FEDE, SPERANZA, CARITÀ

One of the many prog bands that jumped on the bandwagon in the early 1970s following the cue of The New Trolls, the Genova based J.E.T. (also known as simply JET) started out like most Italian rock bands as a mere pop rock band that was stuck in the 1960s still aiming for hits singles but once the band members caught the prog bug developed a highly accomplished skill set of crafting one of the era's most memorable albeit rare albums of the early 70s. While the band would release a series of singles all the way from 1971 to 1973, the band's sole album FEDE, SPERANZA, CARITÀ (Faith, Hope, Charity) was a full blown prog release in the same romantically delivered symphonic rock style that was en voguer only amplified with more abrasive moments of hard rock and pompous virtuosic heft.

J.E.T.'s sole album featured five complex tracks that was one of the rare examples of Christian rock going prog in the early years of the Italian scene while other bands were more obsessed with political protest or esoteric references to the occult. J.E.T. was one of those bands that featured exquisitely talented virtuoso musicians with a lineup that included Carlo Marrale (guitar, vocals), Piero Cassano (keyboards), Aldo Stellita (bass, vocals) and Renzo Cochis (drums), who together could change in a millisecond from lush tender moments of balladry to outrageous outbursts of knotty time signature rich progressive gymnastics and back again. The original album is one of those highly collectible items as it is quite rare with original Durium editions selling for many hundreds of U.S. dollars.

The album starts off with one of the peak performances of all Italian prog with the dynamic title track that perfectly delivers a veritable mix of symphonic and heavy prog motifs that blend together to craft a musical performance elevated to the levels of top performers such as PFM or Banco. With brilliantly designed compositions performed with technical precision and melodic sophistication, J.E.T. featured not only a top notch vocalist with Aldo Stellita but showcased an impeccable symphonic prog sound that found the perfect contrast with heavy guitar riffing and frenzied outbursts of prog gymnastics. While featuring the usual guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, the band also added moments of marimba, cello and vibraphone to the mix offering a warm and vibrant variety of instrumentation and a brilliant use of dynamics.

The second track "Il Prete E Il Peccatore" offers the same contrasts delivered with the same precision and prestige while "C'e' Chi Non Ha" features a more chilled out ballad bordering on a touch of cheesiness with the heavy symphonic backing but kept under control by Stellita's strong vocal control. "Sinfonia Per Un Re" sort of skirts both sides of the fence with a heavy opening and alternating with slower tempos but ultimately delivers some of the most dynamic time signature tradeoffs and vocal harmonies of several members. It's an odd track with an odd rhythmic beat and honestly could use more heavier moments but still pretty cool. "Sfogo" ends with a more upbeat bouncy rockin' vibe but due to its short length is more of a standard rocker with only a few proggy moments thrown in for good measure. Still though catchy and the piano rolls and feisty organ sizzle adds that prog icing to the cake.

While the album is often criticized as not being as evenly delivered as it could be due to the opening perfection sort of tapering off into a random collection of stylistic approaches (which admittedly keep it from masterpiece status), the album actually holds up pretty well especially for a band that was primarily based in pop music and would continue to release pop singles after this prog album. In fact many band members would also go on to form the progressive pop band Matia Bazar after J.E.T. called it a day. While not as perfectly constructed from beginning to end as many of us would like it to be, J.E.T.'s sole prog contribution is actually really, really good with many moments on the extremely excellent side of things. It's too bad these guys didn't continue because a second coming might've delivered the perfect album of the era. Regardless, J.E.T. would go down as yet another one and done Italian prog band that showcased the sheer talent this nation delivered in its prime. It's an endless wellspring!