DISCO DOORO

The odd name of the band called "Feat. Esserela" comes from the name the band gives to a puppet (Esserela which means "that creature up there") that hangs from the rafters in where the band rehearses. They lovingly dubbed it their frontman and it is always on stage with them. This band from Bologna, Italy is a jazz/rock fusion band that has a humorous edge to their sound. They released a debut album in 2015, and then released a 2nd album in June of 2019 called "Disco Dooro".

The core line up of the band has remained the same: Renato Minguzzi on guitars and backing vocals; Francesco Ciampolini on keyboards, piano, synths, fretless bass, vocals; and Lorenzo Muggia on drums, drum machines, various gadgets and vocals. Several other guests appear on this album which include 2 sax players, a trumpeter and 3 sectional vocalists. On Disco Dooro, there are 11 tracks which have a total run time of 53 minutes, but the tracks vary widely in their timing with durations from as little as 4 seconds to nearly 9 minutes.

It all begins with "Lauto Grill", which features several layers of processed vocals with a quirky and celebratory attitude and some auto percussion. This goes on for a little over a minute and then slips into "Kajetiemeco" (Ethnicity), which really establishes their progressive jazz fusion instrumental music, complex, tricky meters and a nice vibrant sound. The track is mostly driven by guitar improvisation and great support from keys drums and bass and some quirky progressive riffs. A sudden shift in direction comes a long after 4 minutes when the rhythm smooths out becoming more automatic and the tone much lighter and jazz like. The feel is a more funky style with a wink at The Who's "Eminence Front" with a similar groove.

"Servi della Klepa" starts with a piano-led jazz style with a guitar taking over at times. This has a lighter touch to it, but still remains a bit quirky with changing tempos and meters. It settles into a bouncy beat from time to time as the piano and guitar drive things forward, but never rests too long in any one single pattern, but often returning to a main theme in several variations. "Sahara?" features an odd synth melody supported by drums and a strange guitar effect underneath everything. Things intensify as the guitar stirs things up a bit, and then it slips into a quirky rhythm. A lot happens in just a few minutes, but this track sets things up for the next track "...Svegliati è Primavehera" which I think is a regional dialect meaning "Wake Up, It's Sping". The sound continues on the synth lead established from the previous track, but this is shared with the guitar, many times they play the same complex melody note for note, a technique used by Frank Zappa many times to show that the music isn't always improvised, but complex and structured. Again, a new shift in direction comes along at about 4 minutes as the music becomes more steady, slows down, and then presents the tracks themes in a new light, but again, the music never settles into any singular style or sound for too long. It continues to wander around the themes and presenting them in new ways, playing around with them everyway they can.

The short track "La Nascita di Lodovico Svarchi" is just a humorous 24 second track with odd vocal and instrumental sounds. After this is the longest track at almost nine minues, a nice, smooth jazz piece called "Lodovico Svarchi" (notice the connection in the title of the previous track which is "The Birth of" the titular character). After a few minutes, things become more complex and there is an addition of the brass instruments to the overall sound. "Popoloto" is a bit heavier beginning with a solid beat and riff. Of course, tempos and meters continue to shift, playing with different melodies, but the guitar and organ maintain that heavier sound. Later, the piano takes the place of the organ as it plays a complex pattern supported by guitar. This is followed with "La Fine di (The end of) Lodovico Svarchi" which is the quick 4 second track which is simply a short chord involving the band.

Next comes "[?]aio" which continues in the quirky jazz/rock fusion the band is best at. The guitar plays a fast improvised solo as the rest of the band sneak around underneath it and then build and build to a rousing climax. Next, a fuzzy synth plays a bass line by itself and then the drums and guitar play progressive riffs to bring in a darker section. Again, things quickly change, the tempo speeds up and a synth does a solo flying all around the solid, yet quirky rhythm. It all returns to the main theme again at the end. The last track is called "Intro (by Intronyo)". There is some spoken vocals in Bosnian at the beginning before the instruments quickly take over building up a tense lead in to another quirky exchange led by guitar and organ. This goes on until just after two minutes, and then ends. There is silence until the last 30 seconds when you hear someone speaking in Italian with fair ground music behind them.

The music here is fun, quirky, heavy, complex and interesting, never stagnant, and the tracks all feature distinct and well developed melodies that get a lot of exposure in the tracks, but they are always changed and played around with creating some amazing variations, making the music always new and exciting. The music is vibrant most of the way through, though there are some darker passages from time to time. The music never settles into any particular vibe for too long, except in a few cases, but you never have to worry about getting bored at any time. The music is similar to Henry Cow or Frank Zappa at times, but the overall sound is quite unique. Lovers of complex progressive jazz fusion, mostly instrumental, will love this album.