Picchio Dal Pozzo - Camere Zimmer Rooms


Year of Release: 2001
Label: Cuneiform Records
Catalog Number: Rune 153
Format: CD
Total Time: 43:42:00

Sometimes one is led by curiosity to wonder what happens with a band's recorded compositions that never quite see the light of day, and why they weren't ever allowed to leave the womb. Were they mediocre? Did they just not fit in with the new album? Was there something in them that didn't click? Or was perception at the time different from the one now, so that some of the stillborn would now be brought back to life, if given the chance? The latter seems to be the case with Picchio Dal Pozzo and Camere Zimmer Rooms, an in-studio live recording meant solely as a test for new equipment and musicians; a test that would be locked in the basement for decades before being allowed to finally emerge.

And one is stricken not by curiosity, but by sheer stupefaction, when faced with the nagging question of why the music contained herein was not released after its completion. This is good. In fact, most of it is quite excellent, and longtime Picchio dal Pozzo fans would most certainly be edged to club the members of this now departed band to death for being made to wait so long. The collection of recordings is at once dreamily whimsical and convincingly powerful; dramatically desperate and gently lyrical. The spirit that binds the pieces, despite the fact that "Pinguini" is most obviously a chronological and stylistic aberration in respect to the others with its dissonant RIO tendencies, is thoroughly Italian in its human character, and yet the music transcends geographic borders with its immediacy and beautiful sense of melody.

With the exception of the dreamy and gorgeously absent-minded "Il Mare D'Irlanda," which floats gently below surreal vocal lines that glide with an ironically otherworldly immediacy, the crux of the album relies heavily upon the jazz tinges of Canterbury, with wind instruments providing the guts to the band and the rhythm section a shifting, yet reliable, spine. At times Picchio dal Pozzo will delve into soft vocal harmonies of evocative innocence, and at others dive into quickly harsh jazzy arrangements meant to upset the balance during brief moments and keep one far from the edge of complacency.

And truth be told, it works. Despite the fact that one can immediately notice the progressive ancestry of Camere Zimmer Rooms in sound, approach, and overall spirit, the work that these Italian musicians manage to assemble is beyond description, acquiring the subtle appearance of a small rock orchestra that is really the result of well-timed collaboration and use of pre-recorded tapes and sounds. Yet another element of what once was one of the most fruitful scenes in the worldwide genre of progressive rock, Picchio dal Pozzo is not only another important element in the scope of Italy, but a force to be reckoned with in the annals of this genre. And even though "Pinguini" eventually seems to drag on forever and spoil the fun a bit, a song like "Il Presidente" will surely make Camere Zimmer Rooms yet another historical jewel in your collection.


Tracklisting:
Il Presidente (9:37) / Il Mare d'Irlanda (6:20) / La Citt? (13:12) / Pinguini (13:42) / Il Fantasma d'Irlanda (0:40)

Musicians:
Andrea Beccari - bass, flute
Aldo De Scalzi - vocals, keyboards, guitars
Aldo Di Marco - drums, percussion
Paolo Griguolo - guitars, clarinet, vocals
Claudio Lugo - saxophone, flute
Roberto Romani - tenor saxophone, flute

Additional musicians:

Roberto Bologna - guitars
Giorgio Karaghiosoff - saxophone, flute
Francesco Tregrossi - acoustic guitars

Discography:
Picchio Dal Pozzo (1975)
Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi (1980)
Camere Zimmer Rooms (2001)
Pic_nic@Valdapozzo (2004)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin IT

Added: June 2nd 2002
Reviewer: Marcelo Silveyra
Score:
Artist website: www.picchiodalpozzo.com
Hits: 1848
Language: english

  

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