If you are a fan of 70's Italian prog rock fusion, then you certainly should remember the name Arti & Mestieri. This band released two classic albums back in the day, 1974's Tilt, and 1975's Giro Di Valzer Per Domani, both considered staples of Italian fusion and often compared to releases from The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Frank Zappa, and UK. The band broke up in the 80's and reformed once again in the late 1990's, and this live CD contains a performance from Tokyo in 2005, with material mostly drawn from the two legendary albums plus some solid new pieces.
Led by the stellar talents of drummer Furio Chirico, the band also features keyboard player Beppe Crovella (Hammond organ, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, piano, synths), guitarist Marco Roagna, violinist Lautaro Acosta, sax/flute player Alfredo Ponissi, bassist Roberto Cassetta, and vocalist Iano Nicolo. Each player is a virtuoso in his own right, and gets plenty of room to show their talents. Tunes like "Positivo/Negativo", "Strips", "In Cammino", "Mirafiore", "Dimensione Terra", and "2000" contain plenty of searing guitar solos, soaring violin, acrobatic rhythms, vintage keyboard sounds, and jazzy reeds, all played with fire and finesse. At times complex, other times loose and airy, the arrangements here are always classy and played with tremendous skill from all the musicians. Although each member gets ample opportunity to solo throughout this set, it's a total band effort all the way around, and even though many of these songs were written well over 30 years ago, they still hold up well and show what great songwriters Arti & Mestieri are.
Make no mistake about it, First Live in Japan is a monumental live recording, showing that this veteran band has not lost a step whatsoever. Highest Recommendations here folks!
Track Listing
1. Gravita
2. Strips
3. Corrosione
4. Positivo/Negativo
5. In Cammino
6. Valzer Per Domani
7. Mirafiori
8. Nove Lune Prima
9. Mescali/Mescalero
10. Nove Lune Dopo
11. Aria Pesante
12. Dimensione Terra
13. Kawasaki
14. Glory
15. Marilyn
16. Arcensiel
17. Alba Mediterranea
18. 2000
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