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.

Sean Trane Second album from this Roman group (unchanged line-up), released on the same RCA label, and coming with a fascinating artwork, ruined by an unlikely title. The group is still solidly run by bassist Tomasso, but unlike in Azimut, he allows the others (keyboardist D’Andrea mostly) some space for their own material, but he’s still by far the most prolific writer in the group. Actually for years and from the opening track of both albums, every time I put either this album or its predecessor I always had to take a look to indeed confirm which one I am listening to. I must say that between Azimut’s Posto Di Non So Dove and this album’s Non C’e Tempo Da Pedere (no time to lose), both are strikingly similar, from Tomasso’s great vocals to the use of a bowed bass and Sidney’s Hackettian guitar, and D’Andrea’s great piano (first acoustic, than electric).

The following Déjà Vu is a strange and haunted piano piece that often draws on the border of dissonance and leading into Tomasso’s wordless vocals and Fasoli’s sax lines. The lengthy Rituale starts on small percussions, soon joined by the piano and Sidney’s wailing guitar, which histrionics will last for a good part of the track. Indeed if in the debut album US-born Toni Sydney was almost inexistent, on Abbiamo, he’s certainly on of the group’s hero and he was probably attracting the chicks to the group in concert with his good looks. The title track is a slow builder constructed around Biriaco’s solid drumming and Tomasso’s brooding bass work, Fasolli’s sax and D’Andrea‘s piano just going with the flow.

Most of the flipside’s tracks follow suit to the A-side (if you’ll except the finale’s dissonant improvised start) and in general it is relatively safe to say that apart of Sydney’s guitar taking on a front role, Abbiamo is very close to be Azimut’s carbon copy. And for me, if it’s as good as Azimut, than Abbiamo is another easy 4 star album. Perigeo has their sound on their first two albums somewhere between Mwandishi, Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew, Soft Machine circa 4 to 6, Nucleus and Iceberg, so if you like these, you can buy these eyes closed.