LATTE E MIELE

Complete line-up overhaul

Latte e Miele (Milk and Honey) are one of the classic Italian groups who were not a "one-shot", instead releasing three albums in the 70s as well as a respectable comeback a few years ago. Born in Genova around 1971, the band was acclaimed for an ELP/Orme style of progressive rock fused to classical music. Examples can be heard on their first two albums, the majestic "Passio secundum Mattheum" and follow-up "Papillon." After this they did some serious gigging including a stint with VDGG before being dropped by their label and splitting up in 1974. In 1976 drummer Alfio Vitanza put the band together again with three new members for their third album "Acquile e Scoiattoli".

The third album has a somewhat slicker feel to the production and the material, and while ambitious, lacks the strange baroque-dark feel of the debut in particular. The tracks are structured like Meddle with the first side being unrelated short tracks and the second side featuring an epic side-long suite. The opening title track has a pleasant, light-hearted feel until the mid section kicks into a great dramatic chorus. In that moment they had me on the line! "Menestrello" has a full-on rock feel almost like heavier Alan Parsons or Supertramp, aside from the vocal it has a more international sound. Next is a spirited ode to Beethoven with "Opera 21". The keyboard jamming and drumming is crisp and tight-all of this is pretty cool but quite disjointed in terms of side flow. So side two is where I had to look to find something memorable and I'm afraid it didn't cut it. Long, impressive on paper, and with all of the symphonic glory you might expect "Pavana" just does not excite me. I appreciate the tight rhythm section and some of the arrangements, but the bulk of the keyboard-centric piece sails for over 20 minutes and the only passion aroused in me is frankly to put something else on. Despite the very good sound quality and fine performance, it feels like a prog keyboard exercise that goes on far too long while hitting very few of my musical pleasure receptors. I'm truly surprised by this as I enjoy Basso's "Voci" and certainly tons of albums that are not so far in style from this. I urge RPI and symphonic prog fans to check out this album for themselves because many other like it a lot, some like it more than their two earlier albums. Just not my cup of tea, or rather not my glass of vino.

This is the big come back album for LATTE E MIELE released in 2009. There seems to be quite a few Italian bands who have reformed and recorded albums the last few years and for me it's been a hit and miss affair.This would be a miss. Honestly I just don't think this compares to their first two albums at all. I have struggled through this album every single time i've heard it. It's just not my style with the orchestration and at times "musical" vibe both of which are usually turn offs in my world. A matter of taste of course.

"San Marco" has a powerful intro with organ that I like then the guitar takes the lead as it blends into "Carnival" as the instrumental music continues. A calm with violin arrives before 2 1/2 minutes.

"Il Sogno" is upbeat with keys as the vocals arrive for the first time on the album. Backing vocals and operatic vocals don't do much for me here. "Via Siva" has these light keys and fragile vocals. Disney World is coming to mind.

"Crochti" is led by piano before 1 1/2 minutes as it settles.Vocals are back before 3 minutes then it kicks in after 4 minutes. A calm after 6 minutes then the vocals return before it kicks back in late.

"Il Deserto Del Gobi" has an exotic flavour to it early on. It picks up 2 minutes in and vocals follow. "Il Matri Mono Dei Bimbi Nel Vento" is mellow with reserved vocals, strings and more.

"Pechino" builds slowly then it kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes with the guitar leading. It settles with vocals a minute later then it picks back up when the vocals stop. "Kubilai Kan" has guitar and an orchestral section that will come and go.

"L'ultimo Unicorno" opens with piano as reserved vocals join in.It does get fuller. Not a fan. "La battaglia Di Curtolo" has these marching styled drums to start with keyboards that build. Guitar and drums before a minute. Nice. Best section of the album right here along with the album's intro. The tempo will change throughout.

"La Prigione" opens with piano and strings as reserved vocals join in. It picks up after 2 minutes with guitar. Not a fan of this as it's a little too sweet.

"Sogno Incrociato" has a classical vibe with vocals. Not a fan. "Ritorno A San Marco" ends it with a good instrumental.

A low 3 stars for me.

Like the first album this too has a concept to it but apparently only on the opening side long suite this time. ELP's debut came to mind quite often especially with those powerful, upfront vintage keyboards. A strong Classical and Jazz flavour is mixed in with the Prog Rock. I like the fact that their first two albums have split the fan base as to which one is better. I'm not going to say yet which I prefer because it's so close for me but both are definte 4 star albums in my book.

"Papillon" is the almost 20 minute side long suite and it's divided into eight sections. Love the intro with those powerful ELP-like keyboards then it turns mellow on part two as the fragile vocals come in. It kicks back in with drums then turns mellow again with reserved vocals to start part three. It kicks in again as these themes continue with the laid back vocals usually opening a new section then it turns heavier. Check out the slicing violin on part five. An excellent suite and i'm glad I have the italian version as i've heard the English version isn't that great because of the strong accent.

"Divertimenzo" is orchestral-like then it turns jazzy with piano, bass and drums.These contrasts continue.

"Patetica" is divided into three parts and is over 16 1/2 minutes long. Piano only until the drums and organ kick in at 1 1/2 minutes. Piano follows then the organ returns. Part two begins with violin and is quite orchestral sounding.Then the drums and keyboards kick in after 1 1/2 minutes. Nice.The tempo picks up a minute later. Love the drum work before 3 1/2 minutes then it settles into a jazzy mode before 5 minutes. Part three is mellow and the vocals arrive 1 1/2 minutes in then drums.

"Strutture" has such a great sound to it. Jazzy stuff.

Certainly anyone who is seeking to know about RPI needs to check this band out, and you can't go wrong with either of their first two albums.

It would be easy to write Latte E Miele as an ELP clone at this stage of their career based on their guitarist-keyboardist-percussionist lineup and their quoting from Bach (at points they even borrow the exact same bits from Bach that ELP do!), but there's a bit more to them than that. Drummer Alfio also whips out a mean flute from time to time, and guitarist Marcello is a bit more diverse than Greg Lake, branching out into the violin on occasion. Musically, the group also draw on inspiration from Genesis for their quieter, more acoustic and pastoral sections, and also include some properly operatic vocals here and there. The result is a synthesis which is entirely unlike anything ELP ever did, and makes their adaptation of Christ's Passion (as told in the Gospel of Matthew) one of the better early concept albums from the RPI scene - though not quite on the divine tier occupied by Banco, PFM and Le Orme's works from 1972.

After the very good ''Passio secundum Mattheum'',the good follow-up ''Papillion'' and a couple of singles the LATTE E MIELE trio disbanded to reform just a couple of years later as a quartet and only with drummer Alfio Vitanza from the original line-up.The result of this formation was taped on the new effort ''Aquile e scoiattoli''.

Despite the new-line up the band now seems more tight and the sound more convincing and balanced than ever.With similarities with LE ORME's style and career,''Aquile e scoiattoli'' finds LATTE E MIELE exploring more the synths possibilities and leaving the sound of organ or harpsichord behind.The result is not negative at all,on the opposite it seems this sound is promoting better the band's style.Four short tracks on the first side with symphonic textures,melodic lines and great vocals are followed by the easily-flowing 23-min. opus ''Pavana'' on the flipside,a georgeous melodic arrangement full of Classical references with jazzy bits here and there,comparable with the best of FOCUS and GENESIS,hints of whom can be met throughout the track.Flutes' and saxes' touches give ''Pavana'' an even richer and eclectic character.

The early LATTE E MIELE years close with their best work in my opinion.While the first two albums were good examples of Classical-influenced Italian Prog,''Aquile e scoiattoli'' has nothing less than Classic Prog albums created by giants like LE ORME or BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO,the album has a superb balanced atmosphere from the first to the last minute and if you want a work of LATTE E MIELE shining among your collection's items,this one is to grab.Highly recommended.

The Soundtrack of the Passions

In the enticing sphere of Italian Progressive Rock, almost every single subject sees its chance to shine, but like in all realistic establishments, some manage to shine brighter than the others. Latte e Miele saw serendipity strike in prog year of glory - 1972, when they produced a Bach and New Testament inspired Passio Secundum Mattheum. This Genova based band's debut album's magnetism lies primarily in its concept which, as the title suggests, is pertaining to Christ's dramatic last days but only according to a singular source ' the gospel of Saint Matthew, often referred to as the Passions. The beauty behind this concept is that it tells a story in a simple yet heart rending manner, without it being homiletic.

Musically speaking the record explores symphonic dimensions reached not only by ELP, but also by Genesis in tracks like Ultima Cena (the intriguing supper coincidence) or Getzemani which oozes an abundance of influences in terms of keys treatment not only from the above mentioned giants, but also from Deep Purple, Yes and even Eloy for that twist of spaceyness. The jazz influence is another chief constituent of the whole, although at first they may seem slightly disconnected from the main theme. Present in both parts of I Testimoni (the witnesses) via piano and drums, it raises a fairly compelling question regarding its presence: why are there emotionless straight-forward jazz sections in a crucial moment of the plot, where the false witnesses accuse Jesus of having declared that he would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days? The answer is that the senselessness of the jazz bits overlaps the duplicate attitude of nonchalance and lack of emotion emitted by the witnesses.

As seen above, the soundscape manages to intertwine effortlessly with the visual thread, emerging into a burst of sentiments. Thus the emotions grow more and more till they reach an overwhelming apex: from the uplifting choir on Introduzione and the rather mellow acoustic guitar and harpsichord driven Il Giorno Degli Azzimi accompanied by the elegant narration of the Passover preparations, to the dynamic operatic choir from The Trial; from the witnesses false statements rendered in a counter-tenor vox, in a very similar vein to some of Annas' bits from Jesus Christ Superstar to the yet again mellow and sweet but at the same time excruciating Il Pianto which displays an absolutely beautiful blend of keys, acoustic guitar and flute; from the surprising Giuda where harsh guitars and drums alternate with a jazz section denoting insolence to Il Calvario featuring dramatic operatic choir, morbid church organ keys, and drums reminiscent of ancient ships where they would set the rowing rhythm of the slaves; all this only to paint one of history's most tragic paintings. But because the Providence had other plans, the end fulminates in a reiterated theme of the heavenly choir present at the very beginning of the record accompanied by the now regulars ' guitar, piano and drums.

All told, Latte e Miele's first effort is a gorgeous journey whether it is on a musical, visual, religious for some, educational for others, or merely a rudimentary emotional level, in which every music lover should engage at least once in a lifetime.

4.5 stars

This is a very interesting listen. It is difficult to instantly love this album even for a veteran prog fan. Musically this record is great but the factors that let it down come in the sound quality and mixing of the record. First of all the mixing - There is some very peculiar use of panning all through the album but the most distracting is that of the Kick drum being in the right channel all through the album making some moments almost unlistenable. The way the narrative part of the album is mixed also breaks the atmosphere at times, especially during Il Giornio Degli Azzimi when the acoustic guitar is building atmosphere the voice totally overwhelms it which destroys a great moment. A narrater on an album can be a make or break thing if used incorrectly. I do find it to be used at some inappropriate moments in the music sometimes but only very occasionally. The music itself contains very strong Classical and Jazz influences which remain prominent all through. The first half of the album is pure symphonic prog in the style of a real orchestra with operatic vocals and virtuoso playing and great use of the mellotron. The second half is avant/garde jazz for the most part with fantastic piano and guitar playing leading up to a finale of pure symphonic bliss with mellotron guitar and vocals bringing real emotion out.

This album could be a 5 star but the poor sound and youthful inexperience of the clearly talented band members leaves you thinking of the potential they have which could have brought so much more to this album.

Wonderful live reunion album!!

LATTE E MIELE, one of the classic 1970s RPI bands, released three albums in the 1970s, the first of which, "Passio Secundum Mattheum" is truly one of the essential works of the genre. After the first two albums, the trio (Oliviero Lacagnina - keyboards/vocals, Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa - guitar/bass/vocals, and Alfio Vitanza - drums) broke up. In 1976, drummer Vitanza reformed the group with three new members, including Massimo Gori on bass, guitar, and vocals. The final album of the classic period was released in 1976.

After years of inactivity, the band reunited in 2008 for a series of concerts. The reunion consisted of the original trio--Lacagnina, Dellacasa, and Vitanza--as well as Massimo Gori from the second incarnation. They also added a second keyboard player, Pino Nastasi, whose contributions are very important. Incidentally, this is the same lineup on their wonderful 2009 studio album, "Marco Polo - Sogni e Viaggi."

For this concert recorded in Canada in 2008, the band chose excellent selections from each of their three studio albums, as well as adding a couple tracks that hadn't yet seen the light of day. The band faithfully reproduces the wonderful choir and lush orchestral arrangements from the first album, although the production of this live album is even better than the studio version. The singing is beautiful and doesn't appear to have dropped off at all. The sound is very reminiscent of the later "Marco Polo" album, and it's not surprising given the success of this concert that they chose to produce a studio album together. In fact, it's very interesting to hear some songs from the second and third albums treated with this symphonic approach-- fresh insights into old friends.

Overall, this is a wonderful live reunion, which thankfully doesn't ever make me ask, "Why in the world did you get back together?" This album is highly recommended to any prog/RPI fan, and is essential to fans of LATTE E MIELE. Four stars.

Latte e Miele's debut, Passio Secundum Mattheum, is a dramatic, somewhat ostentatious, religiously-themed concept album. The music is stylistically diverse, with strong influences from many fronts, including classical, opera, hard (and harder) rock, jazz, and symphonic rock. Unfortunately, this diversity works to the album's disadvantage by planting too many seeds in too small a pot. Quite a few styles are presented in short bursts, but none are given the opportunity to develop (except in the singular case of the arguably uninspired "Testimoni"). At just beyond 34 minutes, with its sudden stops and frequent changes, Passio Secundum Mattheum is a disjointed crowd of potential ideas.

More to my personal tastes, though, I do enjoy the symphonic Getzemani, despite a desire to hear it continue beyond its abrupt ending. And I find the surprisingly jarring and thrashy Giuda to be the perfect counterpoint to what I despise most about this album, the operatic and choral singing. Granted, I am not a fan of either vocal style, nor is the religious theme up (or anywhere near) my alley.

Passio Secundum Mattheum is a very ambitious album, of that there is no question. The performances are, for the most part, powerful and passionate, and while there are some great (albeit brief) moments of brilliance, I just cannot get past the operatic stabs and underdevelopment of too many ideas. A curious but not terribly cohesive work; a recommended listen for the progressive Italian enthusiast but hardly essential.

Latte e Miele were formed in Genova in 1971. They disbanded in 1980, after three albums and some singles. In 2008 the band reunited for some concerts and a live album, "Live Tasting" with a line up featuring veterans Marcello Giancarlo Della Casa (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), Oliviero Lacagnina (piano, keyboards), Alfio Vitanza (drums, vocals) and Massimo Gori (bass, vocals). In 2009 they released a brand new album in symphonic style, produced by PFM's drummer Franz Di Cioccio for the independent label Areostella. It was recorded with the help of a symphonic orchestra directed by Oliviero Lacagnina and the result is an excellent concept album, an original rock opera inspired by the character of Marco Polo. If you are not familiar with this band take as a reference point bands like Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and New Trolls or a work like PFM's Dracula...

The album opens with two instrumental tracks setting the atmosphere, the solemn "San Marco" and the joyful "Carnival"... It's night and the streets of Venice are crowded with people celebrating the carnival. A young artist, Marco, is attracted by a charming woman wearing a mask. He follows her along narrow and crowded streets. She leads him into a theatre. The theatre is empty because of restoration works, the mysterious woman vanishes and the young can't find the way out. Lost, he falls asleep and begins to dream...

"Il sogno" (The dream) depicts a strange dream where time and logic melt and become meaningless words... "Free, I'm gliding into a deep hugging sleep / I know, it's me but it's not my face / Mystery, invisible magic of a time that is gone / Please tell me, who am I now?...". In the dream the young artist becomes Marco Polo and set off for a long journey through open skies and cold deserts. The music is dramatic and brilliant, featuring operatic vocals and sudden changes of mood.

"Via si va" (Going away) is lighter and melodic. Soaring vocals draw the hopes and the expectations of a departure in the night, towards a new dawn... "Going away while it's still dark / Towards unknown countries / A last glance to what we leave and let's go... We'll see places that we can't even imagine / Miles and miles of new roads are waiting for us / We head east, where the sun rises / Towards a new civilization...".

On the long and complex "I crociati" (The crusaders) we can follow the footprints of crusaders that never came back. Ashes cover everything like snow while far away the tears of solitary mothers resound in the air

"Il deserto del Gobi" (Gobi Desert) depicts the magic of the wind that blows through the dunes singing a mysterious melody that keeps strangers away... "Long shadows on the sand / I'm following the sun to east, towards east... Listen, the dunes are singing / It's like a spell that's calling us / It pushes us, it slightly touches us / It defies us, it implores us / Please, stay away from here...".

During the journey, along with Marco we meet other peoples and civilizations with their peculiar rites and ceremonies... "Il matrimonio dei bambini nel vento" (The marriage of the children in the wind) describes a rite where is celebrated the marriage of two dead children in the other world. It's a beautiful and melancholic track... "They go away / As if they were playing / But their game is over... The clouds will be their cradle / They're going away / The wind wants them... ".

Then we arrive in China's capital. "Pechino" (Beijing) describes a scene on the market square where charlatans try to sell magic potions featuring dragons tears and eyes of snakes while the solemn and evocative instrumental "Kubilai Khan" describes a visit to the royal palace.

"L'ultimo unicorno" (The last unicorn) is ethereal and melodic. It describes a hunt scene. Marco has the chance to kill the last unicorn but he drops down his arrow and bow leaving it run away, free... Life and freedom are the only trophies that are worth to keep.

Ten, back in Europe with a brisk change of atmosphere and mood. "La battaglia di Curzola" (The battle of Curzola) describes the naval battle fought on September 9, 1298 between the fleets of Venice and Genoa in the seas of Southern Dalmatia where Marco Polo was captured and put in prison. It's an epic track that depicts the absurdity and horror of war.

The melancholic "La prigione" (The prison) describes the days that Marco passed in the prisons of Genoa, dictating his memories to a cellmate... "I've been put in jail by my people / But my thoughts are free / Follow me towards the fantastic and magical world / That is kept inside me... I'm flying away, follow me / I will carry you with me...".

"Sogno incrociato" (Crossed dream) is about another strange dream. Marco Polo falls asleep and wakes up in another era and in another place, an empty theatre in Venice. The instrumental "Ritorno a San Marco" (Back to San Marco) is a reprise of the first track and closes the circle. By the way, Malibran theatre (formerly known as Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo) was built in XVII century upon the ruins of the palace where lived the family of Marco Polo...

A wonderful rock opera that deserves many spins...