...DI TERRA

I aquired three Banco albums together:this,Darwin! and Garofanno Rosso. Having been a tad disappointed with the other two,I came to this late.Big mistake-this album is a wonderful,mixture of Prog,Jazz, Classical and Electronica. Totally instrumental it is a joyous exaltation of 70's Prog Rock pomposity.There are hints of Miles Davis,Gershwin,Beethoven and Rachmaninov with "Di Terra" the final track being the strongest example of what I am alluding to. Standout tracks:Nel Cielo e Nelle Altre cose Mute (builds up beautifully-faint hint of Bolero lurking in the background?),Di Terra and Né più di un Albero non meno di una Stella ,a terrific jazz-rock workout.Highly recommended for those who like something a little different but without being too avante-garde.3 1/2 stars.