All Prog From Italy Appreciation Thread

Hailing from Venetia, keyboard maestro Luciano Basso delivered one of the most beautiful prog albums from Italy ever- “Voci”. This is, naturally, an album centered on his arsenal of grand piano, organ, harpsichord, mellotron and electric piano, although there is also room for important violin flourishes and guitar leads, as well as relevant manifestations of the rhythm duo’s power. Basso’s musical offering manages to be overwhelmingly Italian due to the abundant doses of Baroque, Manierism and Neoclassical textures that flow on and on in the basic melodies and their subsequent arranged developments. His style is related to those of the keyboardsmen from Le Orme, BMS and Latte e Miele: in turn, this cleverly affects the ensemble’s sound as similar to the former (“Uomo di Pezza”-era) and latter aforesaid bands. The album’s first half is based on a whole three-part opus, consisting of a prelude and two promenades. The ‘Prelude’ has a 7 ½ minute span, starting with stylish piano arpeggios and violin lines resting elegantly on mellotron layers. This serves as a scheme of a further exploration that takes place when the guitar, bass and drum kit join in. The second motif states a dynamic conclusion that I wish were a bit longer, but it’s quite effective in its evolving ambience. ‘Promenade I’ finds Basso and friends displaying the early Le Orme similarities in full range, exploring the dynamics of the previous track’s final minute with enthusiasm and richness: Basso’s organ progressions lead the way for the whole band as a well-oiled symphonic machinery. The Baroque- infected harpsichord interlude is very much BMS, in my opinion. ‘Promenade II’ sort of combines the ceremonious majesty of ‘Prelude’ and the full frontal colorfulness of the first ‘Promenade’: as a result, the track’s mood turns out to be serious and gray, yet with a playful twist that serves equally as a counterpart and a complement to the reflective trend of the serious passages. The inclusion of some occasional jazzy undertones helps the track to achieve interesting variations. The album’s second half starts with the namesake track. ‘Voci’ is the longest track in the album. It heavily features the grand piano, which is basically elaborating a constant prologue that remains solidly stable on a floating atmosphere. The alternations between the extroverted and introverted passages are fluid, and that is largely due to the fact that the contrasts are not too pronounced. It is as if the voices mentioned in the title were perceived as waves and breezes by Basso, in this way determining the composition’s overall statement. ‘Echo’ brings a much more elaborated dynamics, especially regarding the development of the main motifs and the sort of magnificent delivery that the band assumes as a guide: the motifs are distinct within the whole picture, with this same whole picture serving as the perfect scheme for the melodic variations. This one and the two Promenades reveal the most ambitious side of Basso as a composer: it is really convenient that ‘Echo’ should close down “Voci”, so it could state a remarkable climax to the whole concept. All in all, “Voci” is an amazingly, captivatingly beautiful prog album that should not be missed by any real Italian prog lover or any symphonic prog fan at all.

“Frutti per Kagua'”, a concept album about the tricky negotiations of Indian lands by the white man, is the sole album by Italian ensemble Capitolo 6. This band shows a varied assortment of family airs with other one- or two-shoot bands such as Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno, Campo di Marte and Garybaldi, as well as some traces of early Ossana. The album’s repertoire comprises three tracks, with the first half strictly occupied by the namesake suite. This piece kicks off with a strong bluesy rock section that may remind us of early Jumbo-meets-“Benefit” Jethro Tull. The bucolic section that follows gives room for the flute to show off a bit, and the same can be said about the electric guitar lead (which is very emotionally charged, by the way). Once all the instruments shut up for a couple of seconds, the emergence of classicist organ arpeggios build up a momentary crescendo that gives way to a progressive rondo motif, upon which the flute and organ state interesting dialogues. This section occupies a considerable time scope of the suite, and ultimately, its abrupt end leads to yet another bucolic acoustic portion. The last 30 seconds bring a passionate coda. This suite is the band’s definitive manifesto, and all in all, I understand why it is the most acclaimed track by Capitolo 6 connoisseurs (I do not agree, as I’ll explain later). The album’s second half begins with ‘Grande Espiritu’, which happens to be an OK acoustic ballad: the main motif is catchy indeed, but not really brilliant. The last two tracks are the most colorful in the album, and they are certainly my personal favorites. ‘Il Tramonto di un Popolo’ starts with a brief chant and drum rolls, before the instrumentation brings a solid alternation of furiously rocking passages and pastoral ones. The diversity that took 18 minutes to develop and settle for the suite is here comprised in 5 ½ without losing an ounce of tension. The closer ‘L’Ultima Notte’ bears a very similar vibe, albeit with bigger doses of expansion and fluidity, which is fine for its 11 ½ minute span. The drummer works efficiently in the basis while the lead guitarist delivers what are arguably his best solos in the album. The last rocking moments are filled with sarcastic gibberish: a touch of Zappa in this exposure of Mediterranean psychedelia. Capitolo 6 is a very good item in any good prog collection.