Malaavia
began life in Naples in 1998 on the initiative of Pas Scarpato. After
some line up changes and a good live activity, in 2004 the band
released a début album on the independent label Ma.Ra.Cash., Danze
d'incenso, with a line up featuring Pas Scarpato (bass, guitars,
vocals), Oderigi Lusi (organ, piano, keyboards, synthesizers,
accordion, backing vocals), Lucio Fontana (drums), Solimena Casoria
(flute, vocals) and Egidio Napolitano (percussion) plus numerous
prestigious guests such as Michele Mutti (synthesizer, from La Torre
dell'Alchimista), Lino Vairetti (vocals, from Osanna) or Giovanni
Mauriello (vocals, from Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare) just to
name but a few. The result is an interesting album, very rich in
ideas but where, in my opinion, is difficult to separate the wheat
from the chaff. You can recognize many different influences ranging
from Le Orme to Osanna, from classical music to ragtime, from disco
music to rap, but the blending is not always convincing. The album is
divided into three long suites where you can find some brilliant
passages but also some weak points that risk to spoil the pleasure of
listening to it.
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| Malaavia 2000 |
The
opener “Sequenza prima: delle danze” (First sequence: of the
dances) begins with a very promising instrumental part, “Preludio
di luna piena” (Prelude of full moon), featuring classical
influences and a dreamy mood, then comes “Abraham, where is the
land?”, with lyrics swinging from Italian to English to Neapolitan
dialect evoking the contradictions of the tormented countries of
Middle-East, a promised land ravaged by war and culture clashes.
There are some beautiful melodic lines with male and female vocals
and a raging rap break... “Panic and terror in the streets and
markets of Damascus / Blooding children who pay the horror of a war /
Land, land that will never come...”. Then, suddenly, the music and
lyrics take you across the Sahara desert to the streets of Marrakesh,
a melting pot of cultures, colours and sounds... Hints of ragtime and
ethnic sounds lead to the weak final part, “Kyrie Eleyson”, and
its disconcerting, horrible disco-beat.
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| album cover |
The
second suite, “Sequenza seconda: della conoscenza” (Second
sequence: of the knowledge), begins by piano and vocals, then ethnic
instruments joins contributing to evoke some mysterious shadows
creeping on: the ancient shadows of life, harmony and love. The first
part, “Ombre” (Shadows) fades into the ethereal second section,
“Gnòti sautòn (conosci te stesso)” (Know yourself), where
reality becomes uncertain and beautiful melodies soar in a living
dream... “Gnoti sautòn, the truth is just inside you / If the
music will resist / Your soul will listen to new notes... An
orchestra will play a symphonic music...”. Unfortunately what comes
after is not a symphony but a disco-pop section, “Vie interne”
(Internal ways), that abruptly breaks the dreamy mood... “We are
the travellers of the internal ways / We are looking for eternal
truths / Wandering souls of the internal ways / We are looking for
ancient truths...”. Then a delicate piano interlude, “Softmoon”,
leads to “Cuori d'elettricità” (Hearts of electricity), a
section that in some way reminds me of Franco Battiato's works from
the eighties... “Animality, mechanicality / We are bodies / We are
hearts of electricity...”. A distorted electric guitar solo,
“Hominem quaero”, follows and a final explosion concludes the
sequence.
The
third suite, “Sequenza terza: tra balsami d'incenso” (Third
sequence: through balms of incense), starts with an instrumental
section, “Interludio sospeso” (Suspended interlude), featuring a
dark mood and a strong classical influence with strings in the
forefront. It leads to “Vivi nascosto” (Live hidden), another
nice section that recalls Franco Battiato with lyrics telling you
that you've better hide from false priests and easy goals, from false
paradises and sophisms... A beautiful, dreamy instrumental section
follows, “Danza d'incenso” (Dance of incense), bringing a touch
of exoticism and Middle Eastern flavours. It fades into “Mezzaluna
fertile” (Fertile crescent moon), a bitter-sweet part with lyrics
in Italian and Neapolitan dialect about the absurdity of the never
ending war that Christians, Hebrews and Muslims are fighting in
Palestine. Rap, Italian melody and Bach are mixed together with a
very peculiar effect. Then comes the sound of a gong that introduces
an acoustic guitar passage evoking a peaceful landscape, “Locus
amoenus”. The following section, “Canzone di Giuseppe”
(Joseph's song) is dedicated to the character of Saint Joseph and
reminds me slightly of the atmospheres of Fabrizio De André's album
La buona novella, recently reinterpreted by Premiata Forneria
Marconi. The conclusive section, “Coda di luna calante” (Tail of
waning moon), is a magnificent instrumental featuring murmured vocals
in the background reciting some verses by Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio... “Oppressed in love, in pleasure, the people of the
world of the living are asleep... O waning scythe, what a harvest of
dreams ripples in your mild and diffuse light down here!”.
On
the whole, I think that despite the many ups and downs this is an
album that is worth listening to. A mention also for the beautiful
album cover painted by Domizia Parri that maybe describes the content
better than all my words.
Malaavia:
Danze d'incenso (2004). Other opinions:
Thomas
Szirmay: This is another fine example of Italian proficiency in
progressive rock field, combining local and foreign influences to
create memorable music and exemplary playing. RPI is akin to Italian
cuisine, there are a lot of combinations, flavors and aromas that can
go into the pan, while still keeping to long held traditions...
(read the complete review HERE)
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