Sunday, November 14, 2010

Roberto Mazza: Scoprire le orme (ADN, 1991)

Charming and fluctuating. You could call it new age, you could call it world music, but the most fitting description for "Scoprire le orme" is unearthly. It's just oboe, bardic harp and synthetizers, all played by the composer, Roberto Mazza. The textrures are vaguely inspired by different folkloric traditions, specially the one of the Hebrides islands, in the north of Scotland. There is no recognizable "traditional" feeling, though, as every element is reimagined and transfigured: the resulting atmosphere is oblique and irreal, calm but always veined with disquiet. The unusual scales explored by Mazza and the circularity of the patterns, furthermore, give the music a really "esoteric" touch. I have to admit I don't know any other similar music (but I'll try to suggest something anyway, not too dissimilar I hope).

I couldn't find much information  about Roberto Mazza. The notes on the booklet of the cassette explain he was born in 1953 not far from Milan. He played the woodwinds in the experimental band Telaio Magnetico (alongside Franco Battiato, Lino "Capra" Vaccina, Juri Camisasca) during the Seventies, and then started touring with harpist Vincenzo Zitello. He got passionate with the rediscovery of the celtic harp and almost forgotten indoeuropean musical traditions. This is his first solo work, as far as I know, followed by "Cyprea" some years afterwards.


Tracklist:
  1. Vulcani blu
  2. First Song
  3. Stanze parallele
  4. Ebridi
  5. Acrostici indolenti
  6. Altari della luna
  7. Visioni del sentiero azzurro
  8. Esperidi
  9. Mahoraga
  10. Artigli arguti
  11. Koan
  12. Le lunghe ore luminose
Download (240 kbps)


Similar music on the blog:
Militia: Elvengamello (Materiali Sonori, 1997)
Nicola Alesini, Pier Luigi Andreoni: Marco Polo (Materiali sonori, 1996)

5  :

Mr. C said...

Hi! Thanks so much for the time and attention you put into your blog. You helped me find Nicola Alesini and Pier Luigi Andreoni's Marco Polo, which I have been enjoying (parts 1 & 2, actually). I will give this a spin, as well as Militia. You do a really great job, and I look forward to hear what you have to say about each release you present, and the context you help us find. Ciao!

wago said...

Many thanks Mr. C! The similarity with the Marco Polo project isn't very strict: I obviously suggets you to listen to the album anyway, but keep in mind it won't be the same kind of experience... Militia are much closer to the music of Marco Polo in my opinion, even if they're definitely darker and more folk-oriented.

Audiozobe said...

This is a very enjoyable album. Reminds me of some of the nicer Andreas Vollenweider material. You gotta like the new agey vibe a bit though, but fortunatelly for me, I do! Thank you for the discovery, and keep up the fantastic blog (I'm still reeling over the discovery of Amari, which really blew me! Too bad this was not exported, they'd have had a better chance abroad with this album...)

Anonymous said...

Is there any way you can re upload this?

Intercourse said...

Yeah would love a reupload of this if possible!