IO SONO NATO LIBERO

Instrumental consistency and forcefulness are the basis on which "Io Sono Nato Libero" is built, the committed third album by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released in 1973. A musical proposal in which elements taken from classical and baroque music, jazz and folk converge once again, amalgamated under the shelter of the inclusive progressive rock. Concerned with the freedom of political thought and the events that polarised the world about the path their societies should follow, the Romans ratify their enormous talent and in turn use "Io Sono Nato Libero" as a means of expressing their social reflections.

Right at the start of the album, Gianni Nocenzi's gentle piano and a subtle layer of synthesizer provide the ideal framework for Francesco Di Giacomo's heartfelt singing on the aching suite "Canto Nomade Per Un Prigioniero Politico", a huge and dramatic instrumental progression that gradually incorporates Pier Luigi Calderoni's jazzy percussion, countless additional keyboards from the Nocenzi brothers, and Marcello Todaro's arpeggiated acoustic guitar in between. A superb track that increases and decreases in tempo according to the requirements of the plot, and is continued in the beautiful ballad "Non Mi Rompete", a reflection on the contradiction of the dreams of peace with the nightmares of war, with Todaro's guitars and Vittorio Nocenzi's moog towards the end to round it off. One of the best of the album.

"La Citt' Sottile" is an exercise in jazz mode with a recognisable Emersonian influence, and the breezy and very progressive "Dopo.... Niente ' Pi' Lo Stesso", is a new display of the band's virtuosity, between the Nocieri's moogs and hammonds and Todaro's guitar, in the dark description of the terrible aftermath of war, where there are never any winners. The brief and epic "Traccia II" brings the album to an impeccable conclusion with the almost absolute protagonism of the keyboards, supported by Calderoni's percussion.

After the release of "Io Sono Nato Libero" and following in the footsteps of their compatriots PFM, Banco became part of Manticore, the record label of their referenced E,L&P, in the Italians' quest to expand their musical horizons beyond the local borders.

Excellent

4/4.5 stars