Record Reviews

IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO ~ YS POLYDOR 523693 (Barcode: 731452369321) ~ ITALY ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 1994 2nd album by Italian Prog band Il Balletto Di BronzoFind albums by this artist, which is often heralded as the best Prog album ever recorded. Although much of early Italian Prog is often greatly overrated, this one truly deserves the title of a sublime piece of music. Following the personnel changes which occurred after their debut album was released, the band was joined by keyboards player / singer Gianni LeoneFind albums by this artist, who transformed them completely. He composed all the music on this album, which is incredibly complex and sophisticated, years ahead of its time. As opposed to most Italian bands, who heavily copied the UK influences, Balletto came up with a completely new concept and made music so original and farfetched that it makes the hair stand up on your neck. It is almost impossible to find any direct traces of influence form the lively Prog scene at the day and one must look rather into contemporary classical music to find the sources, as well as some Avant-Garde / jazz derivations. The usage of the mellotron and other keyboards is truly masterly and adding to this the distorted vocals and guitar, the outlandish effect is stunning. In many respects this could be also seen as a precursor of the RIO movement, which was to emerge in Prog a few years later. Shortly after this album was recorded the band completely disappeared from the scene, creating a lot of mystery tales about both the band and the album. It’s really superfluous to say anything more about this album as nothing will replace the experience of listening to it. A Masterpiece and absolutely essential piece of music.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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YUMI ITO ~ YSLA ENJA 7831 (Barcode: 767522783124) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the fifth album by Polish / Japanese (resident in Switzerland) singer / songwriter Yumi ItoFind albums by this artist, one of the most exciting modern Jazz vocal discoveries in the last decade. The album was recorded in an intimate setting with Ito singing and playing keyboards with Polish bassist Jakub DworakFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Iago FernandezFind albums by this artist. Several other musicians guest on selected tracks, including Polish guitarist Szymon MikaFind albums by this artist, who was her partner on her previous album. The album presents seven original songs, all composed by Ito, with six also featuring her lyrics and one being a wordless vocalese. The CD is lavishly packaged with a set of photographs and lyrics printed on a high-grade paper, as appropriate for a move to a major league of EnjaFind albums on this label Records – one of the most prestigious European labels. From the very first note of the album the listener is exposed to a magical aura of unique, delicate beauty, which last for the entire duration. The seven songs, although dominated by reflection and low-key introvert restrain, are quite different from each other and present the full creative power of Ito, who is able to write sublime melodies and tell a story, each very personal on one hand, and universal in its lyricism, on the other hand. The completely unique instrumental ornamentation, based primarily on the bass pulsations by Dworak, who does an amazing job here, and the dynamic, yet delicate drumming by Fernandez, with just some keyboard / synthesizer layers of sound here and there. This leaves the center stage for Ito’s vocal acrobatics, which are absolutely stunning but at the same time she can also be as delicate and romantic as a blossoming orchard. The music on this album is probably the farthest removed from what is considered as Jazz in Ito’s career. Still full of typical Jazzy undercurrents and rhythmic patterns, the central role of the bass, as well as the vocal improvisations, it also freely adopts other sources, mostly from Folklore and Pop, sometimes sounding somewhat similar to Kate BushFind albums by this artist at her absolutely best – which I mean as a great compliment here. Overall, this is a stunning piece of music, full of sublime musicality and exploding with talent, which in fact is hardly surprising in view of Ito’s earlier work and potential. The only small drawback is that the music lasts under forty minutes, and being so great one might have wished for so much more. But let’s be patient and wait for the next album by this young Artist, all made out of talent. Hugs and congratulations my Dear Lady!

Updated: 15/02/2023Posted: 15/02/2023

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