FONDERIA

This is a good debut by this band. I first saw some reviews about it and made me curious since only two people reviewed it and the classification "various genres". The music in this album may be called "cool" and almost always very happy. Althoght it is an instrumental the track named "Dante, at last" has some narations by a women. The album has some very catchy lines, melodic but not sad nor depressing, very jazzy and well crafted.It's not complex or demanding, you can apreciate the music for the first or second time you listen to it. The only downer of this album is that at the end of it, it kinda gets a litte bit boring. Overall, an excelent debut, a great new band and an excellent addition to any music collection.

keep progin' from Puerto Rico

Italian band Fonderia represents a big asset in today's modern jazz environment, as well as the preservation of experimental jazz and rock in their own country. Acid jazz, new jazz and fusion are amalgamated through heavily psychedelic sonic expansions, incorporating electronic ambiences, evocative moods and occasional progressive-oriented ornaments. Together with the new jazz sonorities you can tell that there is also much influence from classics such as Weather Report, and perhaps Perigeo as well. The nuances are managed elegantly as the instrumentalists go on exploring the basic musical ideas confidently, energetically yet mostly not in an overwhelming manner, but prioritizing subtleties. The most recurrent soloists are Bultrini and Pietropaoli, with keyboardsman Vicarelli joining in the limelight at times. Vicarelli's functionality is more focused on the elaboration of surroundings and moods (good use of Moog, Theremin, organ, electric piano,.), as well as samplers and other electronic ornaments; these and Nespola's precise drumming create a coherent background that isn't only a background in itself, but a very relevant element for each piece's development. The sense of mystery and darkness that somehow prevails in the album is not creepy or disturbing, but mostly ethereal, in the same way that Ozric Tentacles gets eerie at its softest. This eponymous album flows naturally, an album that one can listen while watching things go by through time, thanks to its perfectly fluid repertoire. The constrained tension of 'Dubbio II', the textural serenity of 'Dubarcord' and 'Ora Legale', the dreamy exoticism that displays its vital Arabic-Flamenco colorfulness in 'Piazza Vittorio', the foggy soundscapes of 'Dante, At Last', the cosmic ambiences of 'Statico', each and every one of all these musical resources elaborate a well-ordained transition of emotions and evocations. Every time that a guitar lead gets a bit louder than usual or a synth begins to sound apparently menacing, it is indeed something else: it is the momentary enhancement of a layer that until then had been kept in a very subtle level, like a moment of excitement among a train of tranquil thought. The exception to this "rule" is 'Afa II', a piece where Bultrini delivers a series of unquiet guitar phrases (very Frippian, indeed), all over a rhythmic cadence that reminds us of the ancient roots of avant-garde jazz. All in all, "Fonderia" is an exquisite album that serves as a solid testimony for this band's talent - proof of this talent is their ability to surpass this beautiful album with their sophomore release, but that is a matter for another review. A solid sense of structure and a joint effort to keep technical virtuosism subject to the rules generated from each composition's overall mood: these are two elements that reveal the band's musical essence, and they are indeed reflected quite well in "Fonderia".

Rome-based quartet FONDERIA started the journey in music in mid-90's featuring Emanuele Bultrini (guitars), Stefano Vicarelli (piano, organ, synths), Federico Nespola (drums), and Luca Pietropaoli (trumpets).The band names Miles Davis, John Coltrane, King Crimson, Area and Brian Eno among their influences so you can think correctly about a costantly exploring sound.Additionallt the band composed soundtracks for short and silent movies in the meantime,winning awards at several festivals.In 2002 FONDERIA found themselves ready to record their self-titled debut,I think it was a private press (correct me if I am wrong),but the album was re-realeased on Italian BTF a couple of years later.

STYLE: Well,I'll start by saying that this a total chaos in terms of styles and moods...the band can play easily heavy guitar Crimson-esque prog,flirt a thousand times with Avant-Jazz and RIO,throw in a good dose of Ambient electronics and add some pleasant Funk moments as well.The good thing is that you can meet all these contents almost in every song and not as separate sections.Emanuele Bultrini uses often acoustic guitars blended with trumpets to give the album a touch of ethnic feeling,close to Balkan music.Notice that the album is totally instrumental and I really doubt if any vocals would be suitable in such an experimental release.The slow motives help the listener explore this musical journey with all his senses.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: I would only compare FONDERIA's style with Mexicans CABEZAS DE CERA.KING CRIMSON meet Avant-Jazz meet World music!

PLUS: Very high and professional level of musicianship played by a band which seems to have study every note in this album.Deep and sensational atmospheres throughout the album,rarely met in more ''typical'' prog releases.Excellent performance by Luca Pietropaoli on trumperts and double bass.An attractive introduction to Jazz and Ethnic music for a traditional rock fan.

MINUS: A few negative points only to mention,as the album has a good dose of changing moods but lacks ib changing tempos,following slow gears in general.Stefano Vicarelli makes a good job on electronics,synths and piano,but more traditional prog keys like the Hammond or minimoog are very hard to find,despite displayed on his using instruments.

WILL APPEAL TO: Fans of Jazz-Fusion,RIO and even Folk Rock/Ethnic Rock lovers.For those deep into Classic 70's Prog,if you like KING CRIMSON or VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR,then you propably need to give FONDERIA some spins.

CONCLUSION: ''Fonderia'' didn't shock me that much,despite its experimental sound,as I slightly prefer CABEZAS DE CERA of this particular style,finding them a bit more challenging.Nevertheless,I admire this ground-breaking experiumental music and the album belongs definitely to my favorites of the the year.3.5 stars for this very strong debut.

FONDERIA are a four piece band out of Italy who play a Jazz flavoured style of Prog that is quite diverse and eclectic. The keyboardist adds Fender Rhodes, minimoog, clavinet, Hammond, piano and theremin. We get trumpet and some flugelhorn and the horn player adds double bass. Most bass sounds are from the keyboardist. The drummer adds electronics as does the guitarist who also adds flute and zither. Yes a talented band who have no hesitations about thinking outside the box. They've done soundtracks, TV shows and on and on. This debut from 2002 certainly caught the attention of the music world in Italy and eventually around the globe. We get ten tracks over 71 minutes, at least my edition is with that hidden track to end it making the closer over 13 minutes instead of over 7 1/2 minutes. I like the samples these guys add and two musicians take care of that.

My top three includes that second track "Dubbio II" with that spacey start with those guitar expressions before the song starts to move as electric piano and cymbals join in followed by beats and synths. It's kind of cool the way this plays out. A more determined sound 3 minutes in as the trumpet arrives. The guitar is lighting it up 4 minutes in. So good then it starts to relax some after 5 minutes with trumpet.

I like the acoustic guitar in "Deep Blue" along with how trippy it is. "Piazza Vittorio" has dissonant trumpet and energetic percussion as the drums join in. Kind of an ethnic vibe here too. I really like this one. "Dubarcord" is somewhat haunting to start with plenty of atmosphere and it's dark. Heavy beats then it brightens some with a nice melody before slipping back into melancholy with trumpet.

"Afa II" opens with the sound of traffic and more before a double bass line takes over with jazzy drumming. My second top three is "Ora Legale" with the electronics to start as it builds with picked guitar and trumpet. A repeated drum pattern and this is chill out music that I'm right into. "Dante, At Last" reminds me of GY!BE's song called "Blaise Bailey Finnegan III" where Blaise spouts off while the music builds overwhelming his voice eventually and the same with this song as we get a sample of what sounds like a classic movie with this rich lady reading Spanish then the music turns creepy before overwhelming her voice. Kind of cool.

The short "Aniene" is quite uplifting while the closer "Statico" is my absolute favourite. Nothing jazzy about this one and we get clavinet and theremin to boot. I just love the sound of the guitar 2 minutes in and how dark it is with depth. More of this please!

Anyway a diverse album by a very talented foursome. A solid 4 stars.