OSANNA

In mid-70's occured what was appearing in the horizon, Osanna disbanded for the first time.Rustici and D'Anna went to the UK to form Uno, while Vairetti and Guarino revived their old group Città Frontale.Later Rustici and D'Anna joined Danilo's brother Corrado in the Jazz Rock act Nova that had a good yet short career.Back in Italy Rustici, Vairetti and Guarino made an attempt to reform Osanna with newcomers bassist Enzo Petrone (ex-Moby Dick) and keyboardist Fabrizio D'Angelo, an effort finally resulting to a new studio album in 1978, entitled ''Suddance'' and release on CBS.

As most of the previous acts of the old Osanna members had a more jazzy sound, the new Osanna formation had reasonably enough Jazz and Fusion influences to be regarded as a totally different band.Additionally the new album is almost entirely sung in the Neapolitan dialect.Musically ''Suddance'' swirls around the Jazz Rock and Prog/Fusion realms with keyboards in evidence and little connections with the classic style of the group.Actually Osanna resemble more to bands such as BRAND X than any Classic Italian Prog group.Plenty of synthesizer flights and naughty electric piano passages define the new style of the group.The tracks are also characterized by some nice grooves, fiery interplays and a competitive rhythm section, as a whole the group reminds also a bit of GENTLE GIANT later days.Even Rustici's guitars are delivered either in a jazzy enviroment or in a pure JOHN MCLAUGHLIN more virtuosic style.The later parts of the album contain also some more commercial vibes.Half about of the long ''Chiuso qui'' sounds like Lounge Jazz, while the closing and dreadful ''Naples in the World'', the only track sung in English, sounds like the poorest version of GENTLE GIANT.

This short-lived version of the Italian legends wasn't meant to be and after the new split Danilo Rustici formed the commercial Rock group Luna.Several attempts to revive the group appeared over the years, mainly led by Lino Vairetti, and the albums released contain mostly old reworkings of compositions of the group from the old repertoire.

''Suddance'' is a nice album along the lines of the more Jazz-oriented Prog categories.Demanding, attractive, at moments quirky, but also having a few flaws as a typical product of its release's age.Nevertheless, recommended.

Despite being largely instrumental and partially composed by Luis E. Bacalov, the soundtrack to Milano Calibro 9 is Osanna's most successful effort as a band and their best album in my opinion. L'Uomo was a laborious debut, and the popular Palepoli is too fractured and chaotic for my tastes; Milano Calibro 9 finds a perfect middle ground, blending the band's hard-rocking beginnings with later diverse influences seamlessly. Interestingly, the album is not a soundtrack at all but a separate studio recording of the film's score - the music heard in the actual film was performed and recorded live and differs significantly from the LP version. The album is a more concise and calculated rendering of those somewhat raw and off-the-cuff performances. Also of interest is "Canzona," which is not featured in the movie at all, but tacked on to the end of the soundtrack and the only true vocal track here. Milano Calibro 9 can be placed among the great film soundtracks of all time, matching Goblin's best work and even exceeding it on some levels.

Milano Calibro 9 is an Italian crime thriller with plenty of action and creative cinematography. After the respective success of L'Uomo and New Trolls' Concerto Grosso, Osanna and Bacalov were paired to score the film. Bacalov's distinctive orchestration is primarily limited to the first two pieces, "Preludio" and "Tema." The first is led by a repeating piano figure that is used throughout the film as incidental music. "Preludio" builds on the piano motif, gradually adding heavy guitar and strings, before the band proper enters fully. Osanna's characteristic flute sound makes an appearance or two, while singer Lino Varietti is no where to be found (he is also credited with ARP synthesizer, which is heard briefly oscillating at the end). "Tema" is a far more restrained affair, gently balancing delicate piano and strings as Danilo Rustici strums crystalline chords. The guitarist then impresses with a backwards guitar solo as drums and bass pump and sway. This first nine minutes of music are moody, over-the-top and self-important...a true RPI fan's dream.

A series of "Variazione" pieces make up the bulk of the album, and are nothing more than Osanna jamming out to the movie. The music is strong enough to stand on its own, but seeing it in context certainly helps. Highlights abound, but specifically "Variazione II (My Mind Flies)" and the spacey atmosphere it creates is extremely rewarding, particularly the acoustic bridge where Varietti enters for the first time. The instrumentals continue with the Tullish "Variazione III," heavy riffing on "Variazione IV," bluesy swagger of "Variazione VI," and jazz tones on "Variazione VII." Though these diverse elements seem random and arbitrary it somehow just works. Tying everything together is the saccharine "Canzona (There Will Be Time)." The song showcases the collaborative spirit with Bacalov, perhaps even more than his work with New Trolls. Lyrically the song is inspired by T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," and embodies the anguish and cautious optimism of that work commendably. Milano Calibro 9 is a must for OST collectors and any RPI enthusiast; the general prog audience may find the album boring with repeated listens.

While I realize 1971 was not exactly a watershed year for Italian Progressive rock music, the debut album from Osanna did not capitalize on the success of colleagues Le Orme and New Trolls, both of whom released outstanding albums that year. L'Uomo is not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but is only recommended for Osanna fans and RPI collectors. There are some good ideas here, but much of it is far too derivative and hokey to truly enjoy. However, from a historical standpoint it does at least deserve a review as one of the first psych/beat albums to come out of Italy that really started to incorporate more interesting ideas. Most of these ideas would not be fully realized until their third album, Palepoli.

The album starts off with some trippy synth effects set against acoustic guitar, as an almost space-rock vibe in "Introduzione" quickly gives way to a bluesy rock showcase. The Jethro Tull comparisons will start here, and L'Uomo never moves out of that shadow. The title track shows a lot of promise, but is simply far too short! Just when it starts to get interesting, someone had the awful idea to transition right into "Mirror Train," a cheesy blues/jazz hybrid sung in broken English. Danilo Rustici starts to assert himself here; quite a competent guitar player that knows all his licks and scales, but has neither the creativity or fluidity his brother Corrado would later display in Cervello (and in a limited capacity on the Osanna album Landscape of Life). "Non Sei Visuto Mai" is a meandering mess that recycles the beginning of "Introduzione."

The Hendrix influence is clear in "Vado Verso Una Meta"; "In un Vecchio Cieco" is far more original, and I think the saving grace of L'Uomo. Here we finally get to hear the band Osanna and their true potential, but again the song never gets off the ground and collapses into a noise-freak-fest that would make Frank Zappa smile. The remainder of the second side is largely forgettable, failing to leave any lasting impression, but is not so bad that I wouldn't say it's just acceptable. Osanna missed the mark on their debut but luckily, unlike many of their contemporaries, would last long enough to grow and develop.

In 1974 Osanna headed for the studio to record their fourth album ''Landscape of life''.During the recordings conflicts between the band members not only were a sign of the upcoming demise of Osanna, but Corrado Rustici (Danilo's younger brother from Cervello) and drummer Enzo Vallicelli had to be recruited in order to finish the album's recording procedure.Eventually this was released on Fonit for the Italian market and Peters International for the US one.

Five out of the seven compositions were sung in English, indicating the band was in search for some foreign success.Musically half about of the album is still grounded in the very complex approach of ''Palepoli'', though the symphonic and folky parts are very limited and the band focused on promoting the attacking saxes and heavy flute solos of Elio D'Anna (strongly influenced by VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR) through the complicated guitar-based Hard/Psychedelic Rock tracks, which contain powerul rhythms and plenty of breaks.Organs and Mellotron are used on the softer moments of the tracks (like on the opening minutes) and even these remind a lot of PETER HAMMIL's company.The English vocals are well delivered, still I miss the Italian taste of Rustici's voice.The surprise comes from the closing tracks ''Fiume'' and ''Somehow, Somewhere, Sometime'', where Osanna show their more emotional side.''Fiume'' is actually a nice ballad, based on the mellow acoustic guitars of Corrado Rustici and the delicate flute of D'anna to go along with sensitive vocals, while ''Somehow, Somewhere, Sometime'' is a totally new ground for the band, sort of a mix between Hard/Blues Rock and Space/Fusion with great synths on the opening theme, nice bluesy solos on the middle part and a grandiose Mellotron-drenched farewell outro, definitely the album's best cut.

While ''Landscape of Life'' does not contain any of the most intricate moments of Osanna's career, it still is a well-crafted Progressive Rock album with some nice and complex ideas, just a bit uneven on the whole.Recommended overall.

The band members sporting facepaint on the cover might recall Peter Gabriel's getup in Genesis from the era, but actually if there's one British band that Osanna draw on here it's actually Jethro Tull, with Elio D'anna's hard rock flute performances highly reminiscent of Ian Anderson's work. But just as Elio also offers excellent soloing on the piccolo and two flavours of saxophone, so too is the Osanna of L'Uomo distinctive and diverse and no mere imitators. Offering a rowdier, more overtly psychedelic and heavier progressive rock sound than the one they would offer on Palepoli, L'Uomo might be a little rough around the edges but it's still a decent achievement.

"L'Uomo" is an excellent album if you think to the level of 1971 music in Italy. However it sounds bad, because it mixed badly, without a bit of echo, with a flat style, where everything looks old. This is a problem of any period of record production in Italy. But here is exaggerated. Although this style is recognizable: Neapolitan Folk, Hard Rock, Beat, Rock Jam and Jimi Hendrix, all mixed with the guitar in the forefront and arrangements between Jethro Tull and Canterbury! The vocals are powerful and Garage Rock, just enough to highlight the power of music, power suppressed by mixing. There is an alternation between Italian language and English language, heard today, makes you smile. But in those years was truly innovative.

Very inspired album, then, "L'uomo", a preview of what would later become the RPI, a mix of desire to be personal and adaptation of the British Prog sung in Italian language. But here again with a certain amount of personality.

Osanna's "Palepoli" is an exploratory masterpiece that lives up to the hype.

This as close to the edge as RPI gets and certainly threw me for a loop with its wild manic insanity and ultra-diverse innovative structure. It begins with the outrageous soundbites of children playing and cars honking and soon leads into a gorgeous flute passage. Italian vocals come in very Magma like, chanting and exuberant, and then it locks into an amazing ambient section with flute chimes and effective hi hat work. VDGG and King Crimson are the bands that spring to mind while listening to this epic that devours side one.

'Oro Caldo' works its way into the system spiralling with weird time sigs and chaotic sax squeals. It fades in and out with new compositional inventions, dramatic percussion. Then there is Mellotron bliss, and a heavy guitar immediately enters as flute goes wildly out of control. The musicianship is stunning; Danilo Rustici on guitars, vox organ, electric piano, and those pleasant vocal harmonies; Lino Vairetti is on lead vocals, rhythm guitars, ARP 2600, and Mellotron; Elio D'Anna is outstanding on tenor and soprano sax, and flute; Massimo Guarino is the drummer and also great on vibraphones; and finally Lello Brandi is on bass. Together they form a sound of immeasurable quality and innovation. The original approach is found on this album in the peak of the rise of prog in the early 70s. It stands the test of time over thre decades as being one RPI treasure to dig up and savour. The way this epic ends is quite remarkable with VDGG sax blasts and explosive percussion. Then there are backwards vocal over sweet flute and chimes and then a demented circus rhythm with RIO nuances. It is rather a dissonant avant garde sound that is blindingly refreshing in its origination. The second track is a short little shock called 'Stanza Città' that may as well have been part of the opening epic. How weird to end the vinyl side with this, but it contrasts well with all the intricacies and labyrinthine structures previously.

There is another side too and it is swallowed up on vinyl by the impressive epic 'Animale Senza Respiro'. This begins with some wild rhtyhms and then a chilling mellotron soaked verse, with lots of vocals carrying it along on waves of atmospherics. The lead guitar breaks through mercilessly with speed licks and a steady beat beneath. The heavier riff to follow is like Robert Fripp and the time sigs shift constantly, with jaw dropping precision. The sax returns like an old friend and crunches out something like Jackson would play. This is a great section that certainly grabbed me by the cerebral cortex and shook my eardrums. It even breaks into a rather ethereal echoing space effect, and after all the hyper strangeness an acoustic vibration sweeps over and gentler vocals giving our ears a breather.

Soon there are sounds of psychedelic experimentation with rather disconcerting reverberated guitar sweeps, and cymbal splashes. A fuzz guitar and sax blend in with an odd rhythm. The sound is dynamic as more flute flows beautifully on the crest of a wave of vocal harmonies. The music feels like it is thinking of where to go next and one is never sure with Osanna. Crimsonesque mellotron soaks up the atmosphere building to a high register like spaced violin. It sounds like Nektar when the multiple harmonies come in, though all in Italian. There are shades of PFM and Banco at this point, but it is broken by the gorgeous saz tones of D'Anna. The vocals become intense, the cadence quickens, then another time sig with wah-wah guitar is heard. Saxes compete for a while improvising and then a fabulous guitar riff interjects. The time sig is crazy and the music moves into an atonal jazz-freeform style, and it somehow returns to another time sig and another verse. Some jazz improvisation over a rather fast drum solo ends the epic. This is a dazzling triumph by any standards.

At the end of this I am convinced the album is indeed a masterpiece as I had heard over the years. Osanna dares to be different and has the musical virtuoso to back up the insane ideas. The interchanging sigs, and the strong compositional structure of the 2 epics are sheer genius and they explore music itself in order to reinvent the listening experience. I love how the band refuse to hold back and the result is a progressive dream. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest albums of the 70s when prog was king.

Osanna exude a rather VDGG like sound without the Hammill poetry. There are inventive melodies and mood shifts throughout. The opening track is an absolute blast and I was immediately pleased I had discovered such a stunning RPI band.

'Il castello dell'es' generates many moods, with wild manic sax, soft harmonious Italian vocals, and a diverse compositional structure. Elio d'Anna is the real star for me, playing an amazing emotional sax, the emotion is out of control at times and you have to love that. The time sigs are off the chart in places, and it all hangs together with sporadic rhythmic drum and bass shades.

'Landscape Of Life' is the title track and I expected a very serene soundscape and it begins likewise, with beautiful flute, acoustics and lead guitar embellishments. The vocals are soft and not multitracked on this song making a nice change in direction. The song builds into a heavier feel with a moderate beat and gorgeous woodwind playing. The lead break is excellent and showcases the talents of Danilo Rustic even becoming a twin lead solo in places. This track certainly feels more like a commercially viable song than the opener.

'Two Boys' is a shorter track at 3:43, but by no means less progressive, in fact the sax and flute trade offs are off kilter, and Danilo Rustic's vocals are more aggressive. The heavy guitar crashes are very effective, and a blistering lead break squeals out violently, and it shows what a band can achieve in a short space of time; musical innovation and magical structures.

'Fog In My Mind' begins side 2 of the vinyl with a longer song at 7:45, and an elongated cathedral organ as some heartfelt singing is heard in English this time. The melancholy atmosphere is punctuated by sudden cloudbursts of sax and a wild percussion beat locks in. This is the band at their best when they are allowed to stretch out with chaotic patterns and fast paced staccato beats. The guitars are fast and furious in the lead break, and the sax tries hard to catch up. The band are extremely tight, stopping and starting in unison. The sax begins to shriek as though in pain and it all ceases with some tribalistic percussion, with tom tom drums and wood blocks. The chimes and vibes are wonderful in Massimo Guarino's percussion solo; lots of jingly sounds, and atmospherics. The guitars strike up again to end the piece with another verse and there ends another treasure on this album. 'Promised Land' is a short little blast, with acoustics, strange melodies on English vocals, and finally a serene sax over tom tom percussive metrics. It is a pleasant transition into 'Fiume' that features lots of guitars overlayed, acoustics and wah-wah. The Italian vocals are gentle and harmonised nicely. The twin flutes are playful and sweet over the scape of tranquil acoustic vibrations. The slide guitar is effective in the breaks. It leads into 'Somehow, Somewhere, Sometime' with a building lead break, some powerful arpeggios and glorious string bends and note changes. The album ends with a strange outro with huge Mellotron washes and celestial synths.

So I was delighted with this Osanna album, especially the manic sax and overall atmospheres. Admittedly it is all over the place in terms of styles but that is what makes it appealing to my ears. It is captivating music, though perhaps I need to hear some of their more celebrated material to compare. This is an excellent intro to the band, in any case, and made this progger quite thirsty for more of this innovative RPI treasure.

Osanna's album, effectively a double-feature, is one of the most eclectic albums I have ever heard. The band incorporates a myriad of styles and ideas in forty-two minutes, doing so in two extended pieces. The titles are modest: "Hot Gold," "City Room," and "Animals Without Breath" (roughly translated), but their simplicity is deceiving, as the music is incredibly complex and far out there.

"Oro Caldo" Palepoli begins with what may well be the sound of a Mediterranean marketplace. Distant voices shout underneath a calm flute, which performs one of the most striking melodies in progressive music. It adopts a joyous rock and roll vibe temporarily before returning to the quiet, melodic style, which features gorgeous guitar, flute and soft voices. The Mellotron chord progression is most memorable and endearing and precedes a hectic guitar and flute-led passage. The piece is diverse and all over the place, incorporating symphonic, heavy, folk, and avant styles in an occasionally incoherent manner.

"Stanza Città" This interlude revisits the opening of the initial piece.

"Animale Senza Respiro" Bizarre noises and rhythms begin the third and final piece. The grating beginning gives way to a minimalistic psychedelic atmosphere. Overall, the music possesses zany jazz rock in the vein of early King Crimson contrasted with avant-folk. The piece does possess another hauntingly beautiful Mellotron performance. The penultimate few minutes consist of outlandish avant-prog, at the center of which lies a flanged drum solo, eventually tapering off for a brooding conclusion.

After the wildly uneven Landscape of Life and the tensions it wrought - fracturing Osanna into various side projects and even flinging a few members out of Italy altogether, three of the original players returned with the jazz rock fusion influenced album Suddance, bringing along a few new members and some guests.

Released in 1978, the album is easily their most consistent since Palepoli - and perhaps their most consistent alongside the great Palepoli or their soundtrack, Milano Calibre 9. Having said that, this doesn't mean that I believe it's more enjoyable for the progressive rock fan, than say Palepoli. Instead, the jazz rock fan, the fusion fan, or simply fans of Italian rock in general, will probably enjoy this one a little more than the typical symphonic fan. Fans of Osanna's 'old' sound too, will miss Elio d'Anna's wonderful flute and his aggressive saxophone. Always a key part of their sound, his absence represents a loss for us - and yet, clearly the group wasn't writing their best material just before he left either.

And so when guitarist Danilo Rustici returned some years after their first disbanding in 1975, Lino Vairetti and drummer Massimo Guarino welcomed him back and pulled in a new bassist and keyboardist, Enzo Petrone and Fabrizio D'Angelo Lancellotti respectively. In short, it is Lancellotti's impact that is felt most of the two, his keys and especially the electric piano providing part of the jazzy sound or ethereal feel to much of the material. Suddance is also reliant on a guest to fill another hole left by d'Anna - that of his saxphone. Collaborator Benni Caiazzo fits in just fine, but his choices can border on the cheesy for me. It's hardly a terrible performance, but he doesn't use his instruments with the same abandon and I miss that.

Having said that, this album isn't really about abandon. It's more measured, the songs are built, and themes are explored at length across a few songs rather than crammed into side-long epics. (I still love 'Animals without Breath' though) The production values are representative of the late seventies, which is to say a step up on the band's early work. The sacrifice is losing the rawness, but the payoff is a full, together sound that's warm and clear.

To the songs themselves. Rather than do a blow-by-blow analysis, I'd rather draw attention to some strengths. The album is stacked to favour side one, with the first four songs being pretty darn good and the second half having a misstep or two. Perhaps as much as Lino with his knockout performances, it's Danilo who shines, versatile as ever, continuing to excel in a jazzier vein. He's hypnotic in the opening of ''O Napulitano', which is reminiscent of a gentle 'Meeting of the Spirits' by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he later explodes into brief but fiery solos. Here at the archives, Andrea has mentioned that this album serves as a forerunner to 'Neapolitan Power' which I think is probably the best two-word description I've heard for the album. If I had to add a few more, I'd mention the jazz-rock feel, but 'Neapolitan Power' sums the album up; and the song ''O Napulitano' so well. It's almost like a more sophisticated and progressive version of a power-ballad, but with a jazz influence. Elsewhere we see Danilo's acoustic work on the long, soul-influenced ballad ''A Zingara' where his playing is more than pleasantly melancholy, and where he works well with the electric violin, provided by guest Antonio Spagnolo.

On opener, the rockier 'Ce Vulesse' we get to hear Lino's voice without too much of a wait, a singer which never fails to lift my spirits. He has a knack for writing vocal melodies that urge the listener to try and sing along, whether you can speak Italian or not. He's just as powerful in the other songs, but especially in ''O Napulitano' where the choruses allow him to really get you humming along.

The title track is a great instrumental, but in second half of the album, the band close with 'Naples in the World' which is the (token?) English vocal track, and while Lino's English gets better with every album, he's so much more powerful and effective in his dialect or in Italian. This closer is a let-down, despite its semi-frantic pace and interlocking instrumentation. Thankfully, while a little overlong perhaps, 'Chiuso qui' just before it, is better. It puts Massimo into a kind of Mason-tempo, only with a good dose of funk, slow as it is, courtesy of the keys and slap bass. Lancellotti is prominent here again, and you'll also hear what is perhaps the most jagged sax on the album, but at the same time, also the most cheesy use of soprano. While the song features a frantic solo from Danilo in the middle section, overall it isn't as on the same level as the opening three and even Lino's impassioned performance begins to wear a little toward the end.

I didn't actually mean for this review to head toward nine-hundred words, so let me try and wrap it up. Don't expect another Palepoli, or even the psychedelic-influences of their debut. That way, if you do buy Suddance, you can judge the album on its own merits. One of my favourite Osanna records, worth a look especially if you're a jazz fan.