L'UOVO DI COLOMBO

There is no doubt that 1973 were an important year in the sphere of the Italian Progressive rock, since on a par of which they were continued making festivals massive outdoors (they open to air festivals), the many groups removed skillful works, in which one demonstrated that the Italian groups were on a par of their English contemporaries, (whom were seen like the rivals win) unfortunately these groups who removed to works excels and greatest, only lasted just a short time, until specially sometimes single one a year.

Reasons there are many but main I believe that it was the lack of diffusion and the general support on the part of the companies, the case of the group and the disc that I am going to review he is characteristic of it and she serves to us like a good example, a group that had exceeded faculties to have been more lasting is L'UOVO I DI COLOMBO that was integrated by Toni GIONTA (vocal), Enzo VOLPINI (keyboards, acoustic guitar, vowels), Elio VOLPINI (Bass, guitar, vowels) and Ruggero STEFANI (drums, percussions, vowels). Group in where their members are of the city of Rome and which they are very talented in his instruments. This grouping left us as bequeathed an illustrious work, really a delight for those fans to the sound of the Hammond organ and to the extensive use and obtained well at form, rate and melodic, the art of L'UOVO DI COLOMBO if it does not affect, it always pleases, with a sound seemed, but nonequal to QUATERMASS, EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER (ELP) and Le ORME, their sound has much of the mentioned groups, but with a Mediterranean touch of freshness, that is evident throughout the disc. Also the interaction and cohesion of the group are demonstrated through the compositions that the work contains, and that are constructed with clarity and much force, and he is doubtless the classic and jazz predominance of cut that the work (e.g. L'Indecisione, Io) as well as the influence in the call reign in "Canto Novo" that reigned in Italy in those years and certain influence of groups like URIAH HEEP with some vocalizations affluent obtained (e.g. Consiglio), also within the disc we found a brief episode acoustic that they remember the fact by groups like JUMBO or BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO, (e.g Visione Della Morte), but that they preferred to continue with the musical line of the predominance of the keyboards. With musical pieces that are worth by their flexible melodies and the harmonic counterpoint and the amplitude of their melodic lines and that go of the exuberant, to the simple thing, of the mysterious theme to the pleasant theme, of reflective to the dynamic theme, it is the most interesting work and a perfect reflection of which it is Progressive music in Italy. By the previous thing I allow myself to affirm mainly that this work represents one of highest summits of the Italian Progressive rock, in the aspect of the groups that touched with predominance in the keyboards and that was sadly not appreciated at its time, and that with its only album guaranteed one to them of the highest positions within the legendary pantheon of the great groups of all the times and that also give in this work the foundations to us of their musical aesthetic individual. Who calls the attention is the excellent work of the keyboard of Enzo VOLPINI, that demonstrates to us that she is an author and executor of pieces of tight polyphonic or obtained style, and that through the disc prescribes a series to us of notes of incomparable wealth, and without being tired or tedious by the sound of the Hammond organ, it is in its execution refinement, brightness and cadence that deserves to consider it like an expert of the keyboard. Its multiplicity in the art to obtain musical scales with strong origin in classic music and the jazz, the concise handling of the counterpoint, the wealth of resource in the several keyboards that uses also deserves that a synthesis of the form and the feeling of polyphonies is considered and the harmony. By another part also is to emphasize the work del brother of Enzo, Elio that with his under untiring, very or laid the foundations in the forms del jazz rock delights to us with a series of meticulous notes, or constructed, with much relief and variety, thus like the search of new harmonies and a searched carefully rate, there is no doubt that is one of the bears with greater elegance inside of rock and better execution, a penetrating and powerful sound, that one finishes tired before the ability to all lights virtuous of this musician. The work of Ruggero is very interesting since its skilful and colorful style, with a very clear sense by poli rate and with its freedom and flexibility of the expression, and an enviable effectiveness, causes that this disc is considered of the best ones in the department of the percussions, without discrediting the frank rate, but holding melodies of very intelligent way and removing an amazing party from the note multiplicity that is spilled in all the work, to overwhelm with new energy the musical horizons that are high rated songs like (and g. L'Indecisione, Anja and Consiglio) cause that we consider to this great musician like a magnificent executants. Finally the work of the vocalist Tony is very good, maintaining a dramatic line in its voice that to me Michael CHAPMAN remembers in some songs to the vocalist of FAMILY, by the tone of his voice, its timbre and its musical execution, but without reaching its rank of vocalization, also maintains a discreet but effective activity throughout all the musical pieces, but without a doubt it made a very good work. The production of the disc is of the best ones than they are possible to be found in the Progressive discography of the Italian, a work of engineering of crystalline, interesting and standing out uniformly to all the instruments, without opaque to no, really remarkable sound.

The disc begins by L Indecisione Subject that demonstrates the capacity of the members to touch complex pieces and that can be considered like a virtuosity piece and exuberance that classifies it between masterpieces of progressive music, begins with energetic notes in charge of Enzo, touched in its Hammond organ in the best tradition of ELP or of some passages of Le ORME in its album Collage with rare mysterious elegance, the vocalist Tony sings without no pretension to dominate the average subject and until somehow marginal, trying space to him to the musical instruments, that really shine by its quality, Progressive aesthetic bass player Elio maintaining melodic rhythm and contrapunting notes generated by the Hammond organ with a very concrete skill. The drums taking a rhythmic rate and until franc, but I practice, nevertheless what it excels is the skillful note cascade that the keyboards of Enzo are weaving through the song. As of minute approximately 2:50 patent becomes a change of rate in where the influences of classic cut are authenticated, by means of a low interval accompanying skillfully by the ductile one and with a meticulous style in the STEFANI drums, later to give a polyphonic turn us of high flights and with a pair of pressed notes hurriedly, to begin a full variation of vitality and it shows of the use of mini moog and the synthesizer the best style of bands like LE ORME and METAMORFOSI, creating a complexity of musical scenes, with the perpetual rate of the drums and probably the best song of the disc, by its complexity and its shades and in the best Progressive tradition of the Italian.

The following song Io this Founded on a worried rate of jazz, with elegant scales of under Elio and a battery that follows the patterns the imposed by but great drummers of the jazz like Elvin JONES or Jimmy COBB, is marking an interesting compass and that many groups of Progressive Italian have not touched of this form, the keyboard of Enzo blunts in the song by its force and by its variety of created harmonies and which also they demonstrate a deep knowledge in the fine variations of generating jazziest, the GIONTA voice, without being very acute nor very rough is pleasant and encounter similarities between its style to sing with of other vocalist of nonProgressive the Italian scene as Luccio Dalla (he began by those years), and clear references to the Italian folksong that played in the years 60's and principles of 70's, and with a moderate dramatic quality. Also in minute 2:15 and until minute 2:49, a series of dissonances created by the bass and the drums is listened to, and that with greater attention and raising the volume of my apparatus, is appraised the note creation maintained with low tenuous and a simple big drum and with a keyboard that is listened to the distant spot, it stops after this intermezzo, it becomes to the jazzíst rate, one melody founded and made well.

Anja East subject deepens more in the type of Progressive rock that they tried to establish, and also the style to sing of GIONTA is well-known, very taken root in the Italian song, that are expressed here of a very tragic and intense way, the work of the keyboards of Enzo is exquisite here and regal, with simple but very sentimental notes, it causes that melody is based on great musical lines next to the flexible harmony that the Italians dominate; an extensive use of moog at the end of the song in best tradition of Le ORME and ELP, undeniable (references), but without falling in sterile comparisons. There is no doubt which here the group finds its identity musical and that the musical piece bond by its feeling and the fantasy that shares, mainly that incredible execution of which it seems mellotron or a synthesizer in minute 2:16, transporting us to an enchanted world; under Elio it is touched with simple notes but of great musical invoice and the drums maintains a regularity rhythmic without newness maintaining the musical structure, there is no doubt that multiple forms of melodies present/display very expressive.

Vox Dei a song that excels in the disc by inflamed notes touched the principle of melodies, with agreed ones which they transmitted gigantism and that also remembers the influence of Bach in the members, when touching that note cataract of splendid way in the organ of Enzo, later to happen to a rhythmic rate, with bass superiority of which constructs the musical arrangement with elegance, brightness and sonorous shades that they transmit affability. From minute 3:20 things accelerate with elaboration fast of piano of Enzo, that demonstrates of step the musical technique to us that it has, when putting in notes of its organ with the contrapunting ones of the piano that conserves like main compass while the drums and the bass one make flexible the rate to give an urgency feeling that well is obtained, is no doubt that L' UOVO DI COLOMBO is characterized by a strong and enthusiastic temperament and that contains musical forms that leave surprised until most demanding. The work of Tony also is discreet but very accurate and the group leaves the necessary space him for its vocal interpretation that it is of a noble art.

Crowd This is purely instrumental a musical piece, that shows Elio touching the electrical guitar to us with little effect overdrive, and that is distinguished by the intelligent scale that uses and that is base of the song, the work of Enzo is shining, creating passages multicolors with the aid of the Hammond organ and moog, also low obstinate and the infallible one of the same Elio (which I believe that the guitar recorded it later) are of a worthy refinement of the great musicians of the Progressive one, the drums is touched with prudent rate and is giving to firmness and solidity to the series of melodies that are constructing and that him they give to vivacity and spontaneity to all the set, is one melody suggestive, made and touched well of exhaustive way, the best thing of the disc.

Consiglio Penultimate song of this work and that contains a structure similar to the made one in Vox Dei, with the best work of Tony to the vowels and which they transmit to feel deep, enthusiastic and an integration with the musical instruments that is the best one obtained in all the disc, the keyboards in charge of Enzo delights to us with I engage in a dialog at the same time of the voice and with the integration of bass and the drums in a superior, skillful art and that shows the valuation of the different sonorous planes, the games and the timbre to us of each instrument, as well as the interchange of times and rates and with a naturalness in the art of the counterpoint and with a grace and sense of greatness. I believe that this song must of have been more extensive, contains a deep, expressive subject and that it could have developed more and with doubtless elements of Mediterranean influence and the style to touch of Ken HENSLEY, but thus it even is of incontestable splendor and very determined, and on which the choirs of the musicians, are listened to ad hoc with the atmosphere which they try to spread in the listener.

The longest subject of all the disc is Visione Della Morte and the only one that Integrates acoustic guitar of a very expressive way, that remembers to me to groups like JUMBO, (its first disc) and GLEEMEN. The work of Tony in the vocals also is very good, without surpassing the fact in Consiglio, when finishing the placid acoustic passage, they give a musical critical moment us in which with polyphonic cadences of the piano of Enzo and the bass execution of delirious on the part of Elio and a partially dissonant rate that takes us to a single one of battery that, to tell the truth nontapeworm place is here, although just to say that it is made of own way to the percussive abilities of STEFANO.

Later Enzo illustrates to us with a passage similar to fact by Le ORME in discs as Felona and Sorona or Uomo I gave Pezza, later to show a series to us of you gloss where it express the variety of tonalities and limitless a musical verb, accompanied of one flute which I suppose is created by the synthesizer. Finally we have Scherzo an experiment of 22 seconds and that is listened to as reprise of the song Aria, interesting but nonessential.

After recording this I magnify disc, the group dissolved, integral Elio VOLPINI to group ETNA and later FLEA, Ruggero STEFANI went with SAMADHI and Tony GIONTA to CHERRY FIVE, of the destiny of Enzo VOLPINI does not know anything, but it is of the best musicians than I have listened in the department of the keyboards. This disc is of a quality, energy and musical solidity of forward edge and does not have to lack its kind listening, without a doubt an exceptional work by its writing, its brightness and its expressive variety.