SUL DIVANO

Sul Divano, the amazing Argentinean combo led by guitarist Tony Moliterni, will always bear that unhidden connection to Zappa since it began as (mostly) a Zappa cover band. "Fumigando Catedrales" is the first Sul Divano item based on original material, although it also includes some Zappa pieces. The use of Latin- jazz, fusion and hard-driven jazz-rock elements in many relevant places of the repertoire keeps Sul Divano from being just a Zappa clone. This album embraces a very cohesive sonic scheme. 'Osa Mayor' bears a polished dynamics that is fluidly developed through the motifs' sequential process. 'Praia do Gunga' states a more lyrical accent, and as a contrast, the bass guitar delivers some rough lines along the way; additionally, the long guitar solo creates explosive expansions that never get to break the overall mood. 'El Loro de Pasteur' starts with a circus-like ambience that eventually lands on funky ground, delivered in a patently dense fashion. The segued cover of 'Dupree's Paradise' makes a valid recreation of the original extended version: it includes a delicious piano solo. 'El Sueño de David Vincent' states a weird mixture of stylish reggae and chamber-rock - it includes a jazzy quotation of Richard Wagner's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" a swell as a humorous intersection of cartoon-like motifs. The namesake track is a definite highlight: its various adornments and twists state a balance between freedom and control in such a bizarre manner that it almost resembles pure chaos... but evidently it is not. Picture a hybrid of Picchio dal Pozzo and "Mysterious Travelle"-ea Weather Report with ounce of "Grand Wazoo"-era Zappa, and you might as well have it figured out. 'Llamen al Sai Baba' is a mid-tempo rocker set on a 5/4 tempo, with proper big band ornament settled in for good effect. 'La Canción del Joven Empresario' bears a recurrent jazz-funky vibe with extra Latin colors and a robust, somewhat aggressive instrumental portion. The tongue-in-cheek humor of 'The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing' and the agile complexity of 'Marque-son's Chicken' (the other two Zappa covers) keep the heat of the moment working tightly. The closer 'Mangiamela' (with lyrics inspired by the Hugh Grant-Divine scandal) states a well-ordained balance between the splendor of early 70s Zappa and the muscle early 80s Zappa. Zappa has to be mentioned a few times when reviewing a Sul Divano record, but as I said earlier, this is not a clone band, but an ensemble with enough original dynamism as to sort out a little distance from its major references. Anyway, "Fumigando Catedrales" is an excellent pog-jazz item from Latin America.