VENEGONI & CO

''Rumore rosso'' moves a bit away from the fiery Prog/Fusion of Arti E Mestieri to be grounded in more Ethnic/Jazz-Rock fields, always with Venegoni's guitar performance in evidence.There is a handful of interplays to be discovered in here, the electric piano and clavinet play a dominant role, the jazzy rhythm section is of first class and the arrangements are free to move from structured themes to more loose solos with some interesting sax parts.While most of the length is dedicated to a style close to Jazz/Fusion with a rockin' attitude, there are also a few pieces with an evident folky vibe.Venegoni leaves his electric guitar to dominate the scene with his acoustic offerings and he is supported by a section with strong work on percussion, sitar, flutes and vibraphones in cuts with a heavy ethnic feeling and obvious Middle-Eastern tendencies.The album is largely instrumental but at moments there are vocal appearances in a wordless, almost Zeuhlish motive, making the sound even more personal and obscure.

Fans of the jazzy side of Progressive Rock and of course all Jazz/Fusion buffs are sure to love this album, which has been already reissued in CD by Electromantic Music.Warmly recommended.

Sarabanda is an often used album title by Italian bands. I have yet to find out what it means although my online translator says "slow dance". OK..... that does explain/that does not expain a lot about this album.

Sarabanda is a crossover album between jazz, folk rock and RPI. It is mostly RPI though, but not in the PFM mould. The music is very playful and the vocals is used as an instrument. Tangents though is the main instrument. That and the rhythm section who really know how to fill the dance floors with this album. This album is very funky and a sure winner on the dance floor. In particular when it utilize old folk music songs and add a rampant bass and keyboard to the mix. Very infectious indeed and this reviewer has showed off some dance routines on the way between the coffee maker and the computer during the writing of this review. See Youtube video.

Frivolities aside, Sarabanda is a great album with the title track as a superb song. All nineteen minutes of it. Maybe this album is a bit too slick and cheesy. It has certainly taken on board a lot of influences from the disco scene. But the combination of folk music, funk and jazz is really great here and something the new bands in the RPI scene should have a look into. We very much want albums like this.

4 stars

Venegoni & Co is listed as a Jazz/Fusion album. But as with both them, D.F.A, Arti E Mestieri and some other Italian fusion bands; they should feel as much home in the Rock Progressivo Italiano genre as in fusion. This goes for this album too.

The basis here is fusion and the opening track Coesione is a brilliant piece of jazz. The band then moves towards instrumental Rock Progressivo Italiano and RIO a bit. But there are still a lot of fusion here too. Enough to warm the heart of a jazz lover. The music is woodwinds and tangent based. In this respect and in the way of putting together the tracks, this reminds me a about Soft Machine.

The quality of the material is really great throughout. This album is a journey through playful, intricate music and this album should really appeal to fans of D.F.A and Arti E Mestieri in addition to RPI fans. I really love this album, but also notes that it is not perfect. But it is still a great album.

4 stars

With this live (published in 2003 but recorded in 1977) RPI is at his last great 70's gems. Certainly if you think that Venegoni & Co. plays JR you are in the road but certainly this band plays also RPI because the arrangements are RPI. Because RPI is in Venegoni & Co. matrix is impossible that an RPI fan do not please Venegoni & Co. that in this 'Live... Somewhere In The Seventies...' plays RPI due to arrangements and spirit. Ok, with Arti+ (E) Mestieri Gigi Venegoni plays a great JR with RPI moments but with his band Gigi plays a great mix between JR and RPI, quite biased towards the RPI to please fans of the RPI more that Arti+ (E) Mestieri. In my opinion, Therefore, venegoni & Co. are more a RPI band that a JR band, also if Arti+ (E) Mestieri are more considered RPI for the masses.

More that technical in the musical explosion of this 'Live... Somewhere In The Seventies...' is the feeling that explode. Not for this fact the technique is absent. Only that the technique not transpires, as if what is desired. In other words Venegoni & Co. are pure stage animals. And this is the winning element of this CD.

It is strange to not see in this live the pure fire of technique, at the same time, because the good plays is evident. In my opinion this is the second plan of the victory of this album. Great is the naturality of power in this album with so technical songs. Probably is the fact that the tranformation of different superstructures of the songs into something playable on stage has an enormous weight. And this is a great merit. So is impossible to speak song for song in this album, proper because the mind is focused more in the power of the song that in the technique.

In conclusion... With my love for this CD I think that if you love (or simply please) RPI this is another pure gem for you.

'Sarabanda' is the 2nd Venegoni & Co. album but if you think you can get your hands on an album in Arti+ (&) Mestieri style you are outside of the road... Of a twisted road. In my humble opinion Venegoni & Co. is a band more close to RPI that a pure Jazz Rock band. If this is not a problem, you considering also that Venegono & Co. is an Italian ensemble.

In this innermost revealing what I wrote (and not wanting to create false illusions) I have to write that 'Sarabanda' is an excellent example of Jazz Rock, really massive and Mediterranean. Certainly more fluid respect to Mahavishnu Orchestra but not latin as Santana. a right mix is the correct description of this musical proposal.

It goes without saying that if you look at Perigeo in Venegoni & Co. you are really stupid, because it would go to try to say that a cow and a finch are the same thing! And this without offense to anyone. In fact Vnegoni & Co. was (and is) more close to Lanzetti's PFM that close to Perigeo. Jazz Rock period of Tony Esposito or Baricentro was more approchable to Venegoni & Co. (as Arti+ [&] Mestieri).

'Sarabanda' is not a masterpiece. For me is only a light album with great songs, in the way of European Jazz Rock but with more mediterranean flavor. In 'Live... Somewhere In Seventies' the only song of 'Sarabanda' that is not present is 'Opa'. And I prefer these versions because aged well. The studio version appear to me as normal songs with good arrangements. Also if normal in this case is equal to great song (i'm repetitive, I know).

I think that 'Sarabanda' is a good album also because these songs have a hard writing and light production with a bad recording process. If this mix is a great defect I don't know because in this case this mix is perfect for this music.

So if for you italy is not only maccheroni or pizza, Napoli, Rome or Venice... And since Turin is one of the European capital of Jazz... Venegoni & Co. is another band that not disfigure in your Italian Prog collection.

Extreme good live, recorded in 1977 (if not remember badly). In this live the Jazz Rock of Venegoni & Co. are all in its fashion and feelings. Aren't because the songs are simply but extreme good that in my opinion this is a good live. But because this live is a great party. From musicians to public. I don't have particular love song but in my opinion the two "Mezzogiorno", the three "Sarabanda" and Coesione" have a high glamour. In this sense the songs succeed to be very positive. I don't think that Venegoni & Co. are fundamentals. But this live yes.

With this interesting recent live record lovers of italian classic prog scene and aficionados of jazz rock can really satisfy their choosy ears. The cd collects some live performances of the group at the end of the seventies (1979). Venegoni & Co ideally close the Rock Progressivo Italiano era with the tribute live concert in memory of Demetrio Stratos of Area.

Musicians are all capable and dinamic while sound's quality is unespectetly excellent. Yes, this recently re-discovered work really can be considered as a little live gem! One of the few of so high standard.

Venegoni & Co were formed by guitarist Luigi "Gigi" Venegoni after the famous group Arti & Mestieri's split. The musical behaviour and direction of his band is more jazzy oriented than any of classic albums like Tilt or Giro di Valzer per Domani. We have not another Beppe Crovella here. Well, Silvano Borgatta is a fine keyboardist too but his electric piano cannot be compared with that memorable mellotron drenched jazz rock!

By the way, I think this album can surely please many and is a strong evidence of how varied and complex Rock Progressivo Italiano was then but, at the very same time, how much of importance has melodic' structure in the italian way of life!

Nine elegant performances based mainly on a powerful electric guitar fading out sometimes to leave all the other stuff take the scene: bass, drums, percussions and keyboards, sometimes also whistling.

Highly recommended.