Napoli Centrale - Mattanza

Napoli Centrale, the Italian fusion group that recorded three albums in the 70s (and apparently a few more since), have always turned me off largely on the scratchy, growly vocalist who appears periodically. I find it a bit strange because he’s not terribly far from Jumbo’s Alvaro Fella who I think is great, and consider the difference largely the format. So imagine taking Fella and plopping him in mid to late 70s Weather Report, at least on occasion, and you’ll get a fairly good idea of the Napoli Centrale sound. On “Mattanza” the vocalist only shows up at the beginning and end of the record, but leaves a distinct impression. The rest of this seems to be very toned down, almost fuzak-like jazz rock and not anything that Perigeo or Agora did much better around the same time. And perhaps it’s telling that only two of these three jazz-rock groups were invited to Montreux? Anyway this is very average, 7ish sort of stuff and nothing I feel the need to hang onto.

E. A. Poe - Generazioni (Storia de Sempre)

Here’s another Italian one shot occupying the mediocre tier. Clocking in at a few minutes over 30, this actually reminds me quite a bit of classic period of Orme, particularly their ballad side (don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea that this is ELP school). Generazioni seems something of a concept album, although one I’ve forgotten since I last pulled this out sometime in the 90s. It’s all rather low key and folky, and in that way more similar to Reale Accademia di Musica or Claudio Rocchi than an Italian progressive rock group, even if those hints are there. I’ve come back to revisit this album several times in the hope that it would grow on me like so many others, but given its similarity to the groups listed here, I’m thinking it’s not all that close to my style.

Noa s/t

A French one shot from 1980 that present an avant-jazz rock with female vocal lead that seems to teeter between the early, pre-Trilogy Gong and wilder free jazz. I actually don’t even remember the last time I’d played this, but this is a good example of wondering what the hell I was thinking at the time as this is much better than I remember, and quite anachronistic for 1980 with it’s almost Futura-like sound. Very much a French, jazz rock group, some of the pointers I’d mention would be the early vocals-led Zao of Z=7L and the deranged insanity of Komintern. It’s one hell of a ride and my grade rise to a 10 is probably not its last stop.