domenica 28 novembre 2021

Gli album di Bernardo Lanzetti: “IL CIELO A ZIG ZAG” o "BERNARDO LANZETTI?"


L’album “Bernardo Lanzetti”

1982-CBS


IL CIELO A ZIG ZAG” era l’idea dell’artista per il titolo di quell’album e infatti due bozzetti erano stati presentati su quel tema.

I responsabili della CBS bocciarono, senza valido motivo, quel titolo e quell’idea e, forti delle regole contrattuali dell’epoca, imposero il titolo “Bernardo Lanzetti”, pur a conoscenza del fatto che, solo due anni prima, già la Ciao Records aveva pubblicato un album con lo stesso titolo malgrado il malumore, in proposito, dell’artista/interprete.

Curioso il fatto che Bernardo, in quei frangenti, si trovasse nello studio di Guido Harari, fotografo che aveva fatto il salto di qualità con il tour De Andrè/PFM e che sembrava aver dimenticato la sua primissima copertina del 1974 che immortalava il Lanzetti con il gruppo Acqua Fragile per l’album “Mass Media Stars”.

Ridendo e scherzando, Guido fece alcuni scatti con la polaroid e altri in bianco e nero, così per aggiornare il suo book.

La CBS vide una di quelle foto e la scelse per la copertina dell’album in oggetto senza neppure permettere al fotografo di rivedere e ripulire il negativo.

Qui si mostrano gli scatti polaroid inutilizzati che mostrano una certa poesia e un certo spessore artistico.




domenica 21 novembre 2021

Compie gli anni Bernardo Lanzetti

Compie gli anni oggi, 21 novembre, Bernardo Lanzetti, "The Voice Impossible", del prog-rock italiano…

Acqua Fragile, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Mangala Vallis... e molte produzioni soliste, sono il "curriculum" di Bernardo.

Dopo 43 anni, torna ad incidere un nuovo album con gli Acqua Fragile, "A New Chant", accolto molto bene da pubblico e critica.

Happy Birthday Bernardo!

Wazza


Una rara foto dell'Acqua Fragile con Joe Vescovi (ex The Trip)

Anno 1977 (JET LAG). Partendo da sinistra: Premoli, Di Cioccio, Bloch, Lanzetti, Mussida e Dijvas.


Bernardo Lanzetti and the Steam Band
Ok L-R: John G Perry, Clive Bunker, Bernardo, YT and Jackie McCauley

Anno 1995: si forma per quella stagione l'Equipe 84 Extra", con Victor Sogliani che esce dall"Equipe, sostituito da Fulvio Monieri, e gli Extra di Bernardo Lanzetti già vocalist della PFM. In senso orario, da sx in basso: Bernardo Lanzetti voce, chitarra e glovox; Ronnie Jackson voce e chitarra; Andrea Lavelli voce, chitarra, basso e tastiere; Vanni Comotti voce e batteria; Victor Sogliani voce e basso; al centro Johnny Pozzi.





mercoledì 17 novembre 2021

Bernardo Lanzetti / Horizontal Rain CD, review From Wolfgang Giese


Bernardo Lanzetti / Horizontal Rain CD review

From Wolfgang Giese

November 16, 2021


The Italian singer Bernardo Lanzetti was born in Casalmaggiore in 1948. In 1971 he formed the prog rock band Acqua Fragile, which released an album in 1973 and 1974 respectively. He subsequently sang on three of the albums with the band Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM).

The protagonist's solo phase then resulted in a number of publications, and further participations in other productions until there was a reunion of Acqua Fragile in 2017. And now another solo record with "Horizontal Rain".

The first guest star introduces himself with "Walk Away"! David Cross (King Crimson) convinces with a fine virtuoso violin solo. And when Cross 'battles' with Derek Sherinian on the keyboards, you almost think you've landed in rock jazz, here with the Mahavishnu Orchestra = Jerry Goodman vs. Jan Hammer. But the main focus is immediately drawn when Lanzettilifts up to sing. Yo, there is a lot of theatricality in the expression, sometimes like an opera he powerfully performs his own lyrics to his own music. And this moves, in the spirit and as an expression of his past, in the Prog Rock area.

But the characteristics of this genre are not only used as a basis, but extensions have been adhered to. This is what happened on "Heck Jack", where the saxophonist Giancarlo Porro is responsible for the arrangement of the horn section around him and the trumpeter Marco Brioschi and the trombonist Carlo Napolitano. Speaking of the saxophone - yes, David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator) also enriches the epic "Lanzhaiku" with familiar sounds on his saxophone and flute, his typical sound.

On the last song, "Different", a whole choir is brought up, the unusual arrangement brings a very beguiling-mystical mood to the music. And so a not necessarily uniform direction has succeeded, but it is precisely because of this that the already very lively music gains even more liveliness. It is precisely this variety that leads to the fact that not only pure proggies should feel addressed, but also all those who otherwise listen to other music.

At first sight the harmonic songs rule, "Time Is King" for example reminds a little of Genesis and other songs contain many elements and passages of Art Rock. Of course, it is always the veteran's musical past that flashes and has found its way. An absolutely formidable achievement has been achieved, music with charm, with retro elements, sometimes powerfully gripping ("Horizontal Rain"), but otherwise often floating spherically with a dreamy expression. And above or above everything stands this unmistakable voice, sometimes acting a little hectically, but extremely individual.

 


Tracklist "Horizontal Rain"

Walk Away (5:51)

Heck Jack (3:48)

Lanzhaiku (3:36)

Time Is King (4:54)

Brilliant! (3:04)

Conventional (4:24)

Ero Un Num Ero (4:57)

Horizontal Rain (5:13)

Different (4:32) 

Total playing time: 40:28, year of publication: 2021


Line-up Bernardo Lanzetti

Bernardo Lanzetti (lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, programming)

Alesia Baltach (cello - # 7)

Marco Brioschi (trumpet - # 2)

Andrea Cervetto (guitars, bass, keyboards, arrangements - # 2,4)

Kim Chandler (backing vocals - # 1,2)

Marco Colombo (guitars - # 5,8)

David Cross (violin - # 1)

Tony Franklin (bass - # 1)

Pier Gonella (guitars - # 6)

David Jackson (saxophones and flutes - # 3)

Tony Levin (stick - # 2)

Dario Mazzoli (bass - # 5)

Sara Wilma Milani (backing vocals - # 3)

Jonathan Mover (drums - # 1,2,5,8)

Carlo Napolitano (trombone - # 2)

Alex Polipo (drums - # 4)

Giancarlo Porro (tenor saxophone and horn section arrangements - # 2)

Derek Sherinian (keyboards - # 1)

Pier Vigolini (keyboards - # 6)

Franco Grandoni (choir conductor - # 9)

Luisa Baiocco, Federica Bastianelli, Silvia Metelli, Michelle Rainone, Gabriele Santoni,

Teo Tiburzi, Gabriele Serano (choir - # 9)