SAINT JUST

Italian Psychedelic/Folk Rock band,started in 1972 as a trio,led by Alan Sorrenti's sister Jenny on vocals (but listed as Jane on the albums for unknown reasons) and accompanied by guitarist/bassist/singer Antonio Verde and saxophonist Robert Fix.They came from Napoli and released their eponymous debut in 1973 on Harvest,helped by keyboardist Mario D'Amora,famous jazz drummer Toni Esposito and guitarist Gianni Guarracino of Citta Frontale fame.

An uncomparable band indeed,Saint Just played a weird mix of Ethnic music and Folk Rock with plenty of Classical passages,where folk atmospheres alternate with organ themes and piano passages all the time but occasionally supported by light electric tunes.The music is soft but rather dark with plenty of acoustic guitars and characterized by Jenny's Sorrenti poetic and haunting vocal lines.While the whole album flows in a relaxed mood,there are surprisingly lots of breaks and alternating ideas in almost every track,which makes ''Saint just'' a demanding release.Organs, pianos and saxes have a major role leading the way and the few electric parts are well-played yet quite smooth.Surprisingly the self-titled number of the album is entirely sung in French by Sorrenti in a theatrical way with a definite beauty surrounding this delicate track.

One of the unique Folk Rock albums you can find and enjoy despite its difficult atmosphere with a variety of influences, from Classical to Mediterrenean to Psychedelic music.Recommended, especially to anybody enjoying more of a haunting mood than some complex music.

Saint Just came to me highly recommended but with a warning that they wouldn’t likely ‘click’ at first, but over time would grow in appeal considerably. That turned out to be an accurate description.

This was an Italian trio from Naples who set out with the intent of creating a unique, modern sound that at the same time respected tradition and was dreamy and colorful and free from any restrictions of convention. I know this because the CD’s liner notes say so. I think they succeeded for the most part. There are a few points on the album where I get the impression the three of them are trying a bit to hard to be unique and clever and kind of fall flat, but these are few and you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs anyway.

Like I said the band is a trio, they’re Italian and they are playing modern folk rock. That should tell you enough about there sound. But it doesn’t really. In addition to the gorgeous classical piano you’d expect there are also occasional blasts of psych electric guitar on “Il Fiume Inondo” and “Una Bambina”; bongos and castanets with dense rhythms (“Una Bambina”); carnival-like organ with gentle plucked acoustic guitar accompaniment (“Trister Poeta di Corte”); and even a sort of spoken/chanted-word piece with a thudding backbeat that could easily be sampled by some up-and-coming hip-hop musician even today (“Saint Just”).

But the two most prominent and overwhelming characteristics of this music come in the form of the singer listed simply as “Jane” in the liner notes (“Jenny Sorrenti”), and saxophonist Robert Fix. Sorrenti has one of those voices that you’ll love or hate, but either way will take some time to get used to. It’s hard to say what register or octave she’s singing in most of the time, but she comes off sort of like Bernadette Peters doing Kate Bush covers. After some time I’ve sort of come to appreciate her voice although she is undoubtedly on the outer fringe of prog singers, along with Geddy Lee, Colin Meloy, Kate Bush and probably even Peter Hammill.

The songs are a mixed-bag despite all being clearly in the prog folk arena. The opening and lengthy “Il Fiume Inondo” persists a lovely piano line that is alternately accented by the saxophone, Sorrenti’s soaring vocals, tasty guitar licks and Fix’s reverberating and undulating saxophone passages. What starts out as a classically-tinged acoustic instrumental ends up being a sort of operatic psych trance thing, and the delicate piano passage eventually gives way to some harsh, discordant and jazzy ivory-tickling before the whole thing is over. I’ll give these guys credit that they managed to put out something pretty unique, and not at all what you’d expect by looking at the cover or liner notes.

“Il Risveglio” almost plays out in reverse of “Il Fiume Inondo”, opening pretty quickly and energetically with Sorrenti’s vocals and guest Gianni Guarracino’s jamming electric guitar licks before working its way into a mild jazz bridge and finally to a pastoral piano and saxophone passage that is tastefully framed by classical and some electric guitar. “Dolci Momenti” on the other hand is quite brief, and mostly emphasizes Sorrenti’s vocals along with organ bells and pipes.

I like “Una Bambina” the most on this record, with its shape-shifting sections that, like the opening track, move from classical piano and operatic vocals to tight fuzzed psych guitar and strummed acoustic that themselves give way to a highly syncopated rhythm with castanets, Sorrenti overdubbing herself in two widely separated octaves with what sounds more like an intense Latin love song, and Fix’s really wacky sax.

There are only six songs on the album and the last two are much more restrained that the earlier ones, although “Trister Poeta di Corte” does include a brief cacophonic passage of sax and guitar. Otherwise it ends up as mostly a very long and plodding drum/piano dirge that eventually just plays itself out.

The closing track bears the same name as the band, but is one of the shortest tracks on the album. It was clearly meant as a closing piece and is highlighted by some very tasteful classical guitar and the carnival-like atmosphere established by guest keyboardist Mario D'Amora.

I doubt record this will remain high on my playlist for very long, but I’m glad I was introduced to these guys and look forward to hearing their second and final album if I can ever find it; that one was released on CD many years ago but I doubt it is still available. Anyway, well- recommended to prog folk fans, possibly to fans of Italian prog, and to those who think Clare Grogan was the best part of Altered Images. Three stars.

peace

It is been a long time since I got this album. And I rarely listened this album. One or Two times only for a year.It struct me that this music is quite good to me as other Rock Progressivo Italiano did though I didn't like this album at first. I usually listen to the music when I am driving my car for don't have much chance or time as usual in home or so. So I turned the volum high my car cacette usually. finally I do not forget the wonderful feeling that the music gives me in my car. sometimes it struct me in my head the melody was going, then I feel great. anyway how I wish i had the chance to hear my faverate song much!

Out of all the Italian prog groups, very few come out sounding different to the usual Italian symphonic style, some heading towards jazz (Prigeo, A&M, PdP, Area etc.), some heading more frankly towards folk or avant folk (Pierrot Lunaire and..???). That's right, there aren't many more, but Saint Just's first album is indeed aiming in that direction (more than the second, which is ooogling towards jazz rock). Madrugada's debut was also folk, as might be folk, but it fails to have an avant-garde feel. SJ is a trio made from saxman Roberto fix, guitarist/bassist Tony Verde and Jane Sorrenti, a singer whose's voice is one of the stranger one around, sometimes sounding like the typical female folk singer, and at times unbearably twisted, sometimes making you think of Joana Newsom's screechy Far Eastern- sounding vocals. Recorded in early 73 as a trio, but with the help of Mario D'Amora on keyboards and percussionist/drummer Tony Esposito and the assistance of Jane's brother Alan, their debut album was released on the Italian Harvest branch with a weird doll artwork.

Starting solemnly enough on the 10-mins+ Il Fiume Inondo with guitar and piano arpeggios, until Jane's voice interrupts chillingly this classical folk ballad, but to give it another folk direction until rerouted again this time via Fix's sax to yet another more avant-garde tune, seemingly intended to finish inside D'Amora's piano's gut. Despite the complexity of the music, the instrumentation is rather sparse this helps fuelling the weirdness. The following 6-mins Rivesglio is no less weird, using the same acoustic guitar and Jane's unusual voice (§she sounds Chinese at times), but a searing Frippian electric guitar solo (courtesy of guest Guarracino) changes the deal and D'Amora's piano enters again the plot, later replaced by the sax and finally returning to the guitar and Jane lament that opened the track. Dolci Momenti (soft/sweet/smooth moments) closes the a-side with much gentle care, a bit like a kid's musical box.

The flipside opens on the 8-mins Una Bambina, the usual SJ folk track until a Frippian guitar chase the original idea, soon replaced by a Jaxon-like sax, while Verde is noc competa The six-mins+ Trista Poeta Di Corte is homage to the French poets, whom were beat poets with over half a century of advance on Rimbaud, Baudelaire & Verlaine and well over a century Kerouac, Ginsbergh and Burroughs. The closing eponymous track is sung by Jane, but this time in French (credible although never sounding more Chinese or Newsom, herself) but it mighjt bethe album's weaker moment.

A superb and somehow frightening debut album from one of Italy's lesser-known prog band, SJ's debut album is maybe in the top 10 Italian album of that decade, and probably of all time. Unlike Pierrot Lunaire, though, their second album will not remain in the same avant-folk realm, but aim to fuller (less sparse) jazz-rock with a reinforced line-up.

3.5 stars really!!!

SJ's Casa Del Lago is sadly the second and last album of this band, even if the line-up is very different than that of the debut album, having augmented from a trio (losing the sax) and now being a quintet, including a full-time drummer. The music is obviously fairly different than the excellent avant-folk rock of the debut album, here drawing more on a symphonic jazz-rock with a fairly present violin and a mellotron. Again released on the Italian branch of Harvest, with the famous lakeside-house picture amputated by five squares of lake water under the sun as the sleeve artwork, CDL is a stunning album that breaks quite a few clichés about the Italian prog scene.

The opening Tristana features some nearly incomprehensible singing (impossible to understand the lyrics by listening to her) from the otherwise great voice of Jane Sorrenti (makes me think of Jane Relf), some great lead guitar and bass work, good percussions, excellent drumming and a solid violin, plus a sax solo, but has a weird outro that doesn't fit at all the main body of the track. The following 11mins Nella Vita, Un Pianto has a different slant, using some flamenco overtones and often dramatic jazz rock, with a good measure of symphonic thrown in via the mellotron, but the violin as well. An excellent track only surpassed by the title track.

The flipside is made of four shorter tracks, the first of which, Travel In Time, is a quieter affair, with the drummer preferring percussions, but stays well within the general direction of the album. The 6-mins+ title track is really more of the same plus two undeclared wind instruments (clarinets), but then again since "the same" is so good, we shall not deny our pleasure. Messicano (Mexican) is a very different conga-filled affair that develops a Central American feel, mixed with some African guitar work and, strangely enough, harmonicas. It's a little strange, but provides some welcome change of atmosphere at the right time. However the closing Earth Of Truth is definitely more surprising, with guitarist Rinesi holding the main vocals (Jane is very present in the background), but the acoustic piece is so sparse, that it brings you back slightly to the debut album. While I might have chosen to place either Tempo or the title track to close the album, moving the last two tracks up a notch in order to have the album's end more in line with the general direction, because ending the album with such a bizarre non-representative track is a bit weird.

Although a different beast than its predecessor, CDL is certainly no less worthy and it might just top it, many progheads even preferring this one. It's a bit too bad that SJ only stopped after two albums, as I'm sure more albums would've kept the band progressing. In either case, while there are still some folk overtones on this album, don't be fooled with its progressive folk belonging, due mostly to the group's debut album. One might also see a bit of a parallel between Madrugagada and Saint Just, as both had a folk prog album for their debut, then followed it up with a much jazzier-rock second (and last) album.

Another esoteric dreamland of musical pleasure

Here's one of those surreal, strange trips that just throws you off-kilter at first but soon enough becomes irresistible. Saint Just was an avant-folk group from Naples who fashioned this haunting interpretation of prog-folk with elements of centuries past classical, romantic and traditional folk influence. They don't sound like anyone precisely, but to give a general idea I can float the names Pierrot Lunaire, Trees, Fairport, Vashti Bunyan, Houlderlin's Traum. The band contrasts simple and sparse arrangements with almost free-form bursts of creativity and avant magic. Imagine a laid back piano playing alone in a large room. Suddenly the vocals of Jenny Sorrenti fill the air and soon you will encounter all manner of acoustic guitar, sax, flute, drumming all as if led by their own separate muse. It can often be disconcerting and seemingly random but eventually it pulls you in. Vocally Jenny Sorrenti is one of those challenging singers for whom some will be unable to tolerate. In the way that people can find Kate Bush, Rose Podwojny (Sandrose), or Jacqueline Darby (Pierrot Lunaire) too annoying many could have that problem with Sorrenti. Her high-pitched and eccentric delivery could be seen as an exciting style or just plain caterwauling depending on your viewpoint. I enjoy both her vocals and the musical schizophrenia very much. The 10 minute opener encapsulates the album well and Steve is correct to point out that there is a homemade sound to the recording akin to early Amon Duul II. And yet small details emerge with each listen that prove the slick productions of today are not necessarily preferable when the intent is this kind of experience. It is precisely the loose style that helps the album work to fullest potential. And it is the personal and intimate nature of the fragile voice and sparse piano/guitars that make this kind of music so endearing. Not for everyone but a must for avant-folk lovers. 7/10

I'm quite impressed by the technical skills and the rich catalogue of expressions delivered by this cult 70's prog folk collective. However I must recognize that as many Italian prog essays, this one gets the price of kitschy melodies and old fashioned style...but anyway let's make abstraction of it...the album starts with the wonderful and colourful "Tristana" written as an energic rocking folk ballad, including a dreamy, nostalgic like atmosphere (the acoustic side & female vocal) and almost psychedelic moves (the guitars and the hallucinatory sax solo break that reminds me Clearlight). "Nella Vita, Un Pianto" opens with a mysterious, lunatic and evocative guitar / cello duet, a pleasant introduction rapidly followed by emotional female vocals. The track progressively gets into a more freak 'n roll vibe with a faster tempo and an insistent groove. The symphonic like dimension tends to be cheesy in the second half of the title + some misplaced vocals. The self title track deliversa gentle folkish "trip" with a lot of lalalala and sensual Italian vocals. A good mention to the piano parts that provide fine improvisations. The song contains also a nice jazzy feeling dominated by technical lead guitars and floating sax solos. A pleasant listening for the relaxed, groovy tempo. Nothing really transcendant despite that is nicely made (especially the improvised parts and their enchanting atmosphere).

Saint Just, from Naples, was a great folk-avantgarde-prog band. The first selftitled album, realized in 1973, is a fascinating example of dreaming music, with sax, piano and guitar (acoustic and electric) in evidence, but the real focus is the great, fascinating voice of Jane Sorrenti, a very original singer. Due to its poetical atmosphere, sometimes with an interesting avantgarde attitude and strange breaks, the album remains one of the most experimental in the Italian Prog scene. Best tracks: "Il fiume inondò" and "Una bambina". If you love english folk-rock like Fairport Convention or Comus, I recommend that.

Inconsistant

"La Casa del Lago" is a nice piece of Italian prog with much going for it, with some real stand-out "moments". It lies mainly in a folk-rock kind of vein and, while reminding me of a lot of other bands in places, has an overall style all of it's own - it's a great pity the band never got to develop it further, as I feel they could have produced a masterpiece given the evidence before me...

The intro to "Tristana" gives away very little about what is to follow; acoustic guitar and squelched keyboards set up a myriad of expectations which are dashed somewhat when the band kicks in;

A gently grooving riff with perfect, loose execution is topped off by the synth sounds which quickly become somewhat old. When the vocals replace the keyboard, and a winding piano offsets a meandering bass and all is forgiven. Utterly sublime vocal textures with really neat subtle backing vox conjour up a tranquil, if slightly dark pastoral feel. The instrumental textures cotton on quickly, and reach a similar level of sublimity...

There is a feeling here of "Script For a Jester's Tear" underpinning the main direction of the musical development - especially in the piano/bass interaction; forget Genesis! This is much closer to the original style of Marillion - even the Celtic flavoured guitar is there.

A frantic gypsy-style violin drives the textures forward, and everything gets rather chaotic - I'm put in mind slightly of Comus' "First Utterance" in flavour - but chaotic is good, and this doesn't get strung out... A pause and another complete change of texture, and we feel like we're listening to a new track - but this is just an odd little interlude that doesn't progress the music at all. An odd way to end the piece, which sets up expectations that the rest of the album is going to be somewhat inconsistent...

"Nella Vita, un Pianto" has a nice unison moment between 'Cello and guitar melody, before the violin kicks in again, painting a hauntingly evocative scene - I'm getting flavours of an old village in Tuscany with crumbling stone buildings, probably set on a rocky outcrop. Jane Sorrenti treats us to some more sublime vocals that I would like to hear "soar" a little more - maybe that's just me.

The music gently winds its way onwards - progresses - then suddenly changes to a more "rock" moment with a Spanish flavour and some really peculiar time changes. This gets slightly uncomfortable, but maintains the intrigue well enough to not only prevent me from even thinking about the skip button, but instead makes me anticipate the next time I listen to this album. An open invitation indeed. The music develops subtly and continually, with some really great thematic development and conversations happening between the instruments and particularly the vox, which enter a "moment" - one of those rare bits of pure prog that really hits me as perfect.

Unfortunately for my taste buds, this is not maintained, but fortunately for progression, this is moved on and developed. Saint Just may not have the uncanny feel for musical development of, say, Gentle Giant, but they have something close - a natural feel for when the music needs to move on, and, on the whole, the ability and clarity of musical vision to make it happen "just right" - just, maybe, a tad hesitantly. Still, their naievity has a charm all of its own, and 11 minutes still ends up feeling a mite too short for this piece!

"Viaggio Nel Tempo" begins far more conventionally than the previous two pieces, and descends into an ensemble passage that is slightly messy and directionless. I'm put in mind of Jefferson Airplane on a bad day. Around 3:30 we get a nice change with vocals that remind me a little of Clannad, and textural changes that are rather inconsistent. Sadly, this is much too short, and the song never picks up, develops or, more importantly, improves despite my hope that it will.

The title track is kind of more of the same - but fortunately, more of the same of the good stuff that preceeded "Viaggio Nel Tempo". Nothing ground breaking or earth-shattering here, but Jane Sorrenti's vocals are captivating, even when she's just singing "La-la-la". Frankly, she could be singing about doing the washing up or mucking out the cowshed and it would still sound entrancing.

This song enters more into jam territory, and is far less structured or progressive than earlier tracks - but I could care a whole lot less. Frankly, this track could be on continuous repeat and I probably wouldn't get tired of it after a day. OK, an hour maybe...

"Messicano" is a great depature providing a nice contrast however. Uptempo and with an almost Santana-style carnival atmosphere, any darkness that may have previously provided an undercurrent has disappeared for 6 minutes of light and exuberance.

Kind of a pity in a way, as, maybe the departure is a bit too great - I feel here that the spell that this album may have woven is irrevocably lost, despite Sorrenti's enthusiastic attempts to lift it further - in places, she sounds a little like Janis Joplin. The guitar solo is horribly derived and cheesey, and layering another guitar solo in there with harmonica just confuses the whole thing and leaves it floundering somewhat.

"La Terra della Verita" closes side 2 off with what we hope is going to be a return to the opening mood and texture. It's quite a shock to hear Tito Renesi take over vocal duties, but his baritone is pure and steady and contains just enough emotion to prevent it from sounding overly precious - but he doesn't "do" vocalisations with the panache of Sorrenti. Fortunately she drifts into the backing vocals, fulfilling my wish. There's no real development in this little piece, although the instrumentalists grow the texture towards the end, and blur the underlying structure well for a good close to the album.

Conclusion: A really good proggy album, the first half and the very end well worth a listen by any progger - especially those with a predeliction for the folkier sounds. But this is not a pure folk album, and the rock moments are great for chilling out to - kind of Renaissance without the ridiculous "classical" piano bits. The quality of the musicianship is more than reasonable, if a tad patchy - but don't let that put you off. When it's good, it's really good! If you're just starting to explore Italian prog, you might want to dive into P.F.M.'s back catalogue first :o)

Prog Rating (Is it progressive): 6/10

Rock Rating (Does it rock?): 6/10

Creativity Rating (Are the artists pushing their style to the limits?): 8/10

Musicianship Rating (Do the artists execute the music well?): 7/10

Enjoyment Rating (Do I like it?): 6/10

Total : 33/50 = 66%. Technically 4 stars, but dragged down by the not-so-good bits IMO.

Very Good indeed in places, but non-essential. It's well worth checking out "Nella Vita, un Pianto", though - I'd say this piece alone is essential.

Their second album is in a very similar vein as their debut, means a very nice blend of celtic (singer Jenny Sorrenti has grown up in Wales) as well as mediterranean folk, psychedelic and some classical elements. Most characteristic feature of SAINT JUST's music is certainly the voice of Alan Sorrenti's sister which is as unique as his, at times rather exalted and onomatopoeic. I can imagine people having trouble with very high-pitched vocals might need a few listens to get used to it. Obviously this was the case with my fellow reviewer. Nevertheless I don't think this is a reason to give this actually very beautiful album a low rating.

Tristana opens despite its title with a rather up-tempo nice instrumental section by keyboard and electric guitar before Jenny comes in with her dominant expressive voice. Then there is a part with furious violin and wordless vocals and a pure acoustic finish. Very impressing opener.

The wonderful second track Nella Vita, Un Pianto is initially more in a discreet and a very folk-typical vein with lithesome tunes by violin, acoustic guitar, harp and some reluctant keys in the back. Both celtic and mediterranean folk are merged in a perfect way here. After about 4 minutes both music and vocals are becoming much more "allegro" and at this point I'd like to mention the awesome musicianship presented here including an excellent rhythmic section. This one is for sure the best track and together with the opener highlight of the album.

Viaggio Nel Tempo is a very typical more up-tempo celtic folk song, just with Italian vocals, very often without any lyrics and with two voices by Jenny and Tito Rinesi . As well a very nice one.

The title song begins with a short atmospheric intro, before guitars starting to play and Jenny's voice comes in. After a while the wordless vocals are moving a bit into the back and instruments (guitar, piano, harp) are coming into focus. Actually I can hear more different types than are listed in the line-up. There's definitively something like a clarinet or soprano sax involved as well, maybe by keyboard but it sounds rather natural. Really an awesome interplay between the different instruments. That's the third highlight of the album.

Messicano is a very quirky song, again mostly with wordless vocals, excellent guitar play and rhythmic section. There's as well a nice part with harmonica included.

Finally the short La Terra della Verita closes in a rather relaxed and acoustic vein with Tito Rinesi on lead vocals supported by Jenny Sorrenti. A very nice epilogue for an excellent album.

SUMMARY: Although this one might not appeal to everyone right from the beginning, which was the case as well with me, I would still highly recommend it to any lover of original and unique prog folk in a slightly more prude vein. It's absolutely an album that will grow on you with each repeated listening and after you got used to the vocals. I would say definitively worth 4 stars!