dreadpirateroberts Let me begin by saying I've only owned this album for a few weeks, and there may be that first flush of excitement to keep in mind as you read. On the other hand, I purchased it within a group of seventeen albums during an overseas trip, and this is the album I keep coming back to.

Perigeo are a jazz-rock band from Rome who probably lean more toward the jazz side of things. While there is fiery electric soloing from Tony Sidney on some tracks, and some riff-work, it is more of an atmospheric rather than foot-stamping album (Although the outro to 'Rituale' cooks.) Instead, acoustic and electric piano, along with acoustic guitar, bass, sax and vocals, often create brooding soundscapes (like in opener 'Non c'é tempo da perdere') or even downright mournful moments like 'Déjà vu' - which makes highly effective use of acoustic piano.

Throughout the album 'Abbiamo tutti un blues da piangere' I hear flashes of Hot Rats, In A Silent Way and others, but find them to be suggestive rather than derivative. Even the title track brought Van Morrison's Astral Weeks to mind with the focus on band leader, singer and bassist Giovanni Tommas' soloing. Much more in line with the rock side of their sound, the rhythm instruments build 'Abbiamo...' effectively before a shrieking sax breaks in for a long solo, employing a familiar structure to rock audiences, and fusing it with the freer nature of jazz.

In general terms, parts of the album's second half are less impressive, with 'Country' and 'Nadir' coming across as a little too sparse for me. The closer, 'Vento, pioggia e sole' however, seems to fulfill the hints of 'Bitches Brew' that the album promises. Rockier than the Davis epic, it has a less shuffling and more driving rhythm beneath energetic soloing from the lead instruments, presented in a more hard bop 'trading off of solos' tradition. It's a stand out track, almost as satisfying as 'Rituale' or 'Abbiamo...' the other clear favourites.

Fans of the aforementioned albums should get definitely something out of this great record by Perigeo, which is a confident and emotive set of (mostly) instrumentals delivered with equal parts snap and subtlety. Well worth the investment, especially if you're looking to start exploring Jazz Rock.

1967/ 1976 My review is based on: BMG Ariola S.p.A. ND 71934

Second Perigeo album is a good mix between Blues and Jazz, in the vein of Fusion but more in traditional Jazz field. The title in English is: "We Have All A Blues To Cry" and in effect the music is dramatic, in general, because slow and with Blues elements.

My preferred song is the title track, a great example of the perfect mix between Blues & Jazz. "Nadir" is a good example of traditional Jazz, slow and similar to the concept that Herbie hancock have recreated in 1986 in the new songs for "Round Midnight" soundtrack. In some moment, "Non c'è tempo da perdere" (intro part) or "Vento, pioggia e sole" (intro part) the music is extremely close to Canterbury School.

"Abbiamo tutti un Blues da piangere" is a great album because aged extremely well and because the sound production was extremely good for the 1973 italian standards. A great piece of Jazz, without a specific genre to assigned.

1967/ 1976 My review is based on: BMG Ariola S.p.A. ND 74103

Perigeo is a great Prog Rock/ Fusion band that is a great band for both musical worlds. This first album from 1972, "Azimut" is a great example of Fusion in Rock field because it is the perfect mix between Prog Rock (in symphonic form) and Be-bop... I.e. a musuc similar to Genesis and similars with tons of Jazz arrangiaments. This album is undoubtedly Fusion but it is also 100% Rock.

I do not have a paticular song that stands out in my mind. Probably becvause "Azimut" is an accessible album both in Rock and Jazz field. The sound production is great for 1972 in Italy and for this fact the power and feelòings are in first plan. Also magic is in first plan. But magic is the Jazz part of "Azimut" music. The more Jazz parts are also the more Prog Rock parts, vice versa the more pure Rock parts are close to a form of Proto Jazz metal that is, incredible, a form of contaminated Hard Rock (not at the level of Ian Gillan Band). I read that perigeo is the Italian version of Nucleus. But, true or not, Perigeo is a great band in the vein of tradition of Italian Jazz. And not other.

In definitive "Azinut" is a great example of the contamination of Rock & Jazz (not Jazz & Rock) and an accessible album. But, probably for these fact, a great album.

Sean Trane Perigeo is a bit the Italian equivalent of Nucleus, except that the line-up remained much more stable. By the time this double Live In Italy was recorded in August 6th 76, the group had already released four studio albums, which are all gems of almost-instrumental (a few Wyatt-like scats during New Vienna) fusion jazz-rock on an Italian scale. While the general quality of the recording is acceptable (but hardly flawless), there are moments when feedbacks and buzzing noises are clearly hampering the listener’s total enjoyment but thankfully, they are momentary and not numerous.

If I mentioned Nucleus in the first paragraph, Perigeo is also clearly influenced by Davis, the Jazzier Santana, some Mahavishnu or Isotope, but a slight touch of Canterbury as well, although they don’t go to Hatfield’s sense of strangeness. While all five musicians are obviously excellent at their respective crafts, at times Tomasso’s bow on the contrabass really bring a bit of a plus, but it is really Sidney’s guitar that takes the show, Fasoli’s sax adding more flavour. After an average opening Take Off, the group plunges into Kent-esque spirits with New Vienna and the excellent Vallei Dei Templi. The group could also flirt with the fringes of dissonance (Myosostis) and the deep solar fusion of Terra Rossa (red earth)grilled by the music ardent sunrays.

There are some really superb and uplifting moments, most notably on the scorcher Acoustic Image (what a torrid ambiances and those solos are the paragon of taste) or the more reflective Via Beato Angelico (a slow developer finishing wildly). On the downside, there are also less-inspired tracks like Tarlumbana (sounds borrowed and repetitive.

The second disc is comprised of a single lengthy track (called Il Festival) that is rather difficult to grasp compared to the first record due to a rough (for the listener) start. Indeed if Perigeo had largely avoided dissonance (only the short Myosotis) early in the concert, they start out in full dissonance, but soon get to more conventional fusion, even if in this track, the later 70’s fusion seems more obvious. Funkier and even reminding RTF or WR, the track does not escape a few lengths, something the group had managed to avoid until now.

If you own the studio albums, this live album is not really that essential even if this album is an excellent introduction to the group. One of the tiny criticism I have is that the second album was either not necessary (at the cost of not including some tracks) of it should’ve been filled with more music, because I find 26 minutes a little too few. Outside that consideration, this album is an excellent public presentation of the band, which can be essential to JRF fans, but not necessarily to more casual listeners.

Sean Trane Perigeo’s fourth album is probably the one that symphonic progheads should try out first to see if the group’s JR/F is likely to please them or not. Whether La Vellei Dei Templi (Temple valley) is a concept album (not likely) or a thematic album (not sure of that album), there is a sense of unity between the tracks in this album, that wasn’t in previous album; and this feel is reinforced with the ancient ruins photo shots on the album’s covers. The still unchanged line-up remained on the Italian RCA branch (which handled PFM as well) and released this album midway through 75. This is the first album where leader/bassist Tommaso writes less than half the track, leaving the rest of the group plenty of space to contribute.

The opening Tamale has a strong melody and riff and clearly comes from RTF and MO influences and is a strong entrance to the central theme of the album. The communally-written title track must be the first highlight of the album, starting with a bowed bass and insistent piano ostinato (drummer Biriaci doubles up D’Andrea here) in the first part and allows Sidney to come-up with a real killer solo in the second movement. Another real strong track is Periplo, where Fasolli and Sidney trade lead lines while the other supports on unconventional slide and dissonant background fills. Further down the album, 2000 E Due Notti is another excellent moment where added percussionist Toni Esposito adds much tension to a eerie track. In moments like these, the early JR/F is far away, but it is still unmistakably Perigeo.

Clearly and intelligently dispersed throughout the album the more reflective slower tracks like Pensieri and Cantilena to provide a bit of rest between the more dramatic music of Of all the songwriters present in the group (that’s everyone), the most puzzling is saxman Claudio Fasoli and his two tracks Eucalyptus (a short sax outburst) and Alba Di Un Mundo (a semi-dissonant music that could provide an excellent intro to a much longer track) are ending a bit enigmatically without concluding properly. The album-closing Sidney-written Cerchio Giallo starts on his acoustic guitar, but a third of the way into it, Fasoli and a bowed bass from Tommaso pick up, slowly building up a superb climate, where D’Andrea brings some McCoy Tyner-like piano, only for the track to end frustratingly in a fade-out.

Certainly as good as its predecessors, and unlikely better than them, VDT has a slight difference with its predecessor: it seems to be more prog minded than your typical JR/F album (even though it’s the first to contain almost no vocals), but is that voluntary or was it induced by the light theme of the album, we’ll probably never know. In either case, with four aces in its game, plus a trump with the double live album from the following year, Perigeo holds one of the best oeuvre in the peninsula.