Jan Dukes De Grey
Mice And Rats In The Loft

Good morning, guys, how was the previous hour's music lesson with Professor Eliodoro? Was he angry because you haven't finished the research on '70s German bands yet? Are you all still alive, or should I take attendance? No, because you know, I would be sorry if someone were absent today, because, in our usual prog lesson, we will tackle a dark and particularly challenging topic, namely acid folk. Yes, yes, you can lower your hands, I know you are prepared and that "First Utterance" rings insistently against your temples as an example of the excellence achieved by the blend of the aforementioned folk vein with the characteristics of progressive, but today we will talk about another very high peak conquered by this unlikely yet unknown subgenre, a lost diamond of inestimable value, carved in 1971 by three English guys... But let's start from the beginning.

Open the book to page 1969 (yes, it's a huge tome, I know) and you will see two young multi-instrumentalists from Yorkshire, Derek Noy and Michael Bairstow, intent on forming a duo: the Jan Dukes de Grey. The small band, a year after its birth, created Sorcerers, a purely folk record made up of short acoustic compositions with pastoral flavors, rather distant from the canons of progressive rock, yet not lacking in originality and charm, so much so that, even today, this debut is highly regarded by wise and learned scholars of music genres arcane and forgotten by time.

But let's go back to 1971 and meet the drummer Danis Conlan, the third and last member of the group, who joined the exceptional woodwind skills of Michael (in charge of flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, as well as keyboard and percussion) and Derek's mastery with strings (both vocal, with his distinctly slightly demonic timbre, and instrumental, playing bass and electric or twelve-string guitar with prowess), giving the sound produced by the small band a greater rhythmic incisiveness, resulting in atmospheres at times more aggressive and unpredictable and in propulsive and reckless flights on the verge of improvisation. "Mice and Rats in the Loft" also sees the help of a small orchestra that, with strings and winds in hand, perfectly envelops and softens the harsh sounds produced by the heart of the band, giving an even more epic air to the compositions, without, however, falling into pompous and excessive interventions for their own sake.

The initial suite "Sun Symphonica" shows us all the explosive potential of the trio, alternating elegant and delicate moments, dominated by the flute, cradled by the languid notes emanated from the violins, with others harsh and syncopated in which Derek's voice, in line with his twelve-string, demolishes any utopian mirage of consistency and stability, catapulting the listener through bucolic and fantastical landscapes, permeated by an impalpable but clearly discernible climate of threat. The oxymoron tends to repeat itself also later, during "Call of the Wilds", in which the fairy-tale theme embroidered by the increasingly sweet flute of Michael and the caressing female counterpoints allied to the main voice, is swept away once again by the guitar, which, after a long solo digression, muddies the crystalline sound waters that have flowed so far, with dark ravings accomplished thanks to the complicity of the saxophone. The situation irreparably worsens at the tearing sound of the siren introducing the title track, haunted by the electric guitar, here in the grip of a veritable psychosis, and by the equally mad singing of the usual Derek, characterized by particularly disturbing and gruesome lyrics, destined to marry magnificently with the uncategorizable final improvisation.

What remains at the end of the listening is the certainty of the impressive technical and compositional value of the group, coupled with the overwhelming bitterness given by the thought that indifference and general superficiality have unfortunately managed to make another victim, hiding the traces of an indispensable jewel of prog-folk never properly praised and appreciated to the fullest. Well, what more can I say, our time is up, I'll see you in the next lesson, and please: don't waste time on textbooks that don't interest you, but follow the things that you like and make you feel free, and if prog is one of these, then get the record I've told you about. You won't regret it.