Alan Sorrenti - "Aria" {ITA} [1972] @192 (Epic Wyrd Folk)

Review: Mark Gaines, progweed: One of the most mysterious and misunderstood figures of past Italian recorded history, Alan Sorrenti has created some of the most mesmerizing music this planet has ever had the pleasure to hear. Creating a blend of folk renderings with a melodic, avant-garde jazz backdrop, Sorrenti has rendered a vocal tapestry on par with anything Van Morrison or Peter Hammill has had the energy to commit to tape. Aria is a blend of the most sophisticated form of symphonic folk I have ever heard.

At times Sorrenti weaves his way through his tunes like an emblazoned Peter Hammill with VdGG, only to recess back to the solitude of a melancholy troubadour, evoking images of a soul in suspended animation. "Aria" is a 20 minute epic of immense proportions. Accompanied by Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, Sorrenti evokes images of passion and joy like no one. Allen Prince provides a wide panoramic view with his keyboard playing, while Antonio Nazzaro lays a firm foundation in rhythmic patterns. "Vorrei Incontrarti" is the most beautiful song in Sorrenti's catalog of recorded music. Covered by Hostsonaten on the four CD set Zarathustra's Revenge, who by the way do an honorable cover, but nowhere do they match the delicate beauty of the Sorrenti original. "La Mia Mente" is mandala of musical delights that tickle one to no end and, after a few listens will keep you coming back for more. Near the end of this track Sorrentti wails like a young Robert Plant with the insanity of a Demetrios Stratos. "Un Fume Tranquillo" ends the disc with a note of melancholy and at times evokes in me the memory of Peter Hammill's track "Candle" from Fools Mate.

Later in Sorrenti's carrier he was misdirected toward a more commercial sound but left in his wake three recorded masterful beauties for the world to discover. One wonders where he would have taken such an innovative voice and compositions had he stayed the course of Aria.

Alan Sorrenti- "La mia Mente"

Keep Listening

Links in Comments