The Italian Prog Appreciation den |
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Andrea Cortese
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 05 2005 Status: Offline Points: 4411 |
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azzz!!!
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 03 2007 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 16913 |
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Hi Jason, yeah that Murple title is pretty cool......Formula 3 is a band I've not played in quite some time. I might have to pull one of those out soon.
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mourningknight
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 20 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 203 |
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Just got my copy of Murple's "Io Sono Murple" in the mail yesterday and loving every second of it!!! Waiting for Formula 3's "Sognando e Risognando" to arrive.
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Finnforest
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It's probably been posted here before, or in Andrea's blog, but I love watching this guy sing Zarathustra, his voice still sails....sounds quality ain't perfect, but hey, its YouTube
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Dirk
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 11 2005 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1043 |
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Todd
Special Collaborator RPI / Heavy Prog Team Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3472 |
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I own about 750 Italian prog titles, but that includes RPI, JRF (Perigeo, Nova, etc), ZART (Universal Totem Orchestra), etc.
Definitely running out of space!
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Todd
Special Collaborator RPI / Heavy Prog Team Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3472 |
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^ Hostsonaten is enjoyable enough for me, but I have to say that for me it lacks a certain punch. I enjoy La Maschera di Cera and Finisterre more, as far as Zuffanti's projects go. But don't get me wrong, I'll still buy the next one . . .
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Nightfly
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
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^ I'm on the fence on whether I preffer Winterthrough or not. Neither of them classics but both very enjoyable nevertheless.
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Andrea Cortese
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^^^
I have that one... and was a bit disapponting for me... at least if compared with its predecessor Winterthrough.
Musically it describes perfectly autumn (in general) and leaves' falling (in particular), thanks to the jazz injection.
Great review, btw. Edited by Andrea Cortese - November 21 2010 at 13:42 |
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Nightfly
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: August 01 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 3659 |
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Vault Pick: Another nice Zuffanti offering.....
Autumn Symphony Hostsonaten Rock Progressivo Italiano Review by tszirmay I get the first kick at this one! On Halloween night, I must be blessed!
Höstsonaten is an established offshoot project from the energetic, prolific and polyvalent Fabio Zuffanti , Italy's version of Steve Wilson or Roine Stolt, who has cemented such fabled RPI acts as Finisterre and La Maschera di Cera. His musical resumé is too long to list but he can be heard delving into prog versions of folk, jazz, ambient and symphonic. A masterful bassist but most of all, a creative mind, he has nurtured this project for more than a decade now and "Autumnsymphony" is the latest chapter in the seasonal cycle that began with the pastoral masterpiece "Springsong" and the ridiculously fabulous previous jewel "Winterthrough", two albums that I regard as symphonic monuments in reflective /introspective prog. Suffice to say I was awaiting this one with unbridled trepidation being a massive fan of the fall season to boot but after a few anguished spins, I cannot really raise this one beyond the other 2 ?yet. The artwork is as breathtaking as the preceding one, winter blues replaced by fall ochre and golden hues, setting the melancholic mood that autumn generally evokes. Significantly, the initial forlorn soundscapes on "Open windows to autumn" recall the sorrow of rustling trees shedding their crisp leaves, a binary double bass echoing between the fluttering cymbals and polyrhythmic drum patters, a brilliant trumpet blaring the sudden flight from the warm summer breeze. This is highly robust ambient prog with jazzy pretense, gently howling mellotron entering hand in hand with its usual ideal partner, the flute. It is certainly a haunting musical signature that sets the proper mood and segues nicely into "Leaves in the well" introducing guitarist Matteo Nahum's glowing electric guitar leads as well as some welcome classical work, with an only too rare added feature, the Japanese koto. The evolving keyboard-laced symphonics are pointedly accurate, choir mellotron injecting some grandeur and majesty while Marco Moro's flute sprinkles its sweet passion. On "Out of water", things get very orchestral with the impromptu appearance of cello, viola, violin, oboe and piccolo, blending the swirl of fluttering strains into the mix. "Nightswan I" is a special effects cocktail, heavily electronic and with the rumbling double bass, highly contemplative, while "II" raises the level another notch with another majestic series of electric guitar runs, a rampant flute , simple drum beat and whirling synths, the 'tron coughing , this is pure proggy bliss. The very jazzy "As the night?" has an amazing bagpipe setting, somberly pensive in league with that amazing Michele Bernabei trumpet (an instrument criminally underused in prog!), some churning Stick work, and a little Genoese whispering to add some spice. Stringsynth and mellotron are served up as bonus candy coating. The jazz vibe gets rather upbeat on "Trees in November", a playful romp that has shuffling drums, fun-loving flute and a guitar solo at first closer to George Benson than Steve Hackett (which happens later), a welcome surprise. "Elegy" has the sublime voice of Simone Angioloni who "lead microphoned" Zuffanti's brilliant Aries project, a soaringly crisp voice that wails passionately , almost near opera , a definite winner. The final nearly 6 minute track is the absolute winner here, incorporating all the glorious musicianship displayed previously = the double bass, the various strings, the elegant piano and mellotron, the flute, trumpets and oboe and that crystal clear voice. As stated earlier, this is an excellent release that cannot surpass the imperial majesty of "Winterthrough" but shores up the RPI mantle very nicely and it is Halloween after all. 4.5 aromatic chestnut trees |
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Andrea Cortese
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 05 2005 Status: Offline Points: 4411 |
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^^^
Hi Todd,
I didn't know you had Parsifal already. You will certainly enjoy Un Po', then.
Just for my curiosity, how many RPI or italian related items do you own? You see, I don't have anything from Dammico... eh ee he he
I've read many reviews and comments about Dove Comincia il Sole. Many pointed out bland comparisons with IQ or Pendragon...
I still don't have the album so I can only judge from what I listened to from youtube ... yes there's defnitely a neo-thing in it. Musically the Pooh's typical mood is easily recognizable but now all seem different from their past output. More modern sounding than ever.
.. and now a bit of restyling for my avatar...! eh eheh e
Edited by Andrea Cortese - November 21 2010 at 02:47 |
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Todd
Special Collaborator RPI / Heavy Prog Team Joined: December 19 2007 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 3472 |
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Thanks for the links, Andrea!
I don't have to have my Italian pure prog to enjoy it--in fact, some of my favorites I keep coming back to will probably never be featured on the site (Ciro Dammicco, for instance). I have Parsifal, and I think it's really good. So I'm sure I'll enjoy Un Po'.
How does their new album compare?
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Andrea Cortese
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This one is to explain what was a live show of Pooh during the seventies...
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Andrea Cortese
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^^^
Paul Whitehead made several excellent covers during the seventies (and also nowadays... see L'Infinito, Le Orme's latest album to date - 2004).
BTW, on about Pooh.
Their latest album DOVE COMINCIA IL SOLE (Where the Sun Begins) has just been released (end of october) and all the reviewers and fans are in big turmoil... Pooh go prog??
Just listen to the 11 mns self titled track (I'm afraid the proof is in the listening itself... eh eheh he).
Edited by Andrea Cortese - November 20 2010 at 16:15 |
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GaryB
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 17 2009 Status: Offline Points: 451 |
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I liked the keyboards and guitar but the hot bass sticks in my mind. The few vocals are in Italian. I also like Smogmagica from the previous year and the LP had a great poster that is hanging in my music room. |
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Andrea Cortese
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What about Veritā Nascoste, Gary?
It is my fave Le Orme's from the second half of the seventies.
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GaryB
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Thank you
The double LP "Searching For A Land" is also a very good listen.
When I started collecting imports, Italian and German bands were my first choices.
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Finnforest
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Gary, nice mix! You have me wanting to pull out Tempi Despari again, its been a long time !
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GaryB
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Some of my favorites from the '70s
Nova - Blink
New Trolls - Tempi Dispari
Osanna - Landscape Of Life
Ibis - self titled
Il Volo - Essere O Non Essere
Sensations Fix - Fragments Of Light (my first Italian LP)
Maxophone - self titled
Le Orme - Verita Nascoste
Goblin - Proffondo Rosso
Citta Frontale - El Tor
Acqua Fragile - self titled
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Andrea Cortese
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^^^
Well, I wouldn't put those two albums on the same plane (Il Tempio delle Clessidre and Un Po' del Nostro Tempo Migliore). And I hope to have correctly explained the nature of Pooh's records... eh ehe he h ... as I said, I won't give compensations... so keep your expectations at an average level... eheh eheh
BTW, I already listened to the first half of Il Tempio...'s album, wow... it sounds very 70s...!! Museo Rosenbach the return!!!! I like the voice of "Lupo" Galifi.
Again, on Un Po' del Nostro...: have you heard samples on youtube first?? eh eh ehe h ... tell me yes, please... Edited by Andrea Cortese - November 20 2010 at 09:38 |
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