The
Iz Quartet come from Zoppola, a little town in the province of
Pordenone. They began life in 2012 as an acoustic trio under the name
Izchis Zorfena’s Trio on the initiative of Denis Ronchese
(keyboards) and brothers Paolo Jus (bass, guitar) and Pietro Jus
(drums, percussion). In 2013 Aurelio Tarallo (guitar) joined and
later the band changed their name into Iz Quartet. In 2015 the band
self-released an interesting EP entitled Lebannen featuring
five original compositions for a total of 29 minutes length. The
overall sound is influenced by jazz, fusion and progressive rock and
bands and artists such as Snarky Puppy, Greg Howe, Chick Corea,
Weather Report, Frank Zappa, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller,
Jamiroquai, Herbie Hancock or Miles Davis. Anyway, the musicians
managed to put also all their passion and some good ideas into the
mix and in my opinion the final result is really worth listening to.
 |
| Iz Quartet 2015 |
The
opener "Geesy Ku" begins softly, then the rhythm rises and
the music drives you through dreamy realms and exotic islands. For a
first demo version of this track the band shot a nice video where you
can see some toys coming to life in a workshop to explore a new world
where creativity rules and where the music is the charm that makes
things roll all around the place...
Next
comes "Magic Bus" that takes you on a journey across the
ocean and with its funky grooves conjures up an American dream along
wide highways and busy streets, between lights and shadows... The
following "Levity" features some Latin flavours and a
lighter pace, so you can relax and dream of a special holiday, at
least for a while...
The
title track is an evocative piece with a mysterious atmosphere. Who
is "Lebannen"? He might be the strange character portrayed
on the art cover... Well, to begin the art cover reminds us that
Zoppola is not for from Spilimbergo, another town in the province of
Pordenone, best known for its Friuli School of Mosaic, so Lebannen might be
an Oriental king or a Byzantine general with a double personality... Lebannen is also the name
of a character in a fantasy saga written by American novelist Ursula K. Le Guin, but I don't know if this piece was really inspired by the deeds of the king of Earthsea... All in all, it doesn't matter! Let
the music drive and take you away on the wings of your own fantasy...
The
calm, acoustic "La rana di vetro" (The frog of glass)
closes an album with some really good moments... Have a try, you can
listen to the complete work HERE
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