antoniodeste

Alright, let's put it your way, although I still believe that from Sanborn one can legitimately expect (much) more. Regards.

I connect ideally to the lines of Symbad: "Straight To the Heart" (an album that is now about twenty years old) well represents the visceral and sanguine way of Sanborn’s groove; I think this can also be said for other albums ("Hideaway" or "Voyeur," just to name a couple) that have beautifully conveyed Sanborn's passionate interpretation of the alto sax. I believe his peak was with Elektra, I think from the late '80s, featuring a great lineup (and without Miller) titled "Another Hand." There you can find the most "avant-garde" and experimental Sanborn. Time again comes after a long period during which I hadn't felt "good vibes" from the altoist, except for that "Pearls" which, while pleasant, felt a bit stagnant. Frankly, this work disappointed me somewhat due to the banality of the themes, the lack of freshness, and a certain routine in Sanborn's improvisational style (which has often stumbled in the past by overusing the high or super-high registers). It’s a shame because I've always liked Sanborn (Lee Konitz once told me he was amazed by the crowd that flocked to a Sanborn concert he attended, where with every piece he could hear loud "Bravo!!") and I’m still waiting for a new convincing proof. He was a beacon of the so-called "fusion" of the '70s and '80s, but we are well into the 2000s now.

@Logic Probe: Already the genuine enthusiasm you show deserves sincere recognition and a rightful appreciation considering the uncommon report; furthermore, given the "quality" of other "reviewers" I happen to read, come on, Probe, you are definitely not the last of the fools...

I am particularly pleased with the success of this work by Panunzi (whom I did not know) because among the promoters and producers of the work are friends I have known for a long time, who have been working for the sanctity of music with a capital M. RES, the label in question, can certainly claim to have generated one of the brightest pearls in the landscape of creative experimentation in our country, and perhaps beyond. Certainly, the presence of "sacred monsters" like Harrison, Karn, and others positively influences a compositional fabric that is imaginative and dreamy. Hence, a round of applause for Panunzi, for the courage and skill demonstrated, and, of course, a wish that "Timelines" does not remain a one-off chapter. A nice commendation also to Logic Probe, which has "fished out" a work that was getting dusty, given its release dates back several months. It is a complete description, heartfelt, emotionally warm, and convincing, even if, perhaps because of this, it is a bit unbalanced, but that doesn't matter. I remind those who are reading that the RES label does not have a wealth of gold, and those who run it are not children of Rockefeller. Let's make them understand that their effort and trust have amounted to something.

I confirm what Logic Probe wrote; "Timelines" by Panunzi has been the soundtrack of much of my winter. It should be noted that the author is not a "professional" musician; he teaches music in middle schools. I believe I haven't heard anything more "Sylvanian" than this extraordinary work. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

I'm passing now. Since February, with the last post, I had promised myself a deep listening and now is the time. I have to say the expectations were reassuring; the collaborations (also in-house ECM with Arild Andersen and in "Generator X" by Audun Kleive) were promising, and indeed they turned out to be so. There is perhaps some doubt about the use of his voice, which I find somewhat cloying when he sings, and the excessive "vaporousness" of certain atmospheres, which I suppose is absolutely intentional. It’s definitely a good start, not dazzling (as "Khmer" by Molvaer was for me, for example), and I reiterate that I would wait for more elements.

Curious “recovery” of an author who delighted my youth for a brief season. However, I had never read the texts, or part of them. And I must say they have delighted me.

@Hal: if we’re talking about music that I’ve encountered and then left behind, alongside classical music I could mention some light music artists that, as a genre, I’ve dismissed without regret, like Massimo Ranieri, Nada, Matia Bazar, Ricchi e Poveri... The truth is that the emotions that Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Mahler provided me when I was a boy no longer shine. Once, when I was thirteen, rock, in all its facets, got into my blood and that was decisive. Just as at sixteen, when German electronics (but also American ones) began to flow through me, the signs were so strong that today there is still evident trace of it. The same thing happened with jazz around the age of twenty, and even then the "cannonades" were epic. It simply happened that classical and opera (except for brief and sudden interludes) remain a faint memory, without my having to renounce anything, of course. Perhaps for me it constitutes something "extinct" and I attribute to these genres connotations of timelessness or obsolescence or anachronism; I don’t know; in fact, I prefer things with a similarly relaxing atmosphere that can provide me with islands of serenity, which I rather find in the (still) landscape of electronic experimentation, as I mentioned, of the 70s or in today's “atmospheric” and “intelligent” electronic scene. However, I wouldn’t want to be misunderstood: I fully understand the reasons of those, like you, who place great value on listening to immortal authors, and I’m careful not to take a stance against them. I suppose it’s a matter of education and personal preference. It’s evident, however, that in life you never know…

It's true. I had forgotten about them; Anyway, here: Third Ear Band (even their "Macbeth" isn't bad) and Oregon and Aktuala for some ethnic-"ruspantismo"-esotericism avant la lettre. All good travel companions.

Great album, along with their first; it is evident that for completeness and atmospheres, I feel inclined to suggest (as much as the quality of the recordings remains questionable) the third and final "Tappeto Volante"; I would say that for the time, the only possible foreign comparison, just to give a reference to newcomers, is (with due distances) Oregon. This was a more unique than rare adventure and more than deserving of being rediscovered.