Fabio Zuffanti
Ghiaccio

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It seems like they've passed in the blink of an eye, but it's been a good sixteen years since Finisterre made their debut in the music market with that self-titled debut that still excites progressive followers today.

It was 1994 and one of the minds of that group was Fabio Zuffanti, who until today has been able to unleash his unbridled creativity in all those numerous projects that almost always garnered a certain following from progfans (Hostsonaten, Maschera di Cera, Aries, etc.). Today, one could almost write a book about Zuffanti… Not a virtuoso of the instrument, nor a perfect singer, Fabio can boast other extraordinary qualities. First and foremost, enviable compositional skills; then an out-of-the-ordinary imagination; finally, the fact that, even before being a musician, he is a prog enthusiast and not just of prog...

Exploiting his talents, he has managed to create jewels both with the group that launched him and with the numerous other ideas that have come up as his career progressed. Inevitably, his solo albums also deserve maximum attention. At the beginning of 2010 "Ghiaccio" was released, with which he develops and improves upon the project undertaken with the previous year's self-titled album. In this work, Zuffanti sings (also showing a certain vocal maturity), plays all the instruments, and distances himself quite a bit from any other work he has previously been involved in (small similarities could be seen with Quadraphonic's electronics or the Lazona project devoted to post-rock); therefore, do not expect romanticism, vintage sounds, refined instrumental parts, etc. In fact, to best assimilate "Ghiaccio," you must first clear your mind of any prejudice and not embark on a search for precise sources of inspiration. Not that there aren't more or less marked influences; not that Fabio has created something new and very original; but it should be clear from the start that if you want some good old, dear and "safe" symphonic rock, this is certainly not the album for you. Because here you will find minimalism, electronics, post-rock, cultured songwriting, Canterbury-like cries and modern psychedelia, mixed in the right doses and in such a way as to create a homogeneous work rich in valuable insights. It's incredible how the icy tones chosen for his solo endeavors manage to enchant and convey a fairytale-like aura…

It takes just a few notes on the keyboard, or a slow, sleepy vocal melody in the distance, or misty atmospheres, or hypnotic rhythms to suddenly catapult us into another world, gently guided and led by Fabio's music. Besides, how can one resist "Cinque all’alba" (the closing track, perhaps one of the best things ever written by the artist), which cradles us with lullabies that bring closer two seemingly distant worlds like that of Sigur Ros ("quoted" several times during the album) and that of Robert Wyatt? In the other tracks, synthetic sounds continue to stand out, often linked to singer-songwriter music and experimentation, as the best Battiato teaches. In short, there are no complex and elaborate constructions, but an intelligent basic work, sometimes based on a few chords, sometimes supported by a particular sound research, from which develops an album filled with a melancholic mood that seduces and fascinates. At this point, one might speculate on how much this CD can fit into the progressive realm... but… does it really matter? Is it so important to "catalog" it? And then I might tell you "yes, it is prog!" only to hear the protests of those who think otherwise (and vice versa)… Could Fabio be one of the possibilities to open the eyes of those who can't seem to get beyond the continuous reproduction of precise and now over forty-year-old patterns? Could he lead those who admired Finisterre and Hostsonaten to more demanding, "different" listens, from which a clear open-mindedness emerges (which is often lacking in the notorious "average progfan")? Has he identified a "different" path to follow to reach new future wonders?

I don't know if the answers to these questions will be affirmative; what I am absolutely certain of is that Zuffanti shows his irrepressible talent also with "Ghiaccio". Hats off!!!

Peppe Di Spirito