OSANNA & DAVID JACKSON: PROG FAMILY

Like most I know David Jackson as one of the members of the classic line-up of Van Der Graaf Generator, but I recently "re-discovered" him through his participation in The Rome Pro(g)ject - a progressive Rock project led by Italian musician Vincenzo Ricca and in which Jackson (or "Jaxon" as he is sometimes known) appears alongside Steve Hackett and several other Prog luminaries. I found Jackson's contributions to The Rome Pro(g)ject impressive - particularly his flute playing - much more so than his role in Van Der Graaf Generator (a band I like, but don't love).

My renewed interest in Jackson led me to investigate what else he has been doing outside of Van Der Graaf Generator and it was in this way that I came across the present release credited to David Jackson and the Italian band Osanna. The album is nicknamed "Prog family" and features also a number of other musicians including ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross (who, like Jackson, also contributed to The Rome Pro(g)ject).

I was previously unfamiliar with Osanna, but as far as I understand the material on this album consists mainly of re-recorded and re-arranged versions of songs that originally appeared on that band's albums from the 1970's. Whilst I cannot say how these new versions compare to the old, I can say that this is a good and enjoyable album in its own right. Also included is a version of George Martin's Theme One, a number also performed by Van Der Graaf Generator.

The music is eclectic with elements of Jazz, Blues, Folk, etc. within a heavy Rock framework. The vocals are predominantly in Italian language but some parts are sung in English. Perhaps it would have been better to choose one language or the other rather than alternating between Italian and English, but the main attraction at least for me is the instrumental aspects.

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