PERIGEO — Live In Italy 1976 (review)

PERIGEO — Live In Italy 1976 album cover Live album · 1976 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
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.

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