Indaco
Vento del deserto

A few years ago I received a series of CDs from a dear friend containing mp3s that delved into the rich Italian "progressive rock" music scene of the 70s, deliberately avoiding collecting material on already famous groups like Area, PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme, New Trolls, and focusing largely on lesser-known bands like Locanda delle fate, Latte e miele, Città frontale, Jumbo, etc.

Browsing through this sea of albums, I could not help but notice the beautiful album "Vento del deserto" written and produced by a fascinating group known as Indaco. Indaco actually formed in the early '90s from the meeting between Rodolfo Maltese (guitarist of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso) and Mario Pio Mancini (bouzouki, violin) with the purpose of realizing a simple and spontaneous combination of great musicians, united by the singular noble intention of offering emotions and having fun making good music. Thus, it is 1997 and the basic lineup includes not only the two musicians already mentioned but also the legendary Pierluigi Calderoni on drums, Luca Barberini on bass (fretless), Arnaldo Vacca on percussion, and Carlo Mezzanotte on keyboards. For the occasion, a wide array of luxury guests orbit around them; in particular, special mention goes definitely to Mauro Pagani, always ready to dive into new and stimulating experiences, Francesco Di Giacomo, and the lead voice (what a voice!!!) Enzo Gragnaniello; other guests present are Massimo Carrano and Toni Esposito on percussion, Antonello Salis on harmonica, Rino Zurzolo on double bass.

"Vento del deserto" (rare CD, unfortunately out of catalog), the second album released by Indaco, presents a handful of smooth tracks, some with great depth, that drag the listener effortlessly into a world made of evocative landscapes and smoky atmospheres; Indaco offers us a high-quality and contemporary musical blend. Fresh and natural sounds, often the result of the massive use of ethnic instruments, acoustic guitars, bouzouki, violins, accordions, etc., through which their need to recover, purify, and strengthen the roots that are deeply entrenched in their own cultural heritage becomes evident; a 360° vision expanded thanks to the receptivity and renewability of musicians of undeniable caliber, who here tap into their vast wealth of knowledge.

Resulting from the same successful solution, an ethnic-styled rock-folk, "Su nuraghe" (lively and magical opening track) and "Ascea" travel hand in hand, weaving arabesques with lush tones and instantly triggering some nuances of the hybrid emotionality of the listener. Although "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun," a reinterpretation of the famous Pink Floyd track, and "Waiting For The Kundalini" (both featuring a strong oriental touch) are the only less inspired episodes that slightly alter the quality average of the album, from "Vento del deserto" onwards, one enters the heart of the album, which little by little begins to carve out spaces and attributes as a true masterpiece. The title track, a more subdued and calm piece compared to the previous ones, is outlined by rich arpeggios of 12-string guitars and mandolins, which together with a beautiful violin whisper to the soul the pleasure of contemplating a gentle breeze, a breeze that thanks to the skilful recalibration of accents, and the intensification of the groove explodes into an impetuous and uncontrollable wind.

"Friend-Ship" is a bare, vibrant, penetrating Indian chant, like a mantra beating from deep within, but it's "Green Fog" that stands as the centerpiece of this wandering show in the crossroads of our peculiar musical cross-contamination, which sees the union of jazz, popular music, sun-soaked Mediterranean sounds, sinuous oriental intertwining and that surreal vein marked by the masterful and robust voice-accordion duet; a memorable insight that will later be proposed several times with success. Another two gems are certainly "Il volo del gabbiano" (a little Latin, a little tango, a little jazz-oriented, with prominent bass and violin) which recalls certain works by Pat Metheny, and "Vision Of The Sea," sealed with a nice fretless solo, while "Gocce" is an experimental track, where the sound of water droplets is reproduced through the use of tuned and detuned percussive instruments specifically to achieve this effect similar to pounding rain or flowing (I think of the sounds produced by the "Rainstick," an instrument made of a hollow tapered cylinder filled with wooden nails, although much less crystalline).

As the last splendid track comes "Tharros" (the only one with lyrics), an elegant rock-folk ballad expanded between accordion solos, always spirited, and keyboard solos, and featuring the pleasant presence on vocals of Francesco Di Giacomo, with his always slightly theatrical epic voice solemnly declaiming the disillusionment of a lost man in the face of the vastness of the universe.

After this beautiful chapter, the band continued to produce music first with the studio album "Amorgòs" in 1999, followed by a live album "Spezie" (also containing some new features) released in the summer of 2000, up to "Terra maris" (2002), while the first album "Indaco" printed in a very limited number of copies dates back to 1992. The first three records (including "Vento del deserto") were published by il manifesto and are difficult to find except in downloadable format, so my sincere advice for all interested parties, debaseriani or not: arm yourself with a lot of good patience.