BARO PROG / EX BARO PROG-JETS

Website info:" An explanation by the band for the weird name Baro Prog-Jets is the name referring to Italian multi- instrumentalist Alberto "Baro" Molesini dreams of his own progressive rock compositions taking flight! Baro started to play in the mid-Seventies, inspired by the progressive music from Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP and Frank Zappa. He took up playing musical instruments, and eventually founded the formation La Sintesi, but disbanded at the end of the Eighties. But Baro kept on writing and recording, the first versions of ambitious concept works, although these would remain uncompleted for some time yet... Fast forward to now, Baro has finally completed several of his once only dreamed-about works, in 2019 released in a special double-CD edition. CD-1 is entitled Lucille A Giada, a 44 minute, multi-part suite in the classic and grandiose vintage RPI manner. And CD-2 is entitled Topic Würlenio, it is comprised of shorter political and social themed songs. But both discs offer a varied and colourful collection of lavish progressive rock music. In 2021 Baro Prog-Jets released a new album named Utopie, as a duo with drummer Gigi Murari, along guest musicians on piano, guitars and bass. About this album I wrote "To me this music sounds as interesting blend of Old School Prog (especially Yes) and varied, own musical ideas."

This new album is a concept album titled Prog-jet iv Aionverse. It is a rock opera with 8 characters conceived and directed by the earlier mentioned Alberto Molesini, aka Baro. It has a 20-page booklet with stories, lyrics and images. On this new album, the band features again a collaboration of multi-instrumentalist Baro (lead & backing vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards) and drummer Gigi Murari, supported by Elena Cipriani on backing vocals, and a wide range of guest musicians, including Paolo Zanella on piano, Nicola Rotta, Baxnug and Massimo Basaglia on electric guitar, Jack Molesini on jambè, Gabriel Bellorti and violin, and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn and Ayreon) and Iacopo Meille (Tygers Of Pan Tang) on vocals.

The sound is in the vein of the previous album Utopie (see my PA review). Which means lots of Yes hints, especially due to the Jon Anderson like voice, vocal harmonies and growling bass, blended with interesting musical ideas. Remarkable is the contrast between the melodic and accessible parts with pleasant and varied vocals in English and the more complex, often instrumental interludes (with hints from Frank Zappa, UK and King Crimson), embellished with lots of fine work on keyboards, and some harder-edged guitar solos in the longer compositions Creator's Farewell (between 70s Yes and Neo-Prog, with lots of shifting moods and keyboards, and a heavy guitar solo), Flow Of Life (from sparkling classical piano to Steve Howe influenced acoustic guitar) and the epic Crossing Pathways (3 parts) that sounds like a blend of 70s Yes and Gentle Giant featuring strong work on synthesizers, piano and organ, lots of powerful breaks and variety, and fine acoustic guitar play.

My rating: 3,5 star.

I am still waiting for a promo from the new album, when I checked this prog website I noticed only two reviews of the former album, released 4 years ago, so here is review #3.

An explanation by the band for the weird name: "Baro Prog-Jets is the name referring to Italian multi-instrumentalist Baro's dreams of his own progressive rock compositions taking flight!" Website info. "Baro (born Alberto Molesini) started to play in the mid-Seventies, inspired by the progressive music from Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP and Frank Zappa. He took up playing musical instruments, and eventually founding the formation La Sintesi that would perform in Verona, before disbanding at the end of the Eighties. But even at that early age, Baro was writing and recording, via rudimentary means, the first versions of ambitious concept works, although these would remain uncompleted for some time yet... Fast forward to now, and the artist has finally completed several of his once only dreamed-about works, in 2019 released in a special double-CD edition entitled Lucille A Giada. It is a forty-four minute, multi-part suite in the classic and grandiose vintage RPI manner, and Topic Würlenio is comprised of shorter political and social themed songs, but both discs offer a varied and colourful collection of lavish progressive rock music. And now in 2021 Baro Prog-Jets has released a new album named Utopie, as a duo with drummer Gigi Murari, along guest musicians on piano, guitars and bass."

Listening to this album I notice that Seventies Yes is an obvious inspiration, due to the vocal harmonies, growling bass and Steve Howe-like guitar play. Especially in the two strong Old School Prog epic compositions Utopia (lots of flowing shifting moods, excellent interplay, a fluent and dynamic rhythm-section, embellished with vintage keyboards like the Hammond and Minimoog) and my highlight Runaways (tension between dreamy and bombastic, awesome Hammond and Minimoog sound, omnipresent piano and fiery guitar runs).

The short Non Sento (only track with Italian vocals) delivers a powerful, often swinging mid-tempo, pleasant vocals and hints from Yes and Frank Zappa (jazzy and eclectic touch).

The song Phase contains a slow rhythm with a tight beat with spacey synthesizer flights, blended with sparkling jazzy- oriented piano, the final part is bombastic, lots of fine musical ideas.

The mid-long Phase II is another good example of the interesting musical ideas Baro Prog-Jets presents on this album: the one moment obvious Yes or Frank Zappa, the next moment (as here) a pretty original sound. After a short but majestic Mellotron violin intro and dreamy (slightly theatrical) vocals the music becomes more bombastic, the atmosphere is a bit ominous, coloured with guitar and keyboards, finally a dreamy climate.

The final piece is Iron Garden (a 'bonus track Runaways edit'). First dreamy, featuring Mellotron violins and sensitive Howe-like guitar runs, lots of tension, then a slow rhythm with a hypnotizing atmosphere, blended with bombastic eruptions, and vocal harmonies. The dark sound of Relayer by Yes comes to my mind.

To me this music sounds as interesting blend of Old School Prog and varied own musical ideas.

My review 3, star.

BARO PROG-JETS is the name of the Italian multi-instrumentalist BARO exposed for ages to the adventurous rock of dinosaurs. This led him to want to learn to play, to sing, to compose in LA SINTESI then in MARYGOLD, Italian groups where the sounds had traces of YES and KING CRIMSON, this during the 80s. He left last year a rock opera he composed over 20 years ago; end of an avowed dream which allows him to be able to release this recent project. He poses here an RPI rock with musical lines smelling the progressive scent of what his brain has been able to record for many years. In short, let's dive into his musical utopia.

"Non Sento" for a title sung in Italian; neo on a song by his previous group LA SINTESI closing the page, a catchy prog pop song `` radio edit '' AOR as I like to say with chorus, backing vocals and a little solo, light tune without too much outlines. "Utopia" for a complex suite bathed in the world of FLOWER KINGS, diffuse sounds where the drawers open and close recurrently to the rhythm of the tunes and instruments, around 6 minutes we set off on the long musical steppes of YES, all set on a sly and doctored medieval tournament story where the knight learns it the hard way; the beautiful part goes here to the different keyboards infusing an energy and a melody to this title; title that bathes well in the 70's. A long title that is worth several listenings to get out of the ramifications, a sign of the basic RPI.

"Phase I (Set Your Body Free)" with keyboards to talk about overcoming pain and illness, the sound with jazzy syncopated reminiscences, other melodic and progressive ones, the guitar getting twisted at times; I can only quote MAGELLAN, a little CAIRO for the technique and the flights, which sends us well to the 80's. The synths are charged again for the end, the drums giving energetic pad. "Phase II (Set Your Mind Free)" arrives with the association of borderline a capella voice and an acoustic guitar, then the incorporation of various synths, organ and piano, an Andalusian guitar, twirling keyboards; note the classic RPI sound with this piano base; I find a little of the old JESTER'S JOKE there, the sound leaves on a melting pot of two decades with a darker tone as the title progresses, a majestic sound at times with extremely simple voice-piano drawers. For history the journey of thought collides with harsh reality and is imprisoned in an iron garden; YES comes back in rhythm, the tortured guitar brings me back to GENESIS to see KING CRIMSON. "Runaways" or the musical melting pot, a nervous, playful piece, endless drawers, atmospheres, breaks, convolutions which take you very far and which require sustained attention to dissect this imaginary musical world in which you may fall; to note a stunning guitar solo, another organ to melt, rhythmic synth and a drums well in place that throws you to the ground, in short the song from the album with Yessian hints of the most beautiful effect, a YES of the 80's and 90's with MAGELLAN sauce.

BARO PROG-JETS, after 40 years of being immersed in prog rock, is therefore releasing this utopian piece as a musical journey on violence and deception; the music is progressive, complex and architectural, seeming to set up an edifice of RPI notes and sounds; the piano always in front, a symphonic side bathed in YES for the organs, PFM, a zest of JADIS; one thing is certain, it is varied and it goes a little in all directions, to believe that the "rascal" had a lot to say since that time. Inventive, classic and fresh RPI to discover.