Faggian describes its musical content and its dark evocative colours... In my opinion it’s a very nice work full of passion and vintage sounds that should be of real interest for Italian prog lovers. 

The opener “Ambrosia” is a good instrumental track built up with electric pink bricks and dark vintage keyboards. Although every now and again the music could recall Pink Floyd and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso there’s ample room for the band’s own creativity… Then comes “Cenere” (Ash), a long track that evokes the cathartic power of dawn. The light of a new day sweeps away the ashes of a nightmarish, restless sleep crowded by opaque spectres and cannibal gods, disturbing memories and broken hearts. Here the vocals and some hard guitar riff could recall Jumbo or Biglietto per l’Inferno… Not bad at all! 

“Cardiologia” (Cardiology) starts by a nervous electric guitar arpeggio, then heartfelt vocals depict in music and words the doubts and the inner struggle of a vain musician whose heart is burning like an old firewood. He plays his concerto over and over again and his music is compared to the arrogant image of his mirrored ego… There is a nice central passage that could recall Santana, then a sparkling keyboards solo ends the piece. 

Elisir d'Ambrosia on stage 2018

The following “Dimensione deserto” (Dimension desert) is the shortest track on the album. It’s a curious mix of melancholic atmospheres and Latin rock, a strange musical path that ends with the voice of a barker that invites you to enter another dimension where you can find all the time you need, but beware! You have to leave behind flesh and bones… It’s a perfect introduction to the long, complex “Libero di volare nel vento” (Free to fly in the wind), a beautiful piece that describes in music and words a transcendental, esoteric experience and every now and again could recall Il Bacio della Medusa and Il Biglietto per l’Inferno. There are strong poetical images and a surreal sense of absurd, here the Grim Reaper has a laughing, mocking face and plays a white guitar as the protagonist leaves his memories as a pilgrim leaves behind his possessions to take off in a dark sky, without chains and finally free to fly in the wind and to melt into a timeless immensity… A great track! 

The melancholic, relaxed “Piano piano” (Slowly) conjures up the image of a man slowly floating on the sea, carried away by the waves, crossing the currents and waiting for better days, trying not to drown while escaping from the raging storms of everyday life... Then comes the dreamy “Luna” (Moon), a kind of lay prayer to the moon, the astronomical body that has always illuminated the heart of poets and filled them with hope. The ashes of our burnt dreams can’t cover its timeless light, pure and inviolate... 

The last track “Tenebra” (Darkness) is a committed complaint against the obscure games of power of the political and economical world. It depicts a smothering fog falling down, obscuring the mind of the protagonist and driving him mad. He tries to escape but nightmares as tentacles of a mysterious entity try to capture him and draw him back into the darkness where godless gods push humanity into a primordial chaos stirring irrational fears. There are unscrupulous madmen in charge of our destiny who think to be immortal and their overwhelming greediness risk to bring humanity on the brink of extinction… A very good piece to end a very interesting work! 

Have a try, you can listen to the complete album HERE. For the physical copy, ask the band! 

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/elisir.ambrosia/ 

AND YET...

Fonetica began life in Mestre in 2011 on the initiative of composer and lyricist Fabio Bello who gathered around him a bunch of musicians who shared his passion for music and committed lyrics linked to the tradition of Italian canzone d'autore. After a good live activity on the local scene and some personnel changes, in 2014 Fonetica self-released a debut album entitled Eppure with a line up featuring along with Fabio Bello (guitar, harmonica, vocals) also Claudio Martinolli (guitar), Douglas D'Este (drums, percussion), Massimiliano Cadamuro (bass, flute, vocals), Riccardo Gallucci (keyboards, vocals) and Silvia Siega (vocals). Some guests helped the band during the recording sessions: Riccardo Scivales (keyboards), Alessandro "Unfolk" Monti (mandolin), Giorgio Cordini (bouzouki), David Boato (trumpet), Giannino Fassetta (bandoneon) and Giuliano Perin (vibraphone, piano) added some nice touches of musical colours to the overall sound and the final result is a good collection of passionate songs and ballads that are worth listening to, even if they are more in the vein of pop rock bands such as I Nomadi than to Premiata Forneria Marconi or Le Orme...

The album opens with three ballads full of positive energy. "Santa pace" (Holy Peace) starts softly, with a delicate sound of flute in the forefront, then the rhythm rises. It's a song against war, inspired by ideals of peace and love... Then "La strada del sole" (Sun Road) invites you to leave behind boredom, old habits and certainties to join the men and women who fight for a change on the streets of the world. Next comes "La legge del branco" (The law of the pack), a song against conformism, consumerism, empty fashions and trivial TV shows...

On "La scuola è morta" (School is dead) the rhythm slackens. It's a piece against the current state of the public education in Italy that depicts crumbling schools and the agony of a system that seems to be going downhill in general disinterest. Every now and again it reminds me of Eugenio Finardi but in my opinion this track is too "pedagogical" and not particularly inspired. The following "La nuova guerra" (New war) is better. It's an antimilitarist song with a dark, threatening atmosphere inspired by a book by Bertolt Brecht, Kriegsfibel (War Primer).

"Inno (canzone politica)" (Anthem - Political song) is a reflective piece about the positive values that can be expressed through good politics. Politics is a word that too often is associated only with power, dirty businesses and corruption but here it means freedom, imagination, a white page where you can write down your ideas for a better society, a white canvas where you can paint a better world giving your contribute to the common welfare, overcoming the differences between left and right... The following "Le parole" (The words) is a nice melodic piece veined of light jazzy touches painted by the trumpet of the guest David Boato featuring lyrics about the need to communicate and the thaumaturgic power of words. It leads to the beautiful, dreamy instrumental "Pianeta blu" (Blue Planet)...

"Aspettare" (Waiting) is a light, melodic song of hope that leads to "Posto in affitto" (Rented place), a piece dedicated to Trieste that tells of a serene period that the protagonist spent in that city. "Pioggia pioggia" (Rain rain) features Latin American flavours and celebrates the love for life through the metaphor of rain pouring down allowing mother nature to blossom. The closer "Eppure" (And yet) is based upon a poem by Luisa Moleri that evokes apocalyptic sceneries of war and nevertheless gives room to hope because peace is what really do want and need the humankind...

On the whole, I enjoyed this album, even if Fonetica's music is not particularly challenging or complex and I know that prog lovers could be a bit disappointed. And yet... Have a try!

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/FONETICA-188576077876502/ 

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

Hailing from the province of Venice, Sezione Frenante began life in the early seventies under the name Le Nuove Dimensioni, later changed into the current name. During the seventies they hadn't the chance to record an album and split up in 1978, when the interest for progressive rock was fading. In 2006 the band reformed on the initiative of three founder members and in 2014 Sezione Frenante finally released a debut album on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash Records with a line up featuring Alessandro Casagrande (drums, percussion), Sandro Bellemo (bass), Doriano Mestriner (gutars, vocals), Mirco De Marchi (keyboards, vocals) and Francesco Nardo (lead vocals) plus the guest Antonio Zullo (acoustic guitar). This long awaited album is entitled Metafora di un viaggio - Arditi voli di cervelli attenti and is a conceptual work, vaguely inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, that describes in music and words a cathartic journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope... The overall sound draws on vintage atmospheres and could recall bands such as Le Orme, Metamorfosi, Procession or Alphataurus but the musicians managed to put into the mix all their passion, their experience and their personality with excellent results and the album is really worth listening to.

The opener "La quiete in un attimo" (Peace in a while) starts by pulsing bass lines and dreamy passages that seem to mark the transition into an hypnotic state of unconsciousness. The music and lyrics evoke a moment of quiet where you can think and get lost into your dreams. Now you're almost floating on the current of your thoughts, between life and death... The dark organ surge of the following "La meta non trovata" (The unfounded destination) announces a dangerous journey through a realm of shadows where you're surrounded by shapeless things and faded visions. Eventually, your aimless wandering takes you in front of a high white door that blocks your way... Then a surreal calm comes down and "La meta non trovata (curiosità di essere)" (The unfounded destination - Curiosity of being) describes curiosity and fear seizing your throat. Your brain doesn't work, you can't think anymore...

Next comes "Attesa" (Waiting), a short instrumental that describes the time you pass in doubt, waiting in front of the white door while the following "Passaggio" (Passage) is another short instrumental describing the moment of the crossing of that strange threshold. It leads to "Viscido ambiente" (Slimy place) that describes a gloomy world inhabited by icy shadows without brain, a world where there's no peace. You can feel a sense of void spreading all around you and even inside your heart, there's nothing but hate here, you have to feed on it... The following "Pace immaginata" (Fancied peace) describes the crossing of this bleak world with its threatening panoramas. Every now and again some flames break through the darkness and shapeless beings disappear into the void, swallowed by black waves. You can perceive unknown shadows sucking your blood like parasites, driving you insane... At last you see a corridor and something pushes you in the right direction, towards the light at the end of the tunnel, towards a shelter...

At the sound of a bell, "Quattro stelle" (Four stars) welcomes you to a very different world of ethereal lights and sapphire skies. The four stars of the title refer to the four cardinal virtues that now show your way: prudence, justice, temperance and courage. Then a church-like organ passage drives you on the footsteps of a Love song while delicate melodies blow away the shadows of hell and their gloomy omens. A new hope is beating in your chest, you can see around you sinners who repent and start climbing a steep hill leading to a better dream...

Next comes "Nota stonata" (Discordant note) that describes in music and words a kind of Garden of Eden where you can find a perfect harmony. But someone is singing out of tune in the angelic choir, there's a soul down below that, pushed by human virtue, seeks for something that is not perfect at all. This soul is looking for the unknown, for great passions inspired by pagan muses, for never ending adventures and strong emotions...

Sezione Frenante 2014

The long, complex closer "Svegiati luce" (Wake up light) conjures up apocalyptic visions of exiled souls that have been waiting for a thousand years on the banks of the river Lethe. They're still waiting for boarding on the divine wooden ship that would take them across the river. It's a long, silent queue of uncertain spirits looking for a guide to lead them to a place where peace rules, a kingdom of light that will melt the shadows and dry the tears, where the sun rises like a blade of fire spreading its thaumaturgical strength all over creation...

On the whole, this is a very interesting album. Of course, seventies influences loom large over this work and it might not shine for originality but its mystical lyricism and its powerful and engaging musical colours make of it a real treat for Italianprog lovers. So, if you like modern progressive rock that’s based on classic Italian prog, you really have to check this band out.

Sezione Frenante: Metafora di un viaggio (2014). Other opinions:

Michael "Aussie-Byrd-Brother": "Metafora di un Viaggio" gets Sezione Frenante's belated studio recording career off to a great start, and the results have been more than worth the wait. A mix of pleasing melodic tunes and subtle, restrained but quietly thrilling instrumental moments, with a very joyful quality constantly present really makes this album shine brightly. Hopefully we see the band build on their efforts here with more recordings in the near future! (read the complete review HERE)

More info:

http://www.sezionefrenante.eu 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sezione-Frenante/160637350667011 

A MULTIFORM BEAST

After the long awaited 2012 debut album Quanah!, the Venetian band Quanah Parker came back in 2015 with a second work and a renewed line up featuring Riccardo Scivales (keyboards), Elisabetta Montino (vocals), Giovanni Pirrotta (electric and acoustic guitars, bass), Paolo Ongaro (drums, percussion) and Alessandro Monti (bass, recorder, bells, tabla, claves, triangle). The new album was released on the independent label M.P. & Records and it's titled Suite degli animali fantastici. According to the liner notes, the main course of the album is a long suite sung in Italian that was inspired by a friend, Edward J. Shanaphy who came with the idea of writing an album about some fantastic beasts. The initial idea was then developed by the band's leader and composer Riccardo Scivales with the help of lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Alessandro "Unfolk" Monti who, identifying these "fantasy creatures" as projections of a human mind, imagined them setting off on a fascinating journey through space and time to finally come back to their creator. The whole band contributed to refine and complete the music and lyrics adding colours and emotions to make the dream come true. In my opinion, the result is amazing!

Quanah Parker 2014

The hypnotic opener "From Distant Lands" is not part of the suite but perfectly fits the subject matter and represents a wonderful introduction to the album. It begins softly and you can feel an exotic magnetism in the air. Then you can hear the soaring song of a mermaid playing with her hair under the water and through the light. She's smiling...

Then comes the long, complex "Suite degli animali fantastici" (Suite of the fantastic beasts) that is divided into eight parts and starts with the dreamy "Risveglio Onirico" (Oneiric awakening) where the music and the narrative vocals conjure up gentle waves breaking on the shore of a fantastic island on a timeless sunny morning. Here, slowly a dream comes to life, sneaking its way through imagination and reality, coming out from the threshold of sleep... On the second part, "Danza di un mattino" (Morning dance), the rhythm rises and there's an electric atmosphere while Elisabetta Montino gives voice to the fruit of a sensory illusion that begins to move around in an ecstatic dance. "Interludio Notturno" (Nocturnal interlude) is a short, dreamy passage featuring male and female vocals evoking an invisible beast hiding in the shadows, under the moon, keeper of a mysterious secret... The following "Déjà Vu Fantastico" (Fantastic Déjà Vu) is brighter and the soaring vocals take you up in the air, across the sky and beyond the borders of myth, where echoes of past lives resound and you get lost among strange, ever-changing shapes. Two eyes are staring at you, shining like stones of light... 

"Luci dagli Abissi" (Lights from the abyss) is a calm instrumental passage the leads to the mysterious "Cantico Marino" (Sea song) where you can almost hear the breath and the voice of talking dolphins. You're getting lost in an illusion of eternal life, you can't stop sinking into another dimension... The music and lyrics of the following part "Animale Multiforme" (Multiform beast) depict a beast that can breath into the abyss of memory and that can generate a rainbow in the air just by a twist of its tail. It can fly beyond the clouds and through the galaxies and now it's running, leaving its tracks in the labyrinth of your mind... The last part, "Ritorno alla Mente" (Back to the mind) marks the end of this cathartic dream painting the awakening with soft, autumnal colours. The dream is gone but something remains: illusions, fantastic stories, tangled thoughts under the rain and a new awareness... What a wonderful suite! Perfectly at ease with her native language, Elisabetta Montino vocals can be ethereal and powerful in the meantime and her theatrical approach here underlines the visionary strength of the music and lyrics with great effectiveness. Moreover, not only did she interpret the storyline with her vocal performances but also with images since she also took charge of the drawings for the beautiful art work.

Quanah Parker on stage

After the "fantastic suite" comes a tribute to Francesco Di Giacomo, the late vocalist of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso who passed away in 2014. "A Big Francesco" (To Big Francesco) is a melancholic instrumental track filled with emotion and poignant nostalgia that recalls the best moments of the Roman band now kept alive by Vittorio Nocenzi.

Well, so far so good! Unfortunately, the last two tracks, "Death Of A Deer" and "Make Me Smile" are not at the same level of the rest of the album and sound to my ears almost like fillers or bonus tracks. Both are sung in English, the first one is a long piece with some folksy passages where Elisabetta Montino tries to give voice to the feelings of a hunted deer while the latter is a love song with a jazzier mood. Anyway, do not worry: the last two tracks do not spoil the pleasure of listening to this beautiful work! Have try, I'm sure it will be an excellent addition to every prog collection!

More info:

http://www.quanahparker.it/ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/QUANAH-PARKER/142650959170364 

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Smogmagica is Le Orme's seventh studio album. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California, in 1975 with a line up featuring, along with the historical members Aldo Tagliapietra (bass, vocals, acoustic guitar), Tony Pagliuca (keyboards) and Michi Dei Rossi (drums), a young, skilled musician with a solid rock-blues background, Tolo Marton (electric guitar, harmonica, vocals). With this album Le Orme tried to change slightly their sound following a more straightforward musical direction. The result might not be completely satisfying for old prog fans but, even if it represents a step back when compared to the band's previous masterpieces, this is still a good album with some magnificent tracks. Anyway, the wonderful album cover painted by Paul Whitehead and inspired by the music is a special asset and makes of this work a very special item in any progressive rock collection.

The opener “Los Angeles” begins by a frenzied guitar solo flying on a cloudy rhythmical carpet that melts in a quiet piano section with a short vocal part. The lyrics describe the feelings of a passenger on a plane landing in L.A., the “magical polluted” city of the title (it's very difficult to translate the word “Smogmagica” indeed!)... “I felt a void in me and a sensation of fear / While the darkness of the clouds was still around me / Then, suddenly, below me an ocean of lights / I had never seen before so many lights at the same time...”. Then the rhythm sets off again in a instrumental “crescendo” with some changes in rhythm and mood and a good interaction between the guitar and the other instruments. A great track!

“Amico di ieri” (Yesterday’s friend) is one of the most famous songs by Le Orme. It’s a melancholic acoustic ballad where a delicate melody sets a dreamy atmosphere. The lyrics tell about the autumn wind that blows to Los Angeles from his cradle in the desert, bringing with him the memories of the ancient pioneers who were driven to the sea and to a new reality by their dreams of freedom... “Autumn wind / Yesterday’s friend / Today nobody cares of you / Your rising voice / Takes away the sleep from resting people / It just soils the city...”. Well, in this case the lyrics represent also a way to tell about the contrast between past and present, dream and reality in a poetical way... This song has always been one of my favourites.

Unfortunately, the following “Ora o mai più” (Now or nevermore) is not as good as the previous tracks. It is a kind of prog’n’roll featuring lyrics about a man who drives like hell “collecting red lights” just to get in time to a meeting with his girlfriend. The song ends with the noise of a car crash! Good idea, but the result is not completely convincing...

Then comes “Laserium Floyd”, a good instrumental with a slow pace and a nocturnal atmosphere that could recall Pink Floyd’s echoes. It leads to “Primi passi” (First steps), a nice pop rock song about the need to look for new experiences that makes you jump on the first train running to seek your fortune far away, without waiting for useless promises... “Hello, new day that moves on by uncertain steps...”.

The following delicate, acoustic ballad “Immensa distesa” (Immense plain) is definitely better with Aldo Tagliapietra's soaring vocals that conjure up a dreamy mood... “You would like to follow me and move far away / But eventually you prefer the shelter of dreams...”. Remarkable the particular coda with a fine drum work running under the melody played by the acoustic guitar.

Le Orme in L.A., 1975

“Amanti di città” (City lovers), despite the good guitar work, in my opinion is the worst track of the lot, especially on account of the strange, unpleasant vocals. The lyrics are absolutely nothing special, just an ironic dialogue between two lovers in the city.

“L’uomo del pianino” (The street organ man) is an interesting experimental track, a kind of “country-prog” song with a beautiful short ragtime section... “Distant fogs of my home town / Make safer the old way... How many strange things I keep inside me...”. A good effort to cross the styles.

The instrumental “Laurel Canyon” is another good effort to blend the rock-blues influences of the guitarist with the prog vein of the other members of the band. This track was named after Laurel Canyon Boulevard in L.A., California, the place where the band set their headquarters during the recording sessions, and concludes an album with some ups and downs but that is really worth listening to.

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

RAG MEN AND BROKEN DOLLS

After the successful album “Collage”, Le Orme developed some ideas already present in their previous work and released another masterpiece, “Uomo di pezza” (Man of rags). This album features the same line-up (Aldo Tagliapietra, Antonio Pagliuca and Michi Dei Rossi) and the same producer (Gian Piero Reverberi) of the previous work and is reputed one of the most influential albums of the Italian prog scene. The wonderful art cover features a painting by Walter Mac Mazzieri titled “Garbo di neve” that perfectly describes the mood of this work. There’s a perfect symbiosis between the music and lyrics and all the tracks are in some way linked by a thread. This work was conceived almost as a concept album and it’s a kind of journey in the feminine universe. Every song tells the story of a woman but the mood is not at all light or romantic. Troubled stories of violence, broken dreams, fears and madness are told in a very poetical, bold way while the music underlines the poetical content of the lyrics...

Walter Mac Mazzieri: Garbo di neve

The opener “Una dolcezza nuova” (A new sweetness) begins with a church-like organ sound. The organ tries to evoke the dreams of a young girl, such as a romantic relationship and a happy marriage, but sometimes things go wrong and the first experience with love and sex can be a real trauma. The rhythm section carries away those dreams. Then comes a new beginning, with a delicate piano pattern and soaring vocals... “I pick up your glance and I hold it tight in my hands / There’s an old fear in your eyes / Now dreams of ash are burning inside you / When your fears melt away, you believe in me...”. A new relationship with the right man can lead to a new sweetness... “The storm is inside your heart / And you find a shelter in me... Your voice becomes a whisper / And you, you are shaking beside me... I pick up your glance and I hold it tight in my hands / There’s a new sweetness in your eyes / New for you...”.

“Gioco di bimba” (Little girl’s game) is a wonderful acoustic ballad about a broken charm... “She gets up in the night as if compelled by a spell / She silently walks with her eyes still closed / As if she would follow a magic song / And on the roundabout she comes back to her dreams...”. Well, despite the dreamy mood of the music this song is about a rape. A man tears apart the dreams of the young girl, then it’s too late for him to repent... “A stealthy shadow gets off the wall / In the little girl’s game a woman gets lost... In the morning a scream resounds in the middle of the street / A man of rags is invoking his tailor / In a lost voice he keeps on saying / I didn’t want to wake her up this way / I didn’t want to wake her up this way!”. In this case the tailor is a metaphor for God...

“La porta chiusa” (The closed door) is about a woman who lives locked in her house fearing an impending meeting with her destiny... “As every evening you are alone in the dark / Your innocence keeps you company...”. The woman has renounced the struggle for love but suddenly she hears someone knocking on her door, what’s up? She would like to open and she doesn’t know why. The music helps raise the tension... Well, it’s difficult to say whether it was just a scoundrel or love passing by... “You didn’t open the door, why? / It could be him...”.

“Breve immagine” (Short image) is a short, dreamy track describing an ideal woman through the eyes of a boy. She appears like a mirage, a light trick reflected in the water... “Over there, where the sky ends melting into the sea / There’s a young woman who is smiling to me... It’s an image that lasts just for a while / It’s an image that the sundown carries away...”.

 

“Figure di cartone” (Cardboard figures) tries to depict in music and words madness. It’s about a woman closed in her room and completely cut off from the real world. She has lost her youth as a flower cut off from its branch in springtime... “You live in your own strange world made of cardboard figures and rag dolls / You live closed between those four walls / You can’t remember who took you in / You don’t know anyone but who plays with you / You don’t have the anxieties of the future / Time is worthless for you / Tomorrow you will do again what you did yesterday / And in your dreams you talk with angels...”. Despite the subject matter in this track the music is not aggressive and there’s a feel of mercy and melancholic sweetness... “You hold tight to your chest the pillow / And on the white wall shadows draw the profile of a woman with her baby / And so you fall asleep, happy...”.

“Aspettando l’alba” (Waiting for sunrise) is about a summer night spent on a beach waiting for dawn. The sound of a guitar, songs soaring in the night, boys and girls on the sand around a bonfire... Nonetheless the music doesn’t express joy, there’s something wrong, a disquieting feeling in the air. There’s a girl with an empty, dazed face among so many smiling ones, so many eyes have become just one look... What happens next? Well, the lyrics don’t tell us but probably it was something so nasty that made even the wind angry... “A strong wind at dawn became angry with the sun / And the sea waves raged all over beach...”.

The last track “Alienazione” (Alienation) is an instrumental that tries to express madness and estrangement. It starts with a dark burst of energy, then a disquieting feeling soars from wild rhythm patterns hanging on until the end...

From the book Rock Progressivo Italiano: an introduction to Italian Progressive Rock

You can listen in streaming to the complete album HERE

OF STONE AND WIND

Aldo Tagliapietra is the historic vocalist and bassist of Le Orme, a band that he contributed to found in 1966. In 2009 he went solo and, after a double unplugged live album, in 2012 he self released an interesting studio work with the help of some members of The Former Life, a very promising young prog band from Vittorio Veneto. On this album, titled “Nella pietra e nel vento” (In the stone and in the wind), the line up features, along with Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, bass), Aligi Pasqualetto (piano, Minimoog, keyboards), Andrea De Nardi (organ, keyboards), Matteo Ballarin (electric and acoustic guitar) and Manuel Smaniotto (drums, percussion). There are no long, complex suites here but just ten beautiful ballads with a mild progressive rock vein that in some way recall the atmospheres and the melodic passages of some albums by Le Orme such as “Elementi” or “L'infinito” while the art work by Paul Whithead adds a touch of charm and mystery

 

Aldo Tagliapietra 2011

The opener title track is a melancholic piece about time passing by. It was inspired by some words in Latin carved in an ancient sundial, Felicibus brevis miseris hora longa. Time can cover with a magic veil memories and nostalgia even if it is too slow for those who have to wait, too fast for those who are scared, too long for those who feel pain, too short for those who are happy. The following “Silenzi” (Silences) brings a gust of optimism and the atmosphere is brighter. What will remain of us after our time will come to an end? Nothing can last forever except our souls and a smile which will shine in the silence of immensity.

“Il santo” (The saint) was inspired by the character of the Dalai Lama. It tells about a meeting with a smiling man born from a dream, with no home nor land but with a border-less love in his eyes.The delicate, sweet “La cosa più bella” (The most beautiful thing) is dedicated to Aldo Tagliapietra's grand-son Francesco Ian while the following “Un grande giardino” (A wide garden) is for all the children of an ancient mother called Life, flowers of light in a wide garden who need all our love to grow up.

“Sette passi” (Seven steps) is full of spirituality and was inspired by the character of Siddhartha. It evokes the morning wind and a peaceful, almost magic sense of freedom where flowers shine in the infinite. “C'è una vita” (There's a life) invites you to open your mind, look beyond appearances and search for the life that flows inside your heart... “There's no light without dark / There's no night without day / There's no sound without quiet / There's no peace without war / Inside every pain there's a hidden love / In every morning there's the evening...”. 

 

“Tra il bene e il male” (Between good and evil) features on bass the guest Claudio Galieti who was a member of Le Orme in the sixties. It's another track that draws some reflections about the meaning of life in a world divided between silence and noise. We have to walk on a tightrope hanging on the void, between joy and pain in the never ending game between good and evil.

“Dio lo sa” (God knows it) is full of positive energy, almost an ode to a merciful God who is aware of our weakness. For Him we're just angels living between dream and reality who keep on rolling down from a steep hill like stones, lost in the dark and looking for an ephemeral freedom that we can't find. 

 

The conclusive “Il sutra del cuore” (The sutra of the heart) in some way is linked with the title track and closes the circle. It invites you to open your mind to love without hypocrisy nor fear. You have to forget the evil ways and look for love without any compromise, you have to carve in the stone all the positive things and remember all the love you have received from the others. As for the bad memories, let the wind blow them away and keep on searching for the light of love, beyond the immensity.

All in all a very nice album!

More info:

http://www.aldotagliapietra.it/ 

PIANO VARIATIONS

Tony Pagliuca was Le Orme's keyboardist until 1990. In the early nineties he went solo following a personal artistic path and since then ha has released six albums so far. His last work, “Après Midi – Ormeggiando”, was recorded between 2007 and 2010 with the supervision of Le Orme's historic producer Gianpiero Reverberi and features twelve tracks from Le Orme's repertoire re-interpreted for piano solo. The album was finally self released in 2010 with an elegant packaging featuring an art cover taken from a painting by Walter Mac Mazzieri, Canzoniere notturno. Well, in my opinion the art cover depicts in a very effective way the mood of this charming work full of delicate nuances and evocative, nocturnal passages. 

 

The opener “Gioco di bimba” sets the atmosphere. From the very first notes you can realize that this is not just an unplugged album or the fruit of a nostalgia operation. The music respects the feeling of the original pieces but explores new melodic solutions drawing beautiful games of lights and shadows. 

 

The following “Aliante” is the only track recorded live and it's taken from a concert in Florence in November 2009. “Venerdì” is an instrumental piece originally released in 1981 and this “naked” version, purified from the sounds of the eighties, in my opinion adds new perspectives and colours with an excellent result...

Tony Pagliuca 2010

Just imagine to sit in a café in San Marco Square, in Venice, and let the music stir your fantasy, unveiling hidden melodies and unexpected rhythmical solutions... “Verità nascoste”, “Aspettando l'alba”, “Immagini”, “La fabbricante d'angeli”, “Era inverno”, “Se io lavoro”, “Cemento armato”, “Sguardo verso il cielo”, “Collage”. The music flows away as in a beautiful dream and if you like Le Orme's historic works I'm sure you'll enjoy all this new instrumental versions as well. Have a try!

More info:

http://www.tonypagliuca.com/

https://www.facebook.com/tony.pagliuca 

FLYING OVER THE LAGOON

Quanah Parker began life in Venice in 1981, going against the tide in a period when progressive rock was completely out of fashion. They split up in 1985 but, after a long hiatus, in 2005 they came to life again on the initiative of keyboardist and composer Riccardo Scivales. In 2012 Quanah Parker finally released a debut album titled “Quanah!”, on the independent label Diplodisc, with a line up featuring Riccardo Scivales (keybords), Elisabetta “Betty” Montino (vocals), Giovanni Pirrotta (electric guitar), Giuseppe Di Stefano (bass) and Paolo “Ongars” Ongaro (drums). Over the years all the musicians have honed their skills and the result of the recording sessions is a well balanced mix of classical influences, progressive rock and jazz. Some pieces date back to eighties while others are more recent but you can't find any discontinuity in the style of the band, the overall sound is excellent and everything works. Well, if you like artists such as Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Santana or Kate Bush, give this album a try!

The short, dreamy opener “Chant Of The Sea-Horse” is a charming piece for piano and vocals full of mystery and magic. There are no lyrics and the beautiful voice of Betty Montino here is used as an instrument with amazing results. The following “No Time For Fears” begins softly, again piano and vocals take the lead but then all the members of the band give their contribute and the rhythm rises. The music and lyrics invite you to grow up inside, overcoming your fears. There are many people who are prisoners of the daily grind, they're sad and lost at the end of the day, almost incapable to heed their heart and to develop their inner strength... “Switch the light off / Smile in the dark / And realize you’re alive...”.

“Quanah Parker” begins with a burst of energy and some passages could recall “Garofano Rosso” by Il Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, then the music takes an autonomous direction with many changes in rhythm and mood. Quanah Parker was a Comanche chief, the band was named after him and this piece is a kind of trademark. The music tries to evoke a rebellious spirit and a timeless need for freedom while the lyrics draw a prayer to the wind. Eventually the wind seems to answer... “The voice of wind is crying for a change! / Where is my axe?”. The conclusive electric guitar solo expresses the rising rage of an untamed soul. 

 

 

“Sailor Song” begins with a nervous rhythm while the lyrics depict the image of a sailor who sets off on a journey across the sea heading East, looking for the rising sun. Soon you realize that the journey is a metaphor for an inner quest, a search for a man's identity leading outside the borders of reality... “Strange reflexes in the dark, charming echoes in the air / Have drawn my ship in an island out of time...”.

“Flight” is an outstanding instrumental track featuring vibrant, pulsating bass lines and even a good bass solo. As the rhythm takes off you can fly across a starry sky following dreams and notes. Then comes “The Garden Awakes” where you can land in an enchanted place and walk barefoot among flowers and leaves, breathing the fresh air of springtime. Behind the gate of this magic garden you can regenerate your soul and forget your dark memories. When you'll leave the garden you will keep the new sounds and colours you have experienced in your heart... “Something strange is happening to me / I can feel a new breath of life... There’s a new human being inside me...”.

“After The Rain” is another track full of optimism. It begins softly, you can hear the sounds of a storm in the background but the storm is soon over. The atmosphere is dreamy, the music is delicate and the voice of Betty Montino soars clear in the air while the dark clouds melt... “Everything seems so perfect and pure... Sun soon will shine and with it my heart...”.

“Asleep” evokes a dream of perfect harmony, a home on a cloud and singing birds all around. Waking up could be very hard in a case like this but you can always close your eyes again and try to go back to your dreams, feeling as if you were floating between the sea and the sky. Here in some passages the music veers to a Latin rock à la Santana as in the following “Silly Fairy Tales” which is in the same dreamy mood and depicts three merry elves and a snoring man dreaming of fairy tales... “Sparklin’ drops captured my attention / So I could see...”.

“People In Sorrow” is a bitter-sweet piano ballad featuring heartfelt vocals and lyrics about solitary boys and girls unaware that there are so many ways to forget the gloom around them. Here and in the following “The Limits Of The Sky” the voice of Betty Montino recalls Kate Bush and takes off running after wuthering heights... “Under the sun, over the hills, running away with you / Watching your eyes, hearing the notes, no strain inside our hearts... If only I could, I’d fly with you to the limits of the sky above / If only I could, I’d colour this song with the colours of the sky!”.

The final track “Shenn Menn” reminds me of some works of Santana and is taken from an original recording from 1984 with a line up featuring Riccardo Scivales (keyboards), Roberto Noè (guitar, vocals), Stefano Corvia (guitar), Roberto Veronese (bass) and Giuliano Bianco (drums). It is credited as a bonus track and is a proof of the good level of the band in their early days.

All in all, I think that this is an excellent album although it's a pity that the band did not exploit their native language for the lyrics giving to the amazing voice of Betty Montino more chances to go off the beaten tracks looking for a wider range of colours and sounds.

More info: 
http://www.quanahparker.it/

http://www.facebook.com/groups/42663686614/