JUMBO

Perhaps no other band in the entire history of prog underwent an evolution as lightning fast through the course of three albums in rapid succession as Italy's JUMBO did in only two years. JUMBO recorded and released these three distinct albums in the early 70s which began with the rather uninspiring display of blues rock, followed by a much more dedicated prog album before taking a massive leap in creative ingenuity with its third and final offering VIETATO AI MINORI DI 18 ANNI? which has become known as one of the all-time masterpieces of the 70s prog scene.

This is made all the more amazing since JUMBO formed in Milan as far back as 1969 and only released its rather average proto-prog blues rock in the year 1972 when the genre had more than come of its own having delivered some of the most accomplished albums of the entire prog 70s. While the band's second effort "DNA" was a competent display off tertiary Italian prog, it still lacked the overall sophistication of a true classic however it would only take one new drummer and a year for the band's musical DNA to activate and take their musical performances into the stratosphere.

The sudden burst in musical mojo was the result of original drummer Vito Balzano relieving himself of his drumming duties and simply quit the music business altogether. By chance the band had witnessed a phenomenal drummer named Tullio Granatello playing at a local concert. His skills and unparalleled style simply blew band leader Alvaro Fella away with his virtuosic displays of jazz-infused drumming techniques. After a request for him to fill the slot of the band's freshly vacated percussionist's post, Granatello gracefully accepted and single-handedly inspired the band to up their game in every possible way.

After a month of intense rehearsals with the newly established drummer, JUMBO emerged a completely new band that went for the prog jugular with a unique stylistic approach that remained distinct from the burgeoning symphonic prog sounds of PFM and Banco and equally distinct from the more folk-based Le Orme. VIETATO AI MINORI DI 18 ANNI? ( translates as "Forbidden to Minors Under the Age of 18") was then recorded with the help of cutting edge gear such as the amazing VCS3 oscillators lent to the band by Franco Battiato as well as Aktuala percussionist Lino Capra Vaccina's wide assortment of bells, chimes and unique percussive contributions.

To make things even more bizarre the band recorded in a makeshift studio setting that served as Mussolini's press meeting lecture hall during the years of the brutal dictatorship, an unusual circumstance shared only by Latte i Mieli in those days. The lightning speed progression of the band's style gave them the confidence to experiment with not only the wildly avant-garde but also to explore taboo subject matters such drug addiction, prostitution, social injustices, religion, alcoholism and other non-puritan topics that got the band censored by national radio and television broadcasts. The title of the album refers to the unsavory subject matter that wouldn't be considered appropriate for children. Unfortunately the album came out boeuf the free radio broadcast movement caught traction. Minors who do not speak Italian are presumed to be safe however.

VIETATO AI MINORI DI 18 ANNI? was a leap in ingenuity on every conceivable level with stronger melodies, utterly unpredictable transitions between folky lush acoustic guitar led passages, psychedelic excursions, energetic hard rock outbursts and unorthodox compositional creations. Add to that all the wild experimental production techniques offered by the slickest and newest technological breakthrough courtesy of Franco Battiato's appreciated participation. The album wastes no time getting to business by starting things off in full vocal-led song form before transmogrifying through varying styles all delivered by unusual instrumental interplay, over the top catchy melodies and call and response intensity from the instruments.

The opening "Specchio" alone features a bizarre shapeshifting formula that allows hitherto unthinkable juxtaposition of stylistic differences to coincide, yet organized into such a manner that the phrasing finds a logical reprise for each musical motif only decorated in completely new colors. There album continues with one completely original track after another with each offering a distinct personality of its own. The following "Come Vorrei Essere Ugulae A Te," the ONLY track that found any trace of airplay starts off as a feisty piano roll before morphing into a trippy psychedelic folk number only to be overturned by a raucous heavy rock performance. The ending features an interesting tape speed increase which showcased the band's ingenuity in the recording process as well as the superior songwriting skills. Even the short 2-minute instrumental "Il RItorno Del Signor K" showcases an impressive display of flute and guitar tradeoffs before morphing into a bizarre and even hilarious Mediterranean cafe music silliness.

The majority of the album never loses the element of surprise nor the instant hooks of a memorable excellently ever-changing melodic procession. "Via Larga" continues the process however it's the 7-minute plus "Gil" that really stands out as the oddball of the album. Initiated by lead singer Alvaro Fella after the recording process left about 8 minutes of time to fill. The result was a psychedelic jam that featured an acoustic guitar and dreamy mini-moog with the help of Battiato's VCS3 space machine.

The addition of the chimes and bells made it sounds like a comic trip in the spirit of raga rock only drenched is freaky lysergic psychedelia making it one of the most unexpected curveballs that entire album had to offer. While originally a 20-minute cosmic free floater, the band was forced to edit it down to just over 7 but unfortunately didn't think of keeping the entire piece for future posterity. The track is accompanied by Fella's contemplative lyrical prose only this time semi-narrated. The freeform folk style evokes the freewheeling 60s communes much more than what JUMBO dished out on the previous tracks!

The final three tracks: Vangelo?," "40 Gradi" and "Noi" jump back into full on progressive mode with endless variations in drumming techniques, stylistic approaches, instrumental interplay and of course controversial lyrical delivers which of course were only sung in the Italian language. Church organs melded with psychedelia, jazzy interludes ceded to hard rock heft and stop / start ostinato elegance traded off with light breezy flute solos. The band had mastered the art of dynamics shifting and thus featured many alternating motifs within a fairly uniform rhythmic and melodic framework. No other band can i think of mastered the art of soft lush folk one minute and then raucous filthy guitar hard rock the next only followed by classical piano virtuosity and then who knows what next! Remember! This was WAAAAY before Mr Bungle :)

It goes without saying that JUMBO not only crafted its best album but also delivered one of the absolute pinnacles of progressive rock period. The album is flawless in execution, groundbreaking in its approach and startling in its unique delivery system all without sacrificing those attributes that cemented it firmly in the world of Italian progressive rock. Despite existing for another couple of years before the band ceased to exist, JUMBO never recorded again leaving this one prog rock legacy from 1973 behind as its' crowning achievement and one of the most memorable moments of classic Italian progressive rock. This is easily one of the top 10 Italian prog albums of all time and a personal all time favorite of any musical genre. Perhaps i'd even dare to say one of the best albums ever recorded in the entire history of recording music at all. Yep, it's that good and it only gets better every time you give a listen. While it's an instant four star love affair, time will only reveal the subtle genius on multiple levels.

The differences between the two albums released by Milan based JUMBO in 1972 are quite staggering. It seems to me that leader and vocalist Alvaro Fella was living in a 60s psych bubble and didn't keep up with the changing musical landscape around him as the eponymous debut release sounded like it easily could've been slipped into the 1968-69 timeline and no one would've thought anything was unusual, however somewhere between the debut release and the sophomore album which emerged only a few months later in the same year of 1972, Fella and his large ensemble of musicians got the word that progressive rock was en vogue and that a serious musical adjustment was in order to fit in with the times.

Of course since the world of progressive rock is all about complexities in the music, it meant that the solo project of Fella turned into a fully functioning band with all the members upping their game to create the more distinguished compositions required of more complex music. The result of this upgrade is the followup DNA which didn't exactly jettison the bluesy rock and folk textures of the debut album but merely augmented them until they sparkled of a more polished sophistication which makes this album much more interesting than the first. Therefore DNA didn't embrace classical music templates as its main compositional flow but rather retained the heavy psych and blues aspects of 1960s psychedelic rock making this album a somewhat rare example of progressive heavy blues rock.

And these guys didn't waste any time announcing that they were progging out big time as the first side of this album is completely swallowed up by the near twenty-one minute "Suite Per II Sig. K" which includes three extended passages ("Sta Accadendo Qualcosa Dentro Me," "Ed Ora Corri," "Dio E") that added liberal senses of adventurism that the debut lacked. JUMBO definitely stood out in the crowded world of early 1970s progressive rock. While PFM, Banco and many other Italian bands were based in the realms of symphonic prog, JUMBO on DNA featured a busy flute section more akin to Jethro Tull however the musical scales implements sound more Italian than English. The hard rock heft of the guitar crunch also shows an Osanna influence. The year 1972 was when Italian bands really started to find their own personality and the next few years would inspire a tidal wave of creative music.

Also unique is Alvaro Fella's grizzled vocal style. While exuding a passion in the vein of classic Italian singers and very much in Italian, his raspy vocals sound very much in opposition to the more operatic approach of his contemporaries. The extensive use of organ also harkens back to the psychedelic 60s rather than the classical symphonic wizardry of other Italian bands but somehow all of these quirks are what give DNA its unique personality although JUMBO would completely reinvent itself for its third and final tour de force album that followed, "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni." The opening near 21-minute "Suite Per II Sig. K" is perhaps the longest blues rock based magnum opus i've ever experienced. Somehow it deftly teases out the blues rock into a lengthy three suit sprawler with some nice time signature deviations and subtle contrapuntal nuances that keep it inspired throughout.

The rest of the album features three shorter tracks but all over five minutes. "Miss Rand" takes on a more direct progressive rock stance with choppy guitar riffing followed by church organs but then jumps into acoustic guitar and harmonica thus sounding a bit like an Italian Bob Dylan! The tempo picks up and some honky tonk piano rolls in. It's a rip roarin' good time! "E Brutto Sentirsi Vecchi" takes on a pastoral folk vibe not too far from what Genesis was doing on "Nursery Cryme" and "Foxtrot" with ample doses of dueling flute and molasses slow tempos. It's essentially the ballad of the album. The acoustic guitar performs some nice unusual chord progressions and fidgety time signatures. "Hai Visto" jumps back into heavy psych action with a beefy bass groove, guitar rock heft and hyperactive psychedelic organ runs and then shape shifts into jazzy piano rolls. It takes several minutes for the vocals to kick in but then it settles into mellow flute led folk. A bit of a fizzle to end an album but pleasant nonetheless.

While not nearly as captivating as JUMBO's grand finale, the energetic powerhouse "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni," DNA provided a fascinating transition from non-prog blues rock to totally prog blues rock which opened the doors for the band to go gangbuster on the next album. This album features no bad tracks per se but the continuity is a bit amiss. It seems a bit aimless at times but never in a totally bad way. I would've hoped for a more energetic conclusion towards the end as the folky finale just sort of peters out with no climactic conclusion. Perhaps just a two minute delivery of some sort of uproar would've injected just a bit more of life into this oft sleepy creeper. Despite these minor quips, DNA is actually a really beautiful album that stands apart from virtually everything else of the day. While not as perfect as what came after and not nearly as accomplished as the giants of the contemporary RPI scene, DNA is nevertheless an excellent example of a band taking the more straight forward sounds of blues, rock and folk and decorating them like a Christmas tree with progressive ornamentation.

Jumbo are an unrecognized gem in the RPI scene overlooked by most except those who have dug deeper into Italian 70's prog.. Led by the polarizing vocalist Alvara Fella, Jumbo created a minor masterpiece with their third album, Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?

From the first burst of vocals at the beginning of side one (Specchio), you know this album is a little different than your typical Italian prog album of the 70's. Snarling with equal measures of anger, disdain and a world weariness so common in Italian prog vocalists, Fella rails against injustices of oppression of various undertrodden factions, and his gruff anger is palpable. The music is widely varied, but in a much more successful fashion than say Alusa Fallax. Acoustic guitars alternate with wailing electric guitars, while flute and organ propel and withdraw tastefully. New drummer Tullio Granatello enables the band to explore even further than their nearly as good second album, DNA. The cartoonish soundtrack introduction of Via Larga gives way to an uncharacteristically gentle ballad which builds to a final slowly building jam that finishes with a vocal explosion similar to how the side started. Side one is fairly amazing in its scope and execution, with a breathtaking exhibition of musicianship worthy of accolades in 1970's NME polls. (of course that never happened)

Side two brings a different side to the band, something not shown on earlier works. Some point to Gil as the centerpiece of the album, almost Amon Duul-ish with exotic percussion, tabla, and some VCS3 courtesy of Franco Battiato-mellotron underlies the introduction before the anguished vocals of Fella call us to attention. This piece is free flowing, ambient and closer to Battiato's work than Jumbo for fans of space rock influenced RPI. But this is the only stop in free form land, The delicate Vangelo? (Gospel?) brings us back to flute directed passages that sound like Selling England By the Pound beefed up with an aggressiveness that is this band's strength. Album closer 40 Giadi begins with Nursery Cryme era Genesis acoustic gentleness before giving way to a Canterbury style organ jam- but as is their wont, Fella lets loose, temporarily terrorizing the Caravan/Soft Machine proceedings before settling back to gentleness. Uh oh, he's snarling again. The album ends in carnival madness, like someone dosed PFM and dropped them off at the circus to accompany the proceedings.

Honestly, The lead singer of Jumbo is a character unlike many in Italian prog-people either love him or hate him, little middle ground. Although there are some who sound similar to him, he is one of a kind in his ability to use his gruff voice as not only an instrument, but something that can change a song instantly. (Demetrio Stratos is another person who had this ability, although he stands alone for vocal ingenuity in not only Italian rock, but the history of modern music.)

Widely varying in scope, this is one of the little known masterpieces in RPI.

Reference points: 1970-1972 Genesis (albeit with a surly Italian madman confronting you personally instead of Gabriel). Some King Crimson. Some Amon Duul 2, some PFM. Mostly though, they sound like Jumbo. When it gets difficult to codify a band in terms of other bands, you know they are on to something.

Definitely one of my top ten RPI albums.

Five stars without hesitation

JUMBO was one of many Italian progressive rock bands that emerged at the beginning of the 70s, released a few albums and then disappeared as the style began to subside. Formed by Alvaro "JUMBO" Fella in 1969, this band began more as a solo project of Fella who released a couple singles ("In Estate (In The Summertime" and "Montego Bay") for the label Numero Uno. After scoring a contract with the Phillips label, Fella spent the entire year of 1971recording his first eponymously titled album which while presented as a group effort was in fact basically another solo effort with a lineup that included five other musicians on guitar, bass, keyboards, flute, drums, an occasional saxophone and even a mouth harp. While JUMBO is more famous for their third and more adventurous album "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?" which blended avant-garde experimentalism with Italian progressive rock, on this debut the music sounds more like Italy's version of Creedence Clearwater Revival than PFM, Banco or any of the romantic classically infused Italian progressive rock bands of the era.

The first album JUMBO of 1972 (followed a few months later by the second album "DNA") is basically a 60s sounding blues rock album that incorporates aspects of folk and prog without ever getting too complex and never diving into the adventurousness that Italy was experiencing at the time. Keyboards exude a rather 60s psychedelic pop groove, tribal percussion dots a rather ordinarily percussive backdrop while bluesy guitar riffs provide the accompaniment for Fella's grizzled John Fogerty type of vocal style only everything sounds better in Italian! Jethro Tull provides some influence in the flute department but nothing sounds even close to Ian Anderson's idiosyncratic style of beautiful melodies fluttering from his woodwind and there is also some sax instrumentation that is unfortunately uncredited but provides a jazzy counterpoint from time to time.

The first JUMBO album is a pleasant journey of catchy bluesy rock tracks only in a subdued and more folk oriented presentation however this album just sounds like it is five years too late but doesn't make it a horrible listen by any means. What this album lacks is an interesting variety of tracks. It seems very much a lyrics oriented album and if you don't happen to understand the Italian language then that aspect will escape you. JUMBO is generally regarded as Fella's weakest offering with which i completely concur. The second album "DNA" improves significantly the complexities of the compositions and finds the musicians maturing more as a band unit rather than a solo led effort. There is nothing on this debut that even comes close to the brilliance of the third album "Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?" which i find to be one of the finest examples of early 70s Italian prog, however album number one is not a waste of time by any means. Fella passionate belts out ten subdued and rocking tracks that are all melodically pleasing despite sounding as if some late 60s tapes were dusted off and presented as contemporary material.

Not how I would like to remember Jumbo.

I can't believe this is the same band who released DNA and Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni. What in god's name happened to Jumbo? and what were they thinking?? Ok, There are hundreds of bands especially in that time that were not interested in making prog anymore, that's fine, but releasing an album like this is simply embarrassing. I had to check out the lineup before I slay this album and surprisingly enough it's almost the same line up responsible for releasing one of my top favorite italian prog albums Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni. After splitting up a few years after its release, the band reunited in 1983 and recorded this album which was released in 1992 by Mellow records.

This is not a prog rock album, not by any strech. This is mainly amateurish pop rock with some funk elements sprinkled on top. There are two main problems here making this album hard to digest. Poor material and horrible sound quality. The album's material ranges from bad to embarrassing to mediocare at best. All instruments were poorly recorded and poorly mixed especially guitars and drums, The album's sound is muddy and overall sounds bad which is quite surprising for 1983 and for a band with already a recording experience. Vocals by Alvaro Fella are in italian as usual except for the album's opener "JC" sung in heavy accented english. It's a tribute song for John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (hence its name), taking the main theme and interpreted to a rocky version, nice but also quite embarrassing too. The CD version offers the same song recorded live with even a worse sound quality (imagine that). "Willi" could be the best song here with some cool guitar playing by original guitar player Pupo Bianchini, far from anything essential though. There are no solos (except for one or two), no interludes or any interesting breaks that could remind us the old and fascinating Jumbo of the 70's. There are few nice parts here and there but the material overall is pretty bland and uninspired. The worst song here which could easily win the 1983 worst song competition is "Balla Ballerina", when they start to sing "balla balla.....balla ballerina" I just gotta hit that skip button....and fast.

I'm sorry to slay this album so much, I really do, I still hold a special place for Jumbo in my heart, but as you already understand by now this would appeal only to completionists (like me). Those very few mediocare parts doesn't manage to save this album from being a total disaster or doesn't even grant it with a second star. It is sad to see this is Jumbo's last attempt at making music but it is what it is. 1.5 stars.

Jumbo were on fire in early-70's, belonging among the most popular live rock bands, and in 1973 a third album by the band followed.Entitled ''Vietato ai minori di 18 anni?'' and released again on Phillips, it shows the presence of new drummer Tullio Granatello in the place of Vito Balzano.

Stylistically Jumbo remained along the lines of ''DNA'', playing complex Heavy Progressive Rock with major Folk passages and occasional symphonic vibes.In fact the opening ''Specchio'' is among the most complete tracks of the italian scene, featuring the raw voice of Fella, excellent flute work, complicated guitar parts and a fair amount of Hammong organ waves.The rest of the album doesn't exactly reaches this high level of inspiration, but it is decent to say the least.It follows a weird mix of Classic Italian Prog mixed with extended acoustic parts and even Avant-Garde passages, like on the haunting and slow piece ''Gil'', containing percussion, obscure keyboard parts, acoustic mannerisms and Fella's frightening voice.While these moves are not along the lines of the average prog listener, there is still strong proggy doses to be left with nice guitar work, organs and flutes as the main components.

The last single of the band came in 1975 and the next appearance of Jumbo came in 1983 with the unsuccesful LP ''Violini d'autunno''.Daniele Bianchini was the main man behind Jumbo's couple of brief reunions and two more works saw the light in more recent years, the 1992 ''Live'' and the 2001 CD ''1991-2001 Passing By'', far from the band's early style.

''Vietato ai minori di 18 anni?'' was actually the last contribution of Jumbo in the Italian Prog scene.While not being that consistent as the ''DNA'' album, it contains some great pieces of prog music next to more experimental tracks of less interest.Overall, strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

Jumbo - Vietato ai minori di 18 anni (1973)

Besides the big RPI groups (Banco, PFM, Orme) the Italian prog scene hosts a long list of smaller groups that produced a lot of often semi-professional symphonic/eclectic progressive rock records with an extrovert style. Jumbo made two acclaimed records, this is the second of them. The low & raw vocals of Alvara Fello are often seen as a letdown - but at least the man is motivated and honest.

Jumbo has an eclectic mix of styles, with most noteworthy heavy psych, folk, symphonic, space and world-music. The music sometimes evokes the fanatic feel for which a band like VdGG is remembered, whilst the music is way more fragmentary and unfocused. Jumbo has lots of great ideas and most work quite good, but lacks the extended song-writing skills to create a very meaningful experience (though knowing the Italian language might have helped here). Having that said there's quite a lot to enjoy here! Almost every moment of the album has some prove of an inventive mindset and the band thrives in its quieter experiments. During bombastic movements the recording isn't up to the challenge, an element of RPI music the real lovers must learn to live with. I sometimes find myself trying to listen to 'what could have been'.

Conclusion. Another strong, but semi-professional, eclectic Italian prog record that will be liked by most of its fans - though one shouldn't expect subtle vocals. Three and halve stars.

Showing a significant improvement over the preceding DNA, on this album Jumbo bring the differing strands of their sound together and come up with a new and original approach which sets them apart from the RPI crowd. Long spacey and psychedelic passages demonstrate a wider range of influences than typical bands of the era, and the occasional part which approaches fusion demonstrates the band's technical virtuosity. The overall sound I'd describe as a heavy, spacey sort of symphonic prog, a mixture which proves to be really quite compelling. This is an album which has grown on me a lot as I've listened to it, and fully deserves to be Jumbo's highest-rated album.

An interesting RPI album with a bluesier, rockier, more Tull-influenced approach than most of its contemporaries (though the obligatory borrowing from Trespass-era Genesis is still a factor). The lead singer's voice is a big draw, as many other reviewers have noted, but at the same time I feel that this album just doesn't quite pull its musical ideas together enough to avoid being overshadowed by contemporary albums from Le Orme, Premiata Forneria Marconi, or Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. It's a fun ride if you want your RPI to rock out a little more than PFM typically do, but I wouldn't make it your first port of call if you were just beginning to explore Italian prog.

Singer Alvaro Fella of Jumbo has a voice that can only be described as guttural, off-putting, and visceral. But these superficial qualities are made up for in spades with sheer emotion and passion in his vocal delivery. While Jumbo's debut album (released only a few months earlier) was essentially a solo album, Fella leads the group on DNA and they manage to create a near masterpiece of Italian Progressive Rock. These strides would only continue on the perfect Vietato Di Minori Di 18 Anni, but DNA is the more accessible of the two and a good starting point for this band.

The side-long "Suite Per Il Sig. K" may well be Jumbo's finest accomplishment. Though it is not a showy exercise or even progressive in the literal sense of the term, "Suite Per Il Sig. K" reveals a unique talent...one not afraid to tip a hat to their contemporaries, but forge a singular path as well. Jumbo's heavy, bluesy sound will delight fans of Led Zeppelin and The Doors as much as Genesis and Jethro Tull. This broad appeal enamors the listener to them, even if the vocals are a little distracting at first. By the end, a gentle stanza expressed wonderfully by Fella will reward those curious enough to stick around and see what Jumbo is all about. "Miss Rand" is more straightforward, and the piano so dominant in "Suite" is appended by organ. Fella again takes the driver's seat, and a ragtime free-for-all ensues. "E' Brutto Sentirsi Vecchi" is the strongest song on side 2, and will foreshadow the sound yet to appear on Jumbo's next album. A slow ballad gradually builds, then ends with a whimper - the finest moment on the album for sure.

"Hai Visto..." sees Fella get out of the way, allowing the group to explore some jazzier elements and just play without having to support a vocal. A repeat of the theme from "Suite Per Il Sig. K" bookends the album neatly, and creates an exit strategy. It also creates a sense of unfinished business, as the acoustic guitar stops abruptly without a feeling of closure. This open-ended nature of DNA makes me only want one thing...to play it again. Four stars.