DIARIO DI VIAGGIO DELLA FESTA MOBILE

FESTA MOBILE stands out mostly because of their keyboardist, who plays some of the quirkiest piano melodies I've heard in prog. 1973's "Diarro Di Viaggio Della Festa Mobile" is this band's only album, but a few of the musicians later emerged as BARICENTRO. "Diarro..." is quite a unique album. While the music gets frantic once in a while, there are plenty of beautiful moments to be found as the album unfolds. Their guitarist offers some very tasty FRIPP-influenced riffs and he does a good job balancing the quirky piano lines. My only complaint is that most of the songs have traditional song-structures. The band confidently builds to what might seem like a climatic section, but instead choose to go back to an earlier verse or chorus. The tracks also tend to fade out just when the band starts cooking. Overall, though, FESTA MOBILE are definitely worth searching out.

To my knowledge this was FESTA MOBILE's only release and however short in playing time, what a release it was. This fantastic act blended melodic symphonic jazz and rock into a very unique sound. Their music is largely dominated by keyboards and features some incredible piano work throughout the album (probably the highlight of the album). The rhythm and drum work is also quite solid with these guys laying down some great grooves for the keyboards and electric guitars to bounce off. As you would expect the lyrics are sung in Italian and are very well done and work well with the bands music. This album also contains one of my personal favourite Ital-prog tracks from any band "Aristea" which is just simply breath taking in all aspects. The music on this album is at times a bit frantic-like in aspect which will require some pretty focused active listening and is not for the light at heart. I snagged the BMG Italiana Re-mastered version which offers some pretty inspiring sound quality and instrument separation. Overall a fantastic album .

Festa Mobile were a band from Rome that vanished after releasing one album in the early 70s, though some of the members later surfaced in another group called Il Baricentro. Festa was another band of brothers, the Boccuzzi brothers, one whom played keyboards and other played guitar. Little else is known about this mysterious group and their story so hopefully they will come forward and give their history in the future. When I first started playing this album I noticed it had a quite different sound and feel than many of the other classic period Italian albums I've heard. At first listen it sounds less well-rounded and more one-dimensional with the primary focus on rumbling and fast paced piano runs and drumming, while the guitars, vocals, and other things seemed more an afterthought. It was offputting a bit but I stuck with it and now enjoy the strange hybrid jazzy jamming and unique sound. The remastered version features punchy, loud sound and also well-defined separation. Piano and percussion seem to be the leaders of the album but I now notice the other elements as well: tasty lead guitar licks, bass played like a lead instrument, and good vocals.

Diario begins with "La Corte di Hon" and its fast and furious piano runs rolling back and forth from one speaker to the other, good headphone stuff. After a minute or so the drums and bass kick in followed by the vocals. The fast pace continues throughout as the electric guitar begins with some riffs followed by a good lead part up against what is almost metal style drumming although not quite as fast or brutal. The song fades out rather abruptly leaving an underdeveloped feel. "Canto" begins with all instruments playing to themselves almost in a free-jazz state. Eventually the drums pick up a beat and pull everyone else along. This is a bit slower but not much with a shuffle style beat. The vocals are decent and won't offend anyone although they are certainly not the best you'll ever hear. This album is for people who like piano, elec guitar, and a forefront drummer who really leads the action for much of the album. Don't expect any flutes or acoustic guitars-if there are any that I missed they are very scarce. It ends like it began with everyone dropping the rhythm and just playing freely their own thing. "Aristea" jumps out of the gate almost without an introduction, just right into the fast lane with a quick beat and raunchy guitar. The beat stops quickly for some noodling and then launches into a more grandiose symphonic section with a nice melodic vocal against a slower backdrop of piano, bass, and drums. I believe I hear some mellotron coming through along with harpsichord followed by some great soaring lead guitar and feisty bass. They really love abusing the stereo pans sometimes perhaps a bit more than they need to. Another quick fade ending which some people will not approve of! "Ljalja" puts the keys to the back for a spell as the lead guitar and bass come forward more with some very expressive playing. They actually get a little grittier sounding on this one as the song alternates between a harder sounding guitar section and a lighter section with a nice vocal and bass. This one actually has a decent structured ending that sounds like it was actually planned! "Ritorno" is the final track and just a longer, more adventurous version of what you've heard so far. They throw some spacey effects and vocal harmonies into the mix and there are more breaks in the fast paces for sections that feel reflective and open. Interesting to be sure. This is far from my favorite Italian album but I'm mostly pleased with its quirks and rather bold non-conformist sound. I've read reviews saying they sound like PFM and Banco but I don't think too much. Perhaps in certain moments but overall their album has its own vibe.

Conrad Leviston from 'Ground and Sky' notes "A lot of their songwriting seems to revolve around rapid, repetitive piano figures. Some of the repetition is so precise that I suspect a little bit of technical assistance involving recording tape. The overall effect of this is surprisingly good, lending a frenetic air to the first track in particular. The band seems to have cast their net wide for influences. Apart from the unsurprising similarity to the Italian romantic progressive scene, there are also moments of jazz inspiration, as well as contemporary American popular music. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that there are few obvious parallels with the English bands of the time." [Conrad Leviston] Because Diario carves out its own unique sound that mimics no one they do deserve credit for this progressive trait. It's a very unusual album that I'd recommend to Italian fans and also drummers who enjoy hearing a distinctly different style of playing. Also perhaps good for jazz/symph piano nuts. If you only want a few Italian titles in your collection I would not recommend this one as there are better choices for a more conventional and rounded "Italian experience." But for anyone looking for a unique mostly-instrumental frenzy you might enjoy this too. 3 ¾.

This is the unique album from this Italian band. It is dominated by the piano sound and the jazzy moods. Actually, "Festa Mobile" was more of jazz-rock oriented . After the "Festa Mobile" experience, the Bocuzzi brothers will form a fully jazz-rock band after experience ("Il Baricentro").

Some songs like the opening number are full of frenzy. Very complex, fast yet remarkably played. Most of the songs from this album feature an upbeat tempo. "Canto" is such as well. Even more jazzy, the drumming work is really excellent; but musicianship is very high throughout this album.

"Aristea" is my favourite song from this album. It features some organized cacophony combined with sweet piano pieces. Maybe the most "symphonic" of the whole. Vocals are particularly charming.

"Ljalja" is another complex song and transports me from the noisiest and most boring moments to the most beautiful ones. A great contrast, that's for sure. It is not so often that I can observe this feeling in a song. It opens on the same speedy and chaotic mood but switches to a great melodic part which is mostly mellotron based.

The last song is again a mix between jazz and symphonic music. It has some connections with "ELP" but again its structure is rather disconcerting.

"Diario Di Viaggio Della Festa Mobile" is not an easy album to discover. IMO, this work should better fit in the category "Jazz rock/Fusion" than in Italian symph. Still pleasant but I am not a fan from this genre.

Three stars for the good musical performance and skills from these musicians and for "Aristea". But beware that there is more jazz than symphony here.

I've really fallen for this album. The keyboardist is clearly a virtuoso and plays pretty much all piano throughout, although he does play some string-synths on a couple of tracks and some electric piano as well. It's kind of weird but I really feel proud when I listen to this album. Maybe because this is a great example of the music I love, I don't know ?

"La Corte Di Hon" opens with a perfect example of how good this piano player is. We get a full sound a minute in when drums arrive. Vocals follow.Piano, drums and vocals lead the way until some beautiful guitar melodies arrive 2 1/2 minutes in. Nice. "Canto" is my favourite song on here. I love the sound of the piano, cymbals and guitar to open. They create a nice soundscape but we don't really get a melody until after a minute. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. This sounds so amazing ! The piano and drum melody with vocals over top is heavenly. We get some rare electric piano to follow. Some nice guitar 4 minutes in. "Aristea" is led by drums, piano and guitar once again. String-synths come in before the vocals arrive 2 minutes in. When the vocals come in the sound changes. It's not as good but we do get some tasteful guitar 3 1/2 minutes in along with some good bass. Drums, piano and bass to end it.

"Ljalja" is my second favourite track on here. It opens with more incredible piano as bass and drums help out.Guitar after a minute as bass throbs. I love the sound of the guitar. The vocals 2 minutes in are fantastic ! String-synths follow. The pace picks up after 4 minutes with guitar,bass and drums. It calms back down 5 minutes in with those great vocals again. "Ritorno" opens with piano followed by a vocal section before piano returns. Vocals come back with harmonies. Guitar 3 1/2 minutes in and later at 5 minutes when it is even better. It picks up the pace before 6 minutes with piano and drums leading the way. Electric piano makes an appearance 6 1/2 minutes in before the piano comes back to end it.

A must have for fans of Italian music. Beautiful music.

"Diario di Viaggio della Festa Mobile" is one of those big surprises that give joy to prog collectors and confirm their sense of purpose. Festa Mobile, the band in charge of this little hidden gem from Italy's prog rock history, was a relatively mysterious band from which Il Baricentro will emerge a few years later in order to enrich the jazz-oriented area of the genre. But for now, Festa Mobile is an excellent symphonic rock ensemble with a typical Italian flavor based on that special feel in melody and mood that Italy seems to own exclusively. 'La Corte di Hon' starts with what seem to be dual piano interplaying through frantic arpeggios, with crystal clear classicist intentions. Right from this starting point you can tell that Festa Mobile's symphonic progressive style feels like a middle term between L'Uovo di Colombo and Biglietto per l'Inferno: anyway, Festa Mobile equals the former's refinement but surpasses it concerning energy and melodic creativity, and that is where Festa Mobile somewhat leans closer to the rough dramatics of the latter's. at the time when the guitar solo gets in, it really has to make an extra effort to make itself noticed among the framework already filled by the energetic keyboard deliveries and the drummer's powerful drive. 'Canto' kicks off with an ethereal prelude, but it won't take long before the main body arrives to display a mixture of symphonic-oriented melodic sense and jazzy swings; ultimately, the prologue is reprised for the brief epilogue. 'Aristea' has a ballad- oriented main motif, which is an occasion for the band to explore its softer die - after arriving at the 3 minute mark, the track shifts toward a jazz-rock elaboration that spices things up in order to build up on a sort of extroverted climax. All in all, the explosive potential of this exciting section is regrettably interrupted by the fade-out, which in my opinion gets in too early; the guitar and piano leads bear a distinct promise of a big finale, but it's not going to happen (this is actually a minor objection that can be applied to most tracks in this album). 'Ljalja' starts the album's second half, starting with explosive piano arpeggios (not precisely a big surprise at this point). At first, the track's scheme seems quite related to that of the first song, but soon it becomes clear that the band is headlong for a more elaborated development of the musical ideas that go on appearing. The Manierist emotion delivered by the lead vocalist and completed by the stylish keyboard arrangements seem to anticipate the sort of moods that will be prevalent a few years later in albums by Corte dei Miracoli and Apoteosi. 'Ritorno', the closing track, actually digs deeper into this symphonic trend, stating an excellent combination of romanticism and extroverted dynamics: as usual, the instrumental deliveries are impeccable and the ensemble's work is spotless, with a clever use of moods that ultimately leads to a dreamy finale. Now. that's the sort of finale that I had dreamt of for some of the album's previous tracks. These last two tracks are, in my opinion, the best ones in the album since they manage to give room to the motifs to endure as they should, in this way providing a proper completeness to the whole. Well, with only one album Festa Mobile managed to give something really interesting for prog collectors worldwide, all in all, a very typical Italian symphonic rock album.

Festa Mobile were one of the many Italian prog bands of the early seventies that disbanded soon after the release of an excellent debut album in 1973. The line up featured Renato Baldassarri (vocals), Francesco Boccuzzi (bass, keyboards), Giovanni Boccuzzi (keyboards), Alessio Alba (guitar) and Maurizio Cobianchi (drums). The Boccuzzi brothers later formed another band called Il Baricentro, more "jazz-rock oriented". On "Diario di viaggio della Festa Mobile" the band showcase a great musicianship although the sound quality coming out from the recording sessions is not flawless. Festa Mobile are often compared with BMS, PFM, Le Orme and other "classic" Italian prog bands: you can find here many influences ranging from classical music to jazz, from British prog rock to Italian folklore, but the final result is original enough and it's definitively worth listen to.

"Diario di viaggio della Festa Mobile" is a concept album where the band describe with music and words the experience of a company of comedians returning home after the celebrations in honour of the new king of a far (imaginary) country, Hon. The opener "La corte di Hon" (Hon's court) is introduced by a dizzy piano pattern, then a frenzy rhythm section and vocals come in... Lyrics depict the atmosphere of false joy put up by the oppressive power of the new king... "Hon's celebration lasts hundred days / For hundred days the sun won't set / Hon sits on his throne / The moving feast lives on / It seems a celebration of love / But it's just a false mask... Peace seems to rule / But it's war that rules... It seemed a celebration of love / But it was a celebration of death..."

On the second track "Canto" (Song), the comedians end their performance in honour of Hon singing a song inspired by their extraordinary travelling experience and by the contrast between an ideal world full of love and peace and the cruel reality... "I sing the colours of time and the rhythm of the wind / That are living in me... I sing the story of happy people living into ingenuity... I sing the future I dream / A new day that's lost and will never come...". The rhythm is complex and fiery while vocals depict a dream that turns to nightmare...

On the third track "Aristea" the mood is more relaxed, almost mystic. After the celebration, our "heros" are on the way home. They stop to rest in a mysterious abbey where the great priestess Aristea silently looks at their hands and reveals them a prophecy... "You will go there / Where the sun doesn't shine / Where men do not know happiness...". So, they become aware that freedom is in danger even in their homeland. Well, you can feel almost a sense of impending doom at the end of the track when a "nervous" rhythm section comes in...

The fourth track is about despair and mercy. "Ljalja" tells about the meeting with a young girl crying in a country ravaged by war. She was still clasping her dead son in her hands, she was a still baby but without a future... "Then slowly she smiled / She couldn't speak anymore".

The long and complex last track "Ritorno" tells about the comeback and the fear that what the protagonists have seen during their journey could happen in their homeland too... It's like a wake up with a nightmare still hanging on: "We were travelling back to home / And the souvenirs in our minds seemed made of stone / Red stone because of the innocent's blood / People who died in the name of their truth / Martyrs of Hon and of the dream of a new reality / Under a different sky we're looking again at home... Where sooner or later Hon will come / With the rules of the strongest".

The music is excellent and the lyrics are poetical and committed. On the whole I think that this album should find a place in every Italian prog lover collection...

One shot Italian group from Monopoli, led by brothers keyboardist Francesco Boccuzzi and guitarist Giovanni Boccuzzi.Both played together in a band called Della Venis (only a single out), before relocating in Rome in early-70's in search for new music paths.Along with guitarist Alessio Alba, singer Renato Baldassarri and drummer Maurizio Cobianchi they formed Festa Mobile, whose sole release ''Diario di viaggio della Festa mobile'' came out in 1973 on RCA Records.

This is a good yet quite short (just 31 minutes) Symphonic Rock effort with plenty of jazzy moves here and there and the leading force is undoubtfully Francesco Boccuzzi fast classical and electric piano paces, which dominate the album, not unlike what FLAVIO PREMOLI of P.F.M. was doing around the time.The musuc in general it is very PFM-alike, recalling the heavier moments of the later.Filled of piano interludes and harpsichord passages along with some guitar beauty both in a ROBERT FRIPP and STEVE HACKETT style, the tracks follow mainly an up tempo with nice richness , strong Classical-influences on keyboards and a good balance between dissonance and pure Italian melodies, though some jazzy weirdness is around in the majority of them.Interplays are another strong point of the band.Numerous and inspired, they offer some moments of beauty throughout.Vocals are of the good Italian school, though a bit pale at moments.Additionally the album lacks the unmet majesty of the P.F.M. early releases, despite being the closest comparison.

The story of Festa Mobile stopped to this point, but the Boccuzzi brothers kept playing some very intricate prog music, as they formed Il Baricentro a few years later.Festa Mobile's guitarist Alessio Alba specialized himself on Indian music and ethnic instruments over the years.

If you are really into 70's Classic Italian Prog, this album is must have,no question about it.For the rest, prepare for some pretty fine Symphonic/Classic Progressive Rock with a bit of Jazz- Rock thrown in for good measure if you ever come across this release.The original LP is among the rare ones, but the album has seen numerous reissues over the years...3.5 stars.

Italy perhaps hosted the most dynamic progressive rock movement outside of England and it never ceases to amaze me how many great obscurities continue to emerge from this peninsular nation which had more than its share of acts that released a single album and disappeared from the scene. One of the bands from that lengthy list is a band called FESTA MOBILE formed by two brothers, Francesco Boccuzzi (keyboards) and Giovanni Boccuzzi (keyboards, guitar) in the Bari region before relocating to Rome and recruiting Alessio Alba on guitar, singer Renato Baldassarri and drummer Maurizio Cobianchi.

The band remains obscure with little info to be gleaned from its brief existence and released this sole album DIARIO DI VIAGGIO DELLA FESTA MOBILE ( Travel Diary of the Mobile Party ) in 1973 just when Italian prog had reached its absolute apex before the scene started winding down. The album pretty much came and went without notice and printed in a limited number on the RCA label but has since been re-released many times on CD including a proper remastering job. The album consisted of five tracks in the traditional symphonic prog style of the Italian scene with an extra robust emphasis on virtuoso piano parts in the vein of a more traditional classical pianist as opposed to the synth wizardry of Keith Emerson.

DIARIO DE VIAGGIO DELLA FESTA MOBILE is supposedly a concept album of sort but considering no info was included in the liner notes of any kind one would have to decipher the Italian lyrics to figure out exactly what it could possibly be. FESTA MOBILE was quite unique sounding in its five tracks that added up just shy of 32 minutes in playing time. In the forefront of the musical mix was the galloping tinkling of ivories that both Boccuzzi brothers contributed in making although one would tend to the virtuoso piano romps while the other provided the symphonic atmospheres. The opening "La Corte di Hon" sounds like a piano roll on crack cocaine as it whizzes by at a million miles per second like a Chopin album set to a higher speed and it's spectacularly woven into what sounds like a form of riff looping that culminates in a beautiful heavy rocker with guitar and bass heft augmented by bombastic drumming in jittery time signature displays, my number one track on the album.

Like other contemporary Italian proggers vocalist Renato Baldassarri belted out passionate operatic lyrics in his native Italian sounding much like related bands PFM, Banco or any of the other greats who indulged in a heavier bombastic flair. "Canto" slows things down a bit and focuses more on the atmospheric possibilities of a more traditional symphonic prog style although the lighter and airy piano parts still display an unrestrained restlessness as does the guitar but stay on their leash while the slower tempo demands respect. The track exudes some nice jazz-rock elements but finally everything succumbs to the restless nature of the piano and breaks into faster rock tempos. They rhythmic cyclic loops of piano rolls display the band's affiliation with the many pop artists they worked with in the RCA studios.

"Aristea" follows suit with the airy piano rolls existing in a tangled web of independent guitar, bass and drum parts. Perhaps the proggiest of the bunch this track exudes a perpetual intro that never ends but finally settles on one of those bravado led PFM styled rockers. "Ljalja" opens with jittery almost unsettling piano rolls with the guitar and bass once again chomping at the bit to do their own thing which actually sums up the feel of this album and that would be a strong tension of the instruments wanting to go their own way but always finding resolution and settling on perfect harmony. This particular set of musicians is brilliant in creating some of the most unnerving tensions in this regard but have no difficulties in playing in tandem like a flock of freshly satiated birds from a well stocked pond. The closing "Ritorno" is the lengthiest track at nearly 9 minutes and takes on a different mood where it mixes technical prowess with soft sensual atmospheres. Given the track's length it runs the gamut of trad Italian prog along with some avant-garde leanings. It ends with a dramatic display of sound effects signaling the end of this most obscure band.

Unlike anything else in the scene FESTA MOBILE really strikes a chord with me. The music has a darker feel than most Italian prog and the restless technical nature of the piano offers a tension unlike most prog of the era outside of the most hyperactive such as Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman. While the jittery nature of the music can come close to the breaking point, the band allows pacification of the soul with slick soulful sensuality that feigns a moment of respite before bedazzling the senses with some slick prog maneuvers. On the technical side of things this band was beyond instrumentally sound and the singer was pretty gifted as well. For a one shot and gone type of band this is a really beautifully designed piece of work although something seems to be lacking to bring to the level of the major bigwigs of the era. This is a band i wish would've stuck it out and perhaps had these guys emerged a couple years prior it might've been. As it is, this is a highly recommendable piece of 70s Italian prog that deserves more attention than it has received. The Boccuzzi brothers continued on together with another prog band called Il Baricentro which released two albums.