PRELUDIO AD UNA NUOVA ALBA

Marcello Capra is an Italian guitarist who played in the Seventies with Procession, he joined them on their debut album entitled Frontiera, released in 1972. In the same year he performed with Procession on a huge Italian progrock festival, including bands like VDGG, The Trip, Osanna, Le Orme, Banco and RDM. In 1978 Marcello made his first own LP named Aria Mediterranea and then he is involved in many musical activities, like support-act for singer-songwriter John Martyn and Dave Cousins (The Strawbs) during an acoustic tour. In 1993 he was included on the Italian progrock compilation Fafnir and in 2002 he joined an international 'guitar unplugged meeting'. Meanwhile Marcello continued releasing solo albums, Preludio Ad Una Nuova Alba from 2010 was #8 and released on Beppe Crovella (known as the Arte & Mestieri keyboard player) his Electromantic label. By the way, Marcello Capra his latest efforts are Fili Del Tempo from 2011, with Mauro Selis and Silvana Aliotta on Aspettando Jackpot (2012) and Onda Luminosa from 2015 and Ostinato Blu (2017) with the trio Glad Tree (featuring also Lanfranco Costanza and Kamod Raj).

Apart from one vocal track and two songs with electric guitar, on this album Marcello plays on an Ovation acoustic guitar. From the very first moment I am impressed by Marcello on Preludio Ad Una Nuova Alba, what a gifted guitar player! In comparison with an electric guitar, the acoustic guitar is such a different instrument. That explains the popularity of the 'unplugged' albums, from Steve Ray Vaughan and Neil Young to Nirvana and Golden Earring, the fans were delighted about the other side of a band/artist and that was often a very captivating experience. Before 'uplugged' there was the acoustic set, for me especially Led Zeppelin and Rory Gallagher showed how wonderful and sensational that could sound. And of course Howe and Hakcett, between the overwhelming electric guitars and keyboards, these were very delicate moments.

Well, listening to this album I was flooded with these thoughts and Marcello, as I stated earlier in this review, impressed me very much. Not only with his guitar play (rhythm guitar, twanging, solo runs, overdubs) but also as a composer. Because he delivers a lot of variety: a sitar-like sound in Danza Verde and Danza Turchese (evoking Ravi Shankar, famous from the Montery Pop Festival in 1970), in the vein of Steve Hackett in the dreamy Omaggi A Lulu and strong hints from Steve Howe in Vento Teso. In the final two tracks Tracce Meditterranee and Aira (featuring the talented Laura Ennas on vocals) he also used an electric guitar (the legendary Gibson Les Paul Deluxe), along warm acoustic rhythm guitar.

To me Marcello Capra sounds as an excellent guitarist who is not focussed on showing 'scale-acrobatics' but playing with emotion. And he writes pleasant, varied and harmonic compositons. So highly recommended to progheads who are into acoustic guitar oriented prog (like acoustic Howe and Hackett), and to all guitar fans who are up to the interesting world of the acoustic guitar.