STORIA O LEGGENDA

I always felt that comparisons of Le Orme to Emerson Lake and Palmer were unfair to this Italian group, as, even in their days as a keyboard trio, their music possessed far more emotion and romanticism than most of Emerson's indulgences. But by 1977 the group wasn't even a trio, and, while still keyboard dominated and lush, they had incorporated plenty of tasty guitars both acoustic and electric. Their sound had largely changed with the times, with medium length song oriented tracks that avoid sounding petty or contrived.

If a point of comparison to contemporary bands is warranted, I can hear some references to the electronic genre and artists like TANGERINE DREAM, PHILIP GLASS, and JEAN-MICHEL JARRE, particularly in the catchy synthesizer theme of "Se io lavoro"" and the repetitive loops of "Al Mercato Delle Pulci". But this is certainly more a grafting of those artists' ideas onto the Le Orme sound, keeping it fresh. "Tenerci Per Mano" is a surprise out of the gate, hardly even sounding like Le Orme, with its reggae tinged segments alternating with Aldo Tagliapietro's emotive vocals. The title cut, "Il Musicista", and "Come Una Giostra" include pleasant guitars, backed by plenty of melodic and ethereal keyboards, as well as the usual organ and even some creative piano. Throughout the album the myriad shifts and contrasts are executed with grace and sultry Latin charm.

It's pretty hard to find much fault with this album musically, even if it is not a complex progressive undertaking. It only solidified the group's own legendary status in the Italian prog world and beyond.