Clever reed duo interpretation of a nice set of prog and Canterbury themes, done with affection and care, but also with a nice improvisatory freedom. There is material here by Caravan, Gong, King Crimson, Soft machine and Kevin Ayers, along with an original by each of the two players which suggest they’re no mean songsmiths in their own right. Excellent.
Brian Morton, Jazz Journal, November 2015
An interesting duo playing tunes with some improvisation.
The tunes are all short so they play the tune, improvise a bit, and go on to
the next one. It is all very melodic and tonal. Very similar to the
guitar-piano duo of Mazzu and Troja, another Italian duo playing nice melodies.
The highlight of this CD is the contrast between the different horns,
especially the bass clarinet and the soprano and alto saxes. This is the case
whether they are playing the melodies in unison or improvising around each
other. Popolla uses his bass clarinet effectively on some tunes as a bass line
under De Fabritus’ soprano No surprises here. Just some nice melodic playing
with some nice interplay. Bernie Koenig
Improgressive is also a duo, consisting of Errico De Fabritiis/as-ss and Alberto Popolla/cl-acl-bcl.
Together, they create warm harmonies and melodies with palpable textures on "the Illusion" and
the swinging "Sixa 35." Popolla’s bass clarinet broods wonderfully on the lyrical "Pictures of a City"
and "Radio Gnome Invisible" while soprano sax and straight clarinet bop with delight between laughs
on "You Can’t Kill Me." A renaissance feel comes for as the reeds make a clarion call on the rich
"Caravan Medley" and they show they can go left of center on the frisky "Soft Machine Medley."
Reed rapture!.
George W. Harris • September 17, 2015
http://www.jazzweekly.com/2015/09/slam-dunkspaul-dunmall-tony-bianco-homage-to-john-coltrane-improgressive-primo-i-giganti-della-montagna-oi-dialogoi/
A duo collaboration between clarinetist Alberto Popolla and saxophonist Errico Defabritiis, where the 70s British Rock Canterbury scene serves as both the inspiration and the foundation for this very cool project. The intertwining paths taken by the two instruments is a joy to hear, both as an appreciation of the complexity of their patterns and the simplicity of its beauty. A couple bonus live tracks show that this duo’s magic isn’t relegated just to a studio setting. Soft Machine fans should definitely be checking this out. Dave Sumner
http://www.birdistheworm.com/this-is-jazz-today-improgressive-yuma-uesaka-the-sorcerers-gregg-belisle-chi-and-dave-mcdonnell-group/
IMPROGRESSIVE [ERRICO DE FABRITIIS/ALBERTO POPOLLA] - Primo (Slam 564; UK)
Primo is an Italian reeds duo which features Errico De Fabritiis on alto &
soprano saxes and Alberto Popolla on alto, bass & regular clarinets. Half
of these songs were recorded in a studio in Rome, the other half live in
concert. This is an excellent tribute to a number of our favourite seventies
progressive bands/and/or solo artists covering songs from: Soft Machine,
King Crimson, Gong, Hatfield & the North, Caravan, Kevin Ayers and Robert
Wyatt. The international influence of the Canterbury Scene is hard to deny
at this point, even though that term was invented by journalists and fans
and often denied by its members. Although this discs features songs from
the key members/bands of this scene, Soft Machine, Caravan & Gong, it also
includes two songs from King Crimson. Since each of these bands and/or solo
artists are/were so different, what is the common bond to this disc? It is
those charming, quirky, crafty and enchanting melodies of each of the
well-chosen songs here. What also makes this endeavour unique is that the
music is performed by a reeds duo and a fine one at that. Hearing
Hatfield's "Calyx" as well as the Soft’s "Dedicated to You but You Weren't
Listening" is something quite special. One highlight is hearing King
Crimson's "Pictures of the City" done with two charming reeds instead of
that satanic/metalish guitar sound of the original. Canterbury fans
worldwide, this delectable treasure is for you! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
