RIO/AVANT-PROG

Asceta is an instrumental group from Chile founded In 2020. Their music is composed by Rodrigo Maccioni who plays electric guitar, flute and synths, but the rest of the instrumentation (apart from the rhythm section featuring electric bass) is completely acoustic, representing the world of art music: violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, cor anglais and piano. This is their second album.

The first piece is very slow and moody but right away In the lengthy second track the RIO-ish rhythmical and melodic complexity is on full action. The wind instruments and strings pretty much rule the soundscape together with highly sophisticated drumming that brings the progressive rock or fusion element to the otherwise chamber music oriented sound. In fact, the composer's electric guitar or synths have surprisingly unnoticeable roles In the music.

The album seems to have a conceptual story printed In the booklet, but unfortunately my Spanish is far too limited to try and make much sense of it. Sombras means shadows, I suppose, and indeed "A suite of shadows" fits to the mysterious and rather dark-toned atmosphere. But there's a playful side too, it's not depressive listening. All In all this music is pretty timeless, so to speak. As a prog rock album it more or less could have come from the late seventies when European group like Univers Zero were making this kind of avant chamber prog. And for the classical music influences you could go back to the modernistic era In the first half of the twentieth century. But perhaps this high level of production and the general sophistication In the musical flow takes a few decades of avant prog evolution.

RIO is not a subgenre close to my heart, and I'm aware my humble review won't add much to the previous reviews here. Nevertheless, I enjoy this arty but not pretentiious music and 'm grateful of finding this band. Also the black & white artwork is excellent.

Recorded on the 1990 Knitting Factory tour, this album features one complete show (DNA Lounge, San Francisco, California) and one nearly complete show (Fasching Club, Stockholm, Sweden) from fairly late in the timeline of the Barnett / Cora / Cartwright / Rupel / Williams line-up. Curlew were a band who had many musicians in their time, with the only constant being George Cartwright (saxophones), and what we have here is the 'Bee' line-up with Ann Rupel (bass), Pippin Barnett (drums), Tom Cora (cello) and Davey Williams (guitar). The vast majority of the music is taken from that album, with just a few from the previous 'North America' but given there had been quite a few changes in personnel between the two that is not too surprising. Although we are treated to the majority of two shows on the same tour, the sequencing is very different and only five songs were played on both nights.

This RIO/avant-garde/free jazz outfit manage to be completely together, as tight as can be imagined while playing complex music, or free and loose as they improvised over the top, meaning each time they played a song it would be different as they reacted to the environment and what was happening around them. But whatever journeys they undertook they somehow always managed to be at the right place in the end. There is little between song banter, normally George saying what the next song is and possibly something about it, but it gives everyone a breather before they blast into the next. "The March (Or Ornette Went to Miles' House and They Didn't Get Along)" is incredibly frantic, massively over the top and absolutely insane, a remarkable piece of music as Ann tries to keep everyone to some semblance of order but fails wonderfully as everyone solos at once and then suddenly, they are all in sync!

This is music for those who love improvised music yet also need some semblance of structure, as this is dynamic and exciting, thought-provoking and necessary, all at once. The crowd were certainly appreciative of what must have an incredible experience, and it is great that 35 years after these events, Cuneiform have made the tapes available.

Not perfect but some of the best guitar solos from Zappa in this live recording from 1980. I like the small club sound, makes you feel like you're there. The band, as always, is in perfect form and delivers a stellar performance all the way through, but like I said, the star here is the guitar, so if you like a guitar heavy show, you will like this album. The set might be missing most of the 73-74 songs that we like, but we have plenty of recordings from that time that have been released recently like Cheaper Than Cheep so I found the setlist on these two shows from 1980 quite refreshing. The only thing that prevents this to be a 5 stars is that, some of the keyboards sound are very 80's and have not aged very well but they reflect the time very well, when the technology was not there yet. If you're a fan of Joe's Garage album and you're nostalgic of the early eighties sound, this recording is for you. So 4 stars is the correct rating for me. Not perfect but very good performance wise.

Containing a live set taken from an appearance on Radio Bremen, this archival Henry Cow release hails from the band's terminal phase. They'd already had the recording sessions that produced the material which, after some internal strife and dissent, eventually saw the light of day on the first Art Bears album (with the rest of Henry Cow credited merely as backing), and they'd yet to go into the studio to record their swansong, Western Culture. Precisely because it was recorded for radio, the sound quality is solid, and the band are going out on a high, with an extensive improvised segment (titled simply Bremen) at the heart of the set.

Originally made as a free gift to subscribers of the 40th Anniversary Henry Cow box, before being made available separately and bundled in the Cow Box Redux, this is a grab-bag of material which didn't fit anywhere else either on their studio albums or on the various archival live releases the Cow has put out. Material ranges from early demos from before they'd even signed to Virgin to latter-day live material, the latest of which comes from a Radio Bremen appearance hailing from the period after the sessions that eventually got released as the first Art Bears album and before the sessions that gave rise to Western Culture, Henry Cow's swansong.

Part of the expansive range of Henry Cow archival releases that first saw release in the Road boxed sets before getting individual releases (and recompiled in the Cow Box Redux), Later and Post-Virgin is, as the name implies, a grab-bag of material from the twilight years of Henry Cow. Virgin and Henry Cow had become mutually unhappy with their contractual relationship, and Virgin agreed to release Henry Cow from their remaining obligations in mid-1977, after having breached the contract by refusing the Cow access to the Manor to record their next album.

But it would be internal creative differences that would slaughter the Cow in due course; though the wide range of performances this draws on leads to a certain lack of unity, that lack of unity itself reflects what was going on with band. Note in particular the presence of Joan and On Suicide - two songs which would see the light of day on the first Art Bears album, when after being recorded with Henry Cow a band dispute broke out over the song-oriented direction and eventually the compromise reached was that Krause, Cutler, and Frith would use the Art Bears project name for the material and the rest of Henry Cow would be credited as guests (in a sort of reflection of the process that saw Slapp Happy and Henry Cow merge).

The upside of the tensions within the band is that you get a decidedly broad range of material here, with different band factions each pushing their own material. It might not quite as gel as more harmonious moments chronicled in these live releases, but we're still dealing with competently executed and creatively interesting music turned out by a seasoned group whose creative fires were still burning hot at this point.

Blending together two sessions for Swedish radio, this was originally released on the second Road boxed set from Henry Cow before being made available separately (and also included in the Cow Box Redux). As a result of being recorded for radio broadcast, it's one of the better-sounding live discs to have emerged from the Cow archives, and reveals the late-era band in fine form, with a mixture of familiar Cow compositions, improvisation, and a dynamite cover of Phil Ochs' No More Songs. The latter makes you wonder whether Henry Cow realised their time as a unit was almost up; sure, they had one more studio album in them, but Western Culture was very much the end of the line, one last go-around together before the Cow name was put to rest. (John Greaves, indeed, had already left by this point.) If they did have a sense of impending mortality, they wear it well.

One of the more eccentric live sets collected in the mighty Road boxed sets from Henry Cow (later reissued in the Cow Box Redux as well as being made available as a standalone release), this consists of a mighty, epic set of stark improvisation, with The March played as an encore and to reintroduce you to the world of remotely conventional music afterwards. This sort of thing can be terrible if mishandled, but this incarnation of the Cow were so in tune that it has a compelling power of its own, like all of their darkest and most disquieting material, which makes you understand how they could have seen acts like Univers Zero as fellow travellers.

Dear friends, good day to all of you! The year 2025 has come, and it's brought us new creations, new music. In addition, among the new wonderful musical creations, I want to write you now about the album of very famous band, they are Roz Vitalis and they are from St. Petersburg, and this album was created in the progressive rock style. The album "Dedication to BigNick" is the 12th in a row. This album is dedicated to the musical producer and big friend of the band - Nikolay Bogaychuk who died some time ago, it's so sad! Music of thе new album is rather similar to sound to the music of another creation of the main author of the idea of Roz Vitalis Ivan Rozmainsky - the Compassionizer project. But another similarity is that musicians from both projects who took part in the recording of the album live and work in different cities and some of them are even in different countries. Therefore, the album was recorded separately in different parts basically, and all the recordings were mixed together then. Also basically all the material was recorded in 2017-2024 years. This disc has both similarities that emphasize the signature style of the band, and differences. Similarities: different styles: yes, not all compositions are only prog rock. There is also salon piano music, piano sketches. The compositions are divided into several parts. Each track has topic. In addition, of course, using of special effects, which made studio music as it plays live. The differences are that there are almost no guitar parts on this records, fewer brass instruments, and much more various of keyboards. The length of the tracks is also not very long, and also we have two short pieces perhaps this is similar to the previous albums, but the absence of long tracks is a difference. The average length of the tracks is 4 - 6 minutes. Dear friends! This is a great album! You will really like it! Next I would like as I did before to tell you, dear friends and listeners, about each composition separately. The title composition "The Tragedy of The Ancient Spring (Extended Version)" lasts almost 6 minutes, many Roz Vitalis tracks have such length. It begins very lyrically. After the first sounds started to play we hear something as birds have fluttered in front of us, something is really connected with antiquity. We hear an orchestra, the romantic sound of brass instruments, we feel spring. But the music develops, keyboards are added, they sound separately and together with the brass instruments, then the drums are started, they have a rather "metallic" sound and their sound by the way even becomes a "rock-style", it is very interesting when the rhythm changes and a new melody cycle develops, the violoncello comes to the foreground. The melody approaches a certain overflow, the tragedy occurs and the first composition smoothly transfers into the second one. The second composition "Captivated (Atmospheric Version)" has a bit of a space music introduction, also it looks like something comes to us from ancient times. The rhythm of the drums at the beginning is a little bit, I would say, even like African. The guitar startes gently: first are single chords, then we listen to a solo. The drums begin to beat out a classic rock rhythm, the harpsichord is added very beautifully from time to time. Then various keyboards and brass instruments come to the fore, I counted about 3 different keyboards, and how many can you count? Yes, of course, a very pleasant track, I am really "enchanted" by these beautiful melodies and the arrangement! The third composition with the intriguing title "Target (LP Version)" begins smoothly and calmly: we hear keyboards and brass instruments. But after 1.5 minutes the melody "hardens": a restless rhythm of the drums is added, the melody begins to "load", the bass guitar begins to come to the foreground. Several times the rhythm calms down and the melody even becomes a little quieter, but then the melody starts to become fast and "loaded" to a certain limit again. At the end of the composition we hear a short culmination and that's it's final. We hear a gong strike and music stops! What? Perhaps the goal has been achieved? The fourth and sixth compositions "Teach me thy statutes (Part I)" and "Teach me thy statutes (Part II)" are essentially musical sketches on the piano. The first is short - about half of minute, the second is longer, about 1.5 minutes. In the first, the musical theme is outlined, in the second - it develops. In the second part, it is necessary to note rather complex and fast chords. Probably only a virtuoso can play them. On the previous album "Quia Nesciunt Quid Faciunt" (2023) there are also two musical compositions - sketches. Probably the musicians decided to continue using them on the new album, I will repeat my idea from the review of the previous album, so that you, dear listeners, could feel that the work of the Roz Vitalis band is very diverse! The name of the fifth track is "Loneliness-Bringing Power". The composition begins with electric keyboards, such a slightly ominous beginning, slide guitar and brass instruments are connected. At some point the melody stops, the sound of instrument is similar to an electric organ sound, it echoes with violins (or violoncellos), the melody develops again, goes in a spiral, acquires new special effects. Then it speeds up a little, changes a little and intensifies. It is worth noting the special role of the bass part in this composition, starting from the middle. The ending sounds unusual: the final chords, they are held back and then released, a strong sound is obtained like a beep, the rhythm stops. And that's all. The power that brings loneliness has come or has dried up, depending on what is felt more by each person. The seventh track "The Threesunny Light Power (Very Abridged Version)" also starts a bit harshly, we hear the electric organ again. It plays as if it were rocking on the waves! Gentle and beautiful! Then a bell sounds, the melody is picked up by the piano, a bit like a Chinese tea ceremony, like in the previous album in the composition "Beautiful", the notes sound very quickly, these notes of the melody echo are the chords that border it. It is very similar, you know, to a polka that sounds in a palace somewhere in the 18th-19th century. And in the third part of this nice composition we hear a bell that sounds with a different rhythm. The sound however is quite "metallic", it is divided by channels and the effect of transition from one channel to another is used. Ivan Rozmainsky recorded this bell 16 years ago. The composition by the way was recorded a long time ago in 2004 in an extended version, and its short version was produced in 2009, which sounds on the album in a specially adjusted version. The eighth track "Resilience (Expanded Version)" begins at a fairly fast tempo with classic drum rhythm, a repeating melody core that develops and acquires new sounds. At the end, the melody falls silent, special effects come to the foreground. The final iridescent chord hanging for 10 seconds and a break. You know, it seemed to me that this piece is like a person's life: it develops in many ways in a circle with an increase trend. These special effects are the moment of a person's transition to another dimension, maybe clinical death, when there is a choice to stay here or leave. And this final part of this track is unfortunately death, it is the transition of the soul to another state, to another dimension. And the final ninth composition, which is on this album, called "Silence is Waiting (Thy Statutes Version)", continues this mystical theme, which I spoke about, describing the previous track. The melody is gentle, calm, contemplative. You can hear long background keyboards, a strumming of short keyboard sounds in the foreground. There are no drums, this once again emphasizes the duration of the sounds. As in the track "Premonition" from the previous album, we hear the breath of the galaxy and the sounds of the space ether! You know, I have a feeling that this is an extraterrestrial melody. The soul is already there, it hovers, flies above the earth or is already in heaven, in space, in paradise! These 2 compositions: 8 and 9, it feels like they are about the earth and extraterrestrial life of Nikolay Bogaychuk, to whom this excellent album is dedicated. Dear friends! Thank you for your time and take care of yourself! Listen to wonderful well-done music!

This is a curious beast. Even though all the music we see and hear seems to have been recorded in a single day (June 21st, 1974), and even if the gig mostly seems continuous (apart from a few stops and starts), the program seems to have been cobbled together by Ahmet Zappa (who is credited as 'director') from a wide variety of takes, as the original recording circumstances were far from ideal. Nevertheless, the playing usually sounds perfectly smooth to me; I certainly didn't spot any mistakes, except perhaps in one of the greatest Zappa instrumentals of all time: 'Echidna's Arf (of You)', which is included ALMOST completely (but only on the blu-ray, not on CD) and which breaks off abruptly. (What a shame it couldn't have been included on the CDs as well, as total performance time is now considerably less than two hours.)

So what's the music like and do you really need it? If I'm not mistaken, all the crucial bits can already be found - in similar versions - in THE ROXY PERFORMANCES, A TOKEN OF HIS EXTREME and YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE VOL. 2, all of which are seminal Zappa albums, in my opinion. If you're a Zappa newbie, I'd advise you to first explore ROXY AND ELSEWHERE or ROXY BY PROXY (both of which are devoted to much of the same material), and once you've fallen in love with those, you might start considering CHEAPER THAN CHEEP.

If, on the other hand, you're already a devoted admirer of the 1973-1974 band that had George Duke (keyboards and vocals), Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor sax, flute and vocals), Tom Fowler (bass), Chester Thompson (drums) and Ruth Underwood (percussion) in it, you won't want to miss this - and in addition to the aforementioned you also get Jeff Simmons on guitar and vocals. (Not to mention FZ on lead guitar and vocals, of course.) Everyone involved seems to be enjoying the occasion, although I have to point out that in some of the songs (notably 'Cosmic Debris', 'Montana' and 'Penguin in Bondage'), Frank's singing seems a little 'detached': he doesn't seem to be savouring the lyrics as much as during THE ROXY PERFORMANCES.

The video quality may not be the best (typical 1970s TV-show material, I'd say) and for some reason Zappa has chosen a backdrop of kitchen foil, just like we got in ROXY: THE MOVIE, but the sound on the CDs is superb. You can clearly distinguish every single player, and I found it a delight to hear one of the greatest prog ensembles of all time making their way once again through such superb material as 'RDNZL', 'T'Mershi Duween' and 'Dupree's Paradise'. George Duke's improvised solos on synth and electric piano are magnificent, confirming that he's right up there in the Prog Pantheon with Tony Banks, Chick Corea and Patrick Moraz; Napoleon Murphy Brock never sounded better on sax and flute, and I enjoyed his singing too, even on 1960s Mothers tracks like 'Let's Make the Water Turn Black'. (I could have done without his version of 'How Could I Be Such a Fool', though.) All the other members of the band sound glorious to my ears, and what's more: Frank's lead guitar is very lively and well recorded, it has a special twang to it, and Frank plays with abandon - especially in the second half of the concert.

One final remark: where I live, CHEAPER THAN CHEEP did not exactly come cheap, you have to fork out a lot of money for it, which makes me feel a little cheated, especially since most or all of the material is freely up on YouTube and heaven knows what other channels anyway. Let's just say I'm happy to support the Zappa Family Trust - or whoever currently owns the rights to FZ's oeuvre - especially if they keep coming up with fascinating material like this.