RADIATA 5TET — Aurelia Aurita (review)

RADIATA 5TET — Aurelia Aurita album cover Album · 2012 · Jazz Related Improv/Composition Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
octopus-4
Sounds from the jellyfish...

The band's name "radiata", is a word which describes a common symmetry in the Animal's Realm, and the fact that this album is entitled to a jellyfish famous for the quaterfoil on its top may indicate something.

First of all, the absence of symmetry.

This work is very experimental, as often happens when the vocalist Claudio Milano is involved. The vocal research is an important part of this album, and as another reviewer has underlined, it's not distant from the experiments that Demetrio Stratos was doing in the 70s, also because Claudio Milano is one of the very few vocalists in the world who has the possibility to sing in that way. Bass, Cello, Trumpet and Sax complete the quintet with the first two providing tempo and rhythm, when those two words have a sense, and trumpet, sax and voice providing a bit of structure in what appears to be a set of skillful improvisations.

Improvisations over lyrics written by the bassist. One thing for all, for Italian speakers, a title like "Bile dal Po" (Gall from the Po) hits like a hammer. The Po river is the longest and one of the most polluted rivers of Italy and it has always had an important place in the Country's history.

The music is anvant-jazz, experimental, but not too much challenging. It's basicly jazz and Claudio's vocals are the most avantgarde element, also because of his capacity to modulate his voice like an instrument. I've been surprised to hear what he does for just few seconds at minute 3 of "Planula Larvae", as I have heard that kind of vocals only from Stratos in "Concerto all'Elfo" before. From this album Planula Larvae is the track that I prefer, probably because it's the one closer to my tastes.

Listening to this album I can't not think to how a modern ballet based on it could be, or even a light show.

Diploblastic deserves a mention for the bass line on which the other instruments (except the cello in this case) to create an ideal atmosphere able to transport the listener in their world. Let's also mention the incredible vocal performance on "Echinoderms", the first minutes of "Radially Symmetrical Cnidarians" halfway between contemporary classics and a mantra and finally the closing track "(C)Tenophores" with bass and cello giving a "beat" to the other three high-pitched instruments for the first three minutes, then on a cello crescendo there's another impressive vocal part, then silence and another "movement" comes. This music is hard to describe, so I can just close this review saying that it's a kind of contemporary art that requires headphones and concentration. Take your time and give it repetitive listens so to catch all the shades brought in by the various instruments. "Technical" listeners will also appreciate the great skill of the band's members.

Enjoy.
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