Art Zoyd ‎– 44½ : Live + Unreleased Works/ CD1- Berlin (1986)

Berlin, Live In West Berlin, The Loft (April 1986)
CD1-1     Epithalame  (19:33)
CD1-2     Horses (Unreleased)  (11:53)
CD1-3     Klapzz (Unreleased)  (04:48)
CD1-4     Petite Messe À L'usage Des Pharmaciens - Offertoire  (03:12)
CD1-5     Petite Messe À L'usage Des Pharmaciens - Kyrie  (02:17)
CD1-6     Unsex Me Here  (03:37)
CD1-7     Mouvance 1  (05:39)
CD1-8     A Drum A Drum  (22:34)

to be continued

Mario Barbaja ‎– Made In Hong Kong (1978, LP, Italy)

Tracklist:
A1. Made in Hong Kong (5:08)
A2. Salomé (5:51)
A3. Dépliant Per Il Mexico (3:04)
A4. Il Momento dell'Addio (4:31)
B1. La Ballata di Mackie (Moritat) (4:33)
B2. Silhouette (4:44)
B3. Non Stop City (3:33)
B4. Tramonto (4:55)

Musicians:
Mario Barbaja / vocals, synthesizer, electric guitar, percussion
Claudio Bazzari / electric guitar
Andrea Paravincini / keyboards, vibraphone
Hugo Heredia / saxophone, clarinet
Paolo Donnarumma / bass
Flaviano Cuffari / drums, percussion
Raffaella Esposito / chorus
Jan Marva Marrow / chorus
Nainy Hachett / chorus

Mario Barbaja (real name Barbaglia) is a little known artist based in Milan, whose early works have much in common with another singer-songwriter that released his main albums on Ariston, Claudio Rocchi.

Like Rocchi's first album, Barbaja's debut, Argento, is a mainly acoustic work, based on guitar with some flute, sitar and percussion, in a sort of eastern-influenced psych/folk style.

Second album, Megh, has more intense arrangements closer to rock, and is usually considered his best LP. It featured many well-known session musicians, among which guitarist Ricky Belloni from Nuova Idea and his brother Gigi on bass, Eugenio Finardi, Alberto Camerini and Lucio Fabbri (both also with Finardi, the latter was then in PFM), drummers Tullio De Piscopo (with New Trolls Atomic System and later one of the most important Italian session drummers) and Pasquale Venditto from Forum Livii and Ibis, and even a guest appearance by Stormy Six leader Franco Fabbri. With the latest group Barbaja had also collaborated writing Sotto il bambù, released on single in the same year.

Later albums from 1975 and 1978 were on a lower level and more commercial-styled.

After the retirement from his musical career Barbaglia dedicated to his work as architect and designer. (italianprog)

Amaia Zubiria + Pascal Gaigne ‎– Egun Argi Hartan (1985, LP, Spain)

A genius composer, Pascal Gaigne, who connects Basque's spiritual climate and contemporary acoustic experiments. The first 85 years of activity announced with Amaia Zubiria, a Basque name folk band Haizea. A series of minimal fluttering electronic sounds, deep indigo songs, accompanied by the insightful breathing of saxophonist Michel Doneda who has a deep connection with the Basque scene, awakening a silently swirling space Includes a song "Itxasoan Laino Dago", one of the best songs to be released. A total of nine super first-class spiritual music that shakes the bottom of the soul. This spiritual mixture sense that intrigues both indigenous and avant-garde is linked to the Madrid-based super-acoustic group, which is led by Suso Saiz and others. Great masterpiece! (She Ye, Ye)

Donatello ‎– Il Tempo Degli Dei (1975, LP, Italy)

LATO A

1. La Natura Sta Dentro Di Me (4:06)

2. Un Muro Di Pietra (2:47)

3. Erano I Tempi Degli Dei (3:57)

4. E' La Guerra (3:57)

5. Il Passato Se Ne Va (3:35)

LATO B

1. Michelle (Tu Te Ne Vai) (3:35)

2. In Quel Villaggio (3:50)

3. Uomo Di Citta' (5:05)

4. Sogno (3:24)

MUSICISTI

Rossana Casale, Tanino Castellani: Cori

Claudio Dentes: Armonica, Chitarra Acustica, Chitarra Elettrica, Mandolino, Cori

Marzipan: Violino

Giovanni Unterberger: Chitarra Acustica, Pedal Steel Guitar, Slide Guitar, Cori

Gigi Cappellotto: Basso

Ricky Gianco: Clavicembalo, Chitarra Elettrica, VCS3 Minimoog, Voce, Cori

Tullio De Piscopo, Diego Dabusti: Percussioni

Donatello: Mandolino Elettrico, Armonica, Basso, Chitarra, Sistro, Vibrafono, Flauto Dolce, Piano A.R.P., Piano Elettrico, Clavicembalo, Organo, Archi Elettronici, Banjo, Sintetizzatore Fender

G. Iacoucci ‎– Musicaimmagine (197?, LP, Italy)

Italian Library rare LP, published by Flipper Edizioni Musicali (unknown date)
Music composed and arranged by maestro Gerardo Iacoucci. A mix of jazz and funk, screen sounds, ethereal and experimental compositions. Very interesting.

Rainbow Theatre ‎– The Armada (1975, CD, Australia)

Tracks Listing

1. The darkness motive (13:37)
.. a) Flourish
.. b) Overture
.. c) Frist theme
.. d) Second theme
2. Song (1:35)
3. Petworth House (5:51)
4. Song (1:35)
5. The Armada: (14:20)
.. a) Scene at sea
.. b) Dominion
.. c) Centuries deep
.. d) Bolero
.. e) Last picture

Bonus Track: 

Icarus (from Symphony No.8)
..a) Icarus and Daedalus
..b) Ascension
..c) Labyrinth Gothica
..d) Icarian Sea

Musicians:
Pauline Ashleigh / vocals (alto)
Julian Browning / guitar, Mellotron
Graeme Carter / drums, tympani, gongs
Peter Cox / vocals (bass)
Matthew Cozens / piano, organ
Helen Grad / vocals (soprano)
Frank Graham / trumpet, cornet, French horn
Keith Hoban / lead vocals (tenor)
Ferg McKinnon / bass
Helen Modra / vocals (alto)
Steven Nash / saxophone, clarinet, flute
Don Santin / trombone
Barry Skelton / vocals (tenor)
Sue Twigg / vocals (soprano)
Evan Zachariah / vocals (bass)

2006 CD re-issue: Aztec Music AVSCD019

The Melbourne-based Rainbow Theatre had started out in early 73, but didn’t get to the full octet line-up present on their debut album until late 74. Lead by composer-guitarist-mellotronist Julian Browning, the group aligned a three-man horn section. They had performed live a great deal of the material that was to go on their debut album, but apparently it came out in a fairly different light. Most of the brilliant live soloing was not reproduced and instead many arrangements received the favor of RT. Graced with an exceptional gatefold artwork, depicting the sinking of The Armada (the Spanish fleet was sunk mostly by a storm in the late XVIth), and given the sparkling production, this must’ve been an expensive record to produce and RT did it as a private release, later opting for the German Clear Light Of Jupiter label (originally a four album deal including this one), which was also responsible for most of the Krautrock and electronic prog record importing down under.
The opening epic Darkness Motive is a heavy jazz-rock (sounding a bit like brass rock) introduction before braking into a typical prog rock with a weird mix operatic vocal of Keith Hoban and symphonic rock that resembles Crimson’s first two albums. The short Song is mostly Hoban’s baritone voice accompanied by a piano. Ending the A-side is the 6-min Petworth House, where Hoban’s voice is rambling over an organ before the brass section interrupts then allowing for the choirs section (all friends of from the Victorian Opera Company Choir, where Hoban was helping out) for some delicious cascading cannon vocals. brass, mellotrons, subdued choirs succeed (at times I can’t help but thinking of Floyd Atom Heart Mother) to great success until the track dies all too early.

Opening the flipside is the short preparatory Song (based on the same canvas than its sister) to the other epic, the title track. Starting on a sinister mellotron, paced on a military march (you just sense a future Bolero), leading on a dramatic narration and horns, choirs, trons of mellos, etc.. This tracks reeks of Crimson, from Schizoid Man to the Lizard suite, and indeed the Bolero comes over a superb soprano and its tenor counterpoint and Steve Nash’s sax.

Added as a bonus track is a non-related to the group Browning classical composition (called Icarus) that was recorded in 96, and just like the bonus track on Fantasy Of Horses, you’d never guess it wasn’t part of the original oeuvre (as it simply fits quite well its spirit), apart from the classical instrumentation-only.

An incredibly ambitious album for this octet’s debut and clearly the most stunning prog work to come out of Aussieland, only topped by their follow-up! While being somewhat cheesy (as all operas usually do), Rainbow Theatre’s two albums cannot be enough recommended to anyone wanting to discover buried gems. And these two are some of the biggest opals ever unearthed. Run for this!!! (by Sean Trane)

Maria Monti ‎– Il Bestiario (1974, LP, Italy)

LATO A
A1. Il Pavone (6:20)
A2. Dove (2:36)
A3. No No No No ( 2:25)
A4. Il Serpente Innamorato (2:26)
A5. Lo Zoo (2:36)
A6. L'Uomo (2:40)
A7. I Camaleonti (2:40)
LATO B
B1. La Pecora Crede Di Essere Un Cavallo (4:20)
B2. Il Letargo (8:20)
B3. Aria Terra, Acqua E Fuoco (8:50)


MUSICISTI
Baritone Saxophone – Roberto Laneri
Guitar – Luca Balbo, Tony Ackerman
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy
Synthesizer – Alvin Curran
Arranged By – Alvin Curran

Deluxe vinyl reissue of Maria Monti's legendary Il Bestiario, a prime example of the avant-garde art-song of the 1970s. Knew for her renderings of Italian popular songs, Maria Monti is an Italian singer and actress with a noteworthy career: cabaret singer in the '60s, ambitious avant-garde folk artist in the '70s, and starring in films by directors as such as Sergio Leone (Fistful of Dynamite) and Bernardo Bertolucci (1900). Il Bestiario is a near perfect emblem of the fascinating territory gained through collaboration. It enlisted the radical poet Aldo Braibanti as its lyricist, features arrangements and synthesizer from Alvin Curran (Musica Elettronica Viva), the baritone saxophone of Roberto Laneri (Prima Materia), as well as the soprano saxophone of jazz legend Steve Lacy. The result is absolutely stunning, musically unique within the respective outputs of its participants' long and noted careers. One of the most beautiful and neglected albums of its decade.

Sofia Orchestra ‎– Pithecanthropus Robustus (1981, LP, Bulgaria)

Tracklist:
A1. Сеньор Блуз / Senor Blues  
A2. Сюита В Две Части / Suite In Two Parts
B1. Pithecanthropus Robustus
B2. Сенки / Shadows
B3. Струма / Strouma

Personnel:
Dimiter Simeonov - tenor saxophone, band leader
Konstantin Nossov - trumpet, flugelhorn 'Martin
Gencho Vertovski - trumpet
Georgi Borissov - trombone, 'King' trombone with Octavoice King, Microsynthesizer Echo Purl
Todor Karapetkov - keyboards
Nikolay Belev - guitar
Kroum Zahariev - bass guitar
Kroum Kalachev - drums

This LP Recorded in Radio Sofia / 1979
Sound direction: Dimiter Penev, Todor Filkov, Kiril Ivanov
Assistant: Nikola Tasev

Super Soviet Orchestral jazz-rock, from Bulgaria

Bulgarian combo formed in 1964 by the Metropolitan Municipality of Sofia.
During its long existence in the band have played many of the famous Bulgarian jazz musicians.
Emil Georgiev (Емил Георгиев) was the first conductor of the orchestra since its foundation.
The band took part as escort of many domestic and foreign festivals - Golden Orpheus , a pop music festival in Sochi , Festival in Poznan (Poland) and others. which accompanies world-class performers.

Eden – Heimkehr (1980, LP, Germany)

This is the third and last album by the German Christian proggers. The three albums are all very similar. The music, playing and singing, is of a consistently high quality, firmly in the Romantic school of neo- Floydian German groups, like Novalis, later Eloy and Stern Meissen Combo. This means lots of string-synths, acoustic guitars and pretty melodies. Vocals are often choral and there is a fair amount of classy electric guitar soloing of the Gilmour school. This album is pretty laid back, with very few up-tempo passages. Eden also featured a violinist, which adds a pleasantly pastoral extra dimension. It's very pleasant music, and no doubt inspiring lyrically if you are Christian (which I am not) and German (also not). However, if you are a lover of late 70s European symphonic and enjoy lots of synth, this might be worth tracking down. (progarchives)

Tõnu Naissoo Trio ‎– Tõnu Naissoo Trio (1970, LP, Estonia)

Tõnu Naissoo Trio - Tõnu Naissoo Trio LP (1970)

A1. Avamine
A2. Näen ma teid veel?
A3. Poiss ja tüdruk
A4. Reis tundmatusse
B1. Tule ikka
B2. Haapsalu
B3. Kaks eite

Bass - Jüri Plisnik
Composed By -- E. Felicius (tracks: B1), Tõnu Naissoo (tracks: A, B2), Uno Naissoo (tracks: B3)
Flute - Avo Joala (tracks: B1, B3)
Percussion - Eino Tandre
Piano - Tõnu Naissoo
Vocals - Els Himma (tracks: B1)

Nice record of this estonian trio. Classic line-up with some flute and bewitching female vocals by Els Himma, good rhythm section and nice compositions in a lyrical and beautiful ECM style with some folk influences. (soundexpector)

Chris Squire ‎– Fish Out Of Water (1975-2018, 2xCD Deluxe Edition, England)

Disc One CD:
The New Stereo Mix
1-1 Hold Out Your Hand (4:15)
1-2 You By My Side (5:02)
1-3 Silently Falling (11:21)
1-4 Lucky Seven (6:56)
1-5 Safe (Canon Song) (15:02)
Disc Two CD:
The Original Stereo Mix Remastered
2-1 Hold Out Your Hand (4:16)
2-2 You By My Side (5:02)
2-3 Silently Falling (11:57)
2-4 Lucky Seven (6:57)
2-5 Safe (Canon Song) (15:06)
Bonus Tracks: A & B-sides of single - Released in November 1975
2-6 Lucky Seven (single mix) (3:30)
2-7 Silently Falling (single version) (3:00)
Chris Squire & Alan White: A & B-sides of single - Released in October 1981
2-8 Run With The Fox (4:12)
2-9 Return Of The Fox (4:03)

Musicians

Chris Squire / lead & back vocals, basses, 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitar, producer

With:
Andrew Pryce Jackman / acoustic and Fender Rhodes pianos, orchestrations, conductor
Patrick Moraz / Hammond organ, bass Moog synthesizer
Barry Rose / St. Pauls Cathedral pipe organ
Jimmy Hastings / flute
Mel Collins / tenor & alto saxophones
Bill Bruford / drums, percussion (tubular bells, gong)
Nikki Squire / backing vocals

John Wilbraham / leader of the orchestra brass section
Jim Buck / leader of the orchestra horns section
Adrian Brett / leader of the orchestra woodwinds section
Julian Gaillard / leader of the orchestra strings section

David Cross & David Jackson ‎– Another Day (2018, CD, England)

Expectations can be dangerous. For example, this collaboration between a former King Crimson violinist and a former Van der Graaf Generator saxophonist is bound to generate high expectations in a person who’s a fan of both bands, especially considering the excellent work Cross did on his recent guest spot with Stick Men. From the very first notes of Another Day, an atonal squawk of feedback, it’s clear that these two are not going soft on us. This track, “Predator,” moves into an ominous rhythmic motif backing edgy melodies with imaginative arrangements for strings and woodwinds. Bass (Mick Paul) and drums (Craig Blundell) capture the mood effectively, with a muscular tone on the bass and drums that balance deftly between power and subtlety. Keyboards (handled jointly by the leaders) provide dissonant washes of synth tones. There’s no guitar listed in the credits, so I’ll assume the distorted lines are from Cross, and he blends these in with numerous other parts, sounding at times like a really grumpy string quartet, lashing out with lines that are anything but pretty. The 12 tracks run just short of an hour, and there’s not a minute wasted on filler — even the parts that are clearly improvised maintain interest due to the creative talents of all involved. There are some wonderfully spooky ambient moments with weird noises and strange echoes. On “Going Nowhere,” the roles between the two leaders are somewhat reversed, with Jackson’s saxes overdubbed into an ensemble sound like the violins are elsewhere. Cross and Jackson both shine when they take the leads, both for composed melodies and on solos, but Paul and Blundell make substantial contributions as well, earning co-composer credits on four of the tracks. Another Day is one of the best instrumental rock albums of the year, and sets itself apart from many others with both the great compositions and the distinctive playing of the musicians involved. They approach their rock with the attitude of seasoned jazzmen, freely incorporating diverse sounds, be they advanced scales, sophisticated counterpoint, or free-wheeling improvisation, and it’s a blast to listen to. (exposé)

Margarita Botello, José Luis Fernández Ledesma ‎– La Paciencia De Job (2006, CD, Mexico)

Songs:
1. Leyenda (8:03)
2. Naufragio (8:17)
3. Jardin de los Senderos (8:48)
4. Palabras Como Astros (7:04)
5. No te Pude Contestar (3:47)
6. Los Jueces del Mundo (11:04)
7. Vidas Atras / Noche (11:43)
8. Donde Nadie (1:25)
9. Paciencia Infinita (9:28)

Musicians:
José Luis Fernández Ledesma / acoustic, 12-string & electric guitars, lute, Fender Rhodes & Yamaha P100 e-pianos, Oberheim Matrix, Crumar Spirit & Korg MS20 synths, piano, synth bass, flute, harmonium, melodica, ocarina, darbuka, vihuela, autoharp, djembe, xylophone, percussion, electronics, loops, vocals
Margarita Botello / vocals, piano, santoor, bells, harmonium, ocarina, percussion, kalimba, maracas, claves, marimba, synth bass
With:
Juan Carlos Ruiz / bassoon
Gustavo Albarrán / French horn
Hugo Santos / bass
Carlos Bonequi / drums
Alejandro Sanchez / violin
Eduardo Melendez / baritone sax
Vitali Roumanov / cello
David Ball / bassoon
Ramón Nakash / violin

La Paciencia de Job is another of Ledesma’s more experimental works, though here ‘experimental’ does not imply dissonance or improvisation, as the music is highly-structured and classically beautiful. The album again features Botello’s beautiful voice and a number of other musicians. The music is subtle and complex, combining classical, ambient, and ethnic music with progressive.