Κάθομαι και παρακολουθώ το σύντομο αριστούργημά Schatten (9 λεπτά και 22
δευτερόλεπτα),του Hansjürgen Pohland. Μια πειραματική μικρού μήκους
ταινία στην οποία η μουσική τζαζ δίνει το ρυθμό μιας σειράς εικόνων που
σχηματίζουν σκιές και σιλουέτες στους τοίχους και τους λόφους της
δυτικής πλευράς του Βερολίνου εν έτη 1960. Ο Hansjürgen Pohland είχε κάνει και το "Tobby". Μια ταινία για τον Toby Fichelscher
ο οποίος στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του '60, ήταν απ τους γνωστότερους
μουσικούς στο Βερολίνο. Έτσι έγινε ο Tobby, ένα πορτρέτο του Fichelscher
και της τζαζ του Βερολίνου. Μια ταινία (δεν την εχω δει) στο στυλ του
New Wave της εποχής η οποία πήγε και στο Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου των
Καννών το 1959.Ο Joachim Ernst Berendt το χαρακτήρισε ως "μια ταινία που
παράγει την πραγματική ατμόσφαιρα της τζαζ του Βερολίνου" λίγο πριν
χωριστεί στα δυο. Τέλος,μια συναρπαστική διαφήμιση μόδας του Hansjürgen Pohland το "Max Knaak"!
Known as Pantaleon Perez Prado, was the younger brother of the famous
King of Mambo. Pantaleon, who came to Europe in the 1950s, recorded
several albums with Unifunk. A powerful Big Funk Band sound featuring:
Tullio De Piscopo, Mario Rusca, Giancarlo Barigozzi, Pino Prestipino and
others. Escandalo!, as Perez Prado states in the brief sleeve note, is
named after a new rhythm created by himself. A rhythm you can dance to in freedom, without specific steps.
In spite of this naive launching, the opening track Chicago Banana is a
declaration of intent, with its Sly Stone-esque groove. 9 out of 12
tracks are originals credited to composers of the Unifunk circle, but
the track list is careful to preserve Prados well-established Latin
appeal, by including three standards such as Brazil, El Manisero and
Tequila.
Bassist, percussionist and arranger Pantaleón Perez Prado (1928-83) the
younger brother of the famous Dámaso Perez Prado (King of Mambo) arrived
in Europe in the 1950s, whereupon he set about pursuing his musical
career in mambo. In the early 1970s, Pantaleón settled in Milan where he
recorded two LPs, Escandalo! (1972) and Perez Prado - Don Alfio (1973),
both featuring a powerful Big Funk Band sound and both still considered
to be two incredible musical gems. After the sunset of mambo fever,
Pantaleón was able to reveal a funky attitude that comes out in these
amazing recordings.
A pugni nudi” (With bare fists) – presented with a more than explicit
subtitle “For a sad experience in a juvenile detention center” – is a
1974 film directed by Marcello Zeani; it can be associated to the
Italian police genre, but it stands on its own due to its being set in
the world of boxing.
It’s a drama movie too, with a non-optimistic nor hopeful ending at
all, accompanied by the music of Franco Bixio, with a distinctive
jazz-rock imprint, a strong presence of symphonic arrangements and a
singular more ‘disengaged’ episode (“Split second”, on the B side of the
LP).
Together with his brother Carlo, Franco Bixio was the founder of
Cinevox Record, which originally published this album in 1974, the same
year of the film screening in theaters. A small gem, equally able to
describe dramatic and tensive moments!
A beautiful album of post-bossa tunes – done by Osmar Milito in a
dreamily floating style that's totally great – almost in the mode of
some of Marcos Valle's work from the time! The record features the
group Quarteto Forma singing vocals on a number of cuts – but the real
charm is from Osmar's arrangements, which mix together piano, horns, and
lively rhythms in a complicated way that reminds us of some of the best
mix of jazz, soul, and baroque touches that showed up heavily in the
Blue Brazil work of the EMI/Odeon crowd! No surprise, the album
features great versions of Marcos Valle's "Garra", "To Rio For Love",
and "Que Bandeira" – plus good covers of "Cantalope Island", "Rita
Jeep", "What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life", "Mudei De Ideia",
and "Mercy Mercy Mercy".
The sound is electric, but also pretty darn funky – not the colder
electro disco that would dominate the European scene in the 80s, but the
earlier mode that often had lots of live instrumentation at the core –
then augmented by sweet touches on moog and other keyboards! The
instrumentation is nice and tight throughout – and the whole thing is
very much in the best moogy disco modes of the underground – maybe a bit
more offbeat than a record on P&P, but with a similar appeal at
times.
Music and motors have always had something in common. For many people,
both give them the same emotions considering that a motor that is
working perfectly often is compared to a song, a sound, music. This
common ground is certainly strengthened by the arrival of the turbo
which - together with its sibilance - has brought motors and music yet
nearer together. This album was brought to life with this idea in mind: a
musician, Pocho Gatti, is fascinated by the turbo because of its name,
its noise, and its power to immediately become a myth.
He presented the idea of composing “Turbomusic” to Renault. The answer
was immediate: yes, please! Yes, because the talent of this artist
comes with an enthusiasm that gives you the sense that this will become a
success for sure. Pocho gets his inspiration from the Formula 1.
Especially so in the past from people like Jabouille and Arnoux and
today from Prost. He has also looked into the new cars that have been
widening the Renault Turbo product range since autum 1981: the Renault 4
Alpine Turbo and the 30 Turbodiesel.
The music and the arrangements have been written especially for this
record. For Angel „Pocho“ Gatti music certainly is not a mystery. As
musician, born into an artist family, Bach, Chopin, Dvorak and Ellington
were no strangers to Gatti who started playing the piano before he
started school. His father was a violinist at the Symphonic Orchestra of
Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and Pocho's first notes were Argentinian.
But as Toscanini was in need of 10 musicians for the NBC Symphony
Orchestra, Angel followed his father to New York in 1940, when he was
just ten years old.
His new destination was „Junior High School“, where he became part of
the band, though as clarinetist. During the years, this reed became his
main instrument and he kept on playing it at the Symphonic Orchestra of
the University, which was directed by Leonard Bernstein. In 1949 Angel
Pocho Gatti wins a competition and enters the NBC. He stays there for
two years before he is called into military service for 1,5 years.
Pocho returns to New York, where he dedicates himself to the piano,
writing arrangements and ballets until he gets to know Nelson Riddle in
California who is looking for a pianist for Frank Sinatra. And so -
everytime Sinatra comes to Europe - the young Pocho serves „the Voice“
until 1961. In Paris he is taught harmony by Nadia Boulanger, in Italy
he works for the RAI, and plays concerts all over the old continent. In
1973 he returns to the USA where he is taught orchestra conducting by
Zubim Metha at the Conservatory in Los Angeles.
He returns to Italy in 1975 where he conducts orchestras, writes
arrangements, suites and records classic, jazz and folk concerts. Today
he teaches harmony and composition at „Centro Istruzione Musicale“ in
Verona. Inspired by the „Turbo“ Pocho's Orchestra sweeps in a swinging
tempo, while the following musicians are sticking out: the tenor sax and
flute of Hugo Heredia, the baritone sax of Claudio Rigon, the guitars
of Francesco Villa and the percussion of Francesco Casale. By Sonorama
