COGLI IL GIORNO

If you ask most progressive music fans about Luciano Basso they will talk about the album "Voci." Indeed one prominent rock writer called "Voci" one Italian album that was not a bunch of "vocal-heavy operatic twaddle," a phrase that cracks me up every time I think about it. (The full quote said Italian prog was "vocal-heavy operatic twaddle-dated, clichéd, badly produced organ dominated prog." To which my reply would be..well, maybe another time. Back to Basso. As I said, most fans, like that rock writer, will tell you "Voci" was the be-all, end-all of Luciano Basso. But if you ask Basso he will tell you his own personal favorite work was this one, his second album "Cogli il Giorno" ("Seize the Day.) And after hearing it I am inclined to agree. This is an amazing RPI beauty that provides concrete evidence the classic Italian progressive scene was still kicking as late as 1978 (though the acknowledged peak was earlier of course.)

Basso hails from Venice and began the study of music and piano from early childhood. In 1976 he released the critically acclaimed progressive title "Voci" which has become a beloved RPI gem for its combination of rock and smooth symphonic atmospheres punctuated by some soaring electric guitar solos. Later Basso would spend three decades in the music industry in Italy and abroad, releasing many albums, producing, and actively composing music. But "Cogli il Giorno" was his second album on the heels of the successful "Voci." It was composed between late 1977 and early 1978 and became a rarity, never released on CD until now. Written, arranged, and performed by Basso, the album features many guest musicians, including Leonardo Dosso from "Gruppo D'Alternativa".

"Cogli il Giorno" indeed picks up from where "Voci" left off and is not simply a retread. While both are deeply steeped in classical influence, Voci was a more rocking symphonic affair and a more melodic one. On Cogli, Basso retains the classical music but the rock has been largely removed. Instead the progressive part of the equation moves in the avant-garde direction, even sometimes ambient territories. But we're not talking about the far-out weird zone here, we are still in the realm of the emotional and the easy to enjoy. Cogli is a fantastic album that catches an artist on fire, in a creative and expressive zone that occur only occasionally during most lifetimes. It moves along like a rolling wave of piano, sometime plaintive but more often it is fiery, alive piano. Accents come to the music from various strings, flute, bassoon, sitar, and saxophone. Basso explains his affinity for the album like this: "my favourite album, both for the progressive-classical experiments it contains and or the particular way instruments were played on it: I created an ensemble of musical effects and counterpoints, trying to find a way to pronounce the word "modern" in music..expresses a strong synergy between images and music. The way I worked on pacing-an elusive component in every musical expression-is very important here, because it became a sort of operative kernel for a never-ending series of variations and modulations. Sounds and words derive from a long journey through my way of living and facing musical creation." [Luciano Basso, April 2008]

The music unfolds like the soundtrack to a story in your mind. Part one of "Seize the Day" and "Mattino" are the set-up. The piano playing is sublime as Luciano spins a melodic pattern that inspires like a new day, very peaceful and pleasant. Immediately I am captivated by the album's confidence, you can sense he knows exactly what he wants throughout. In "Mattino" (Morning) the flute comes to double with the piano and is played with a breathy forcefulness as the piece continues to build. It is during "Ruotare"(Rotating) where the standard expectations fall away and I realize I have something special on my hands. Basso adds heavy drama to the mix in the form of wordless operatic soprano vocal, conjuring emotion, meditative, other-worldly places for several minutes. Out of nowhere he suddenly drops an insane Bartoccetti-like electric lead over his furious piano, pushing for obvious contrast-it's a bit of a risk but I think it works considering the flow of the album which is after all experimental. These vocals put this track into the Opus Avantra realm but in the last two tracks, constituting side 2, the album takes its third and final shift. On side two the vocals are gone leaving the piano and various treats moving to almost ambient territory in effect, reminding me of Popol Vuh sometimes. The piano playing is again pretty animated and patterns seem to repeat, but there are subtle changes. The other instruments cloud your concentration on the linear as well. Another interesting factor is the *way* the instruments sound and this is near impossible to describe, but at times various instruments are altered somehow to sound just a tad different than you might normally expect. In the final track there is a bit of distant Mark Knopfler-like lead guitar over the piano sounding a bit "Love Over Gold" for a bit. There is also some sitar playing that again clouds up the air nicely.

I believe "Cogli il Giorno" is a more important work than "Voci" as it seems to be Basso really reaching for something. In my opinion it does succeed and this is what music is all about. It is presented in the usual outstanding gatefold mini-lp sleeve edition by BTF/AMS and includes a live bonus track from the period. Dramatic, mysterious, impossible to conveniently define it is one definition of a masterpiece. Basso's first two albums are rewarding RPI gems and the kind of prog that keeps me interested. 4 ½ stars.

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