FunkFreak75 Italian band Perigeo's sophomore studio album. It's nice to see the band's lineup stay the same from their debut album as I am curious to watch their development both as a band as well as virtuoso musicians.

1. "Non c'é Tempo da Perdere" (8:48) vocal-led up-tempo jazz-rock that starts out with a long intro of instrumental roaming as piano and cymbals are busy feeling around beneath the ethereal male vocals. It reminds me of some of Tony Williams' compositions. I like Franco D'Andrea's Fender Rhodes style, but drummer Bruno Biriaco grabs most of my attention throughout this one. (18/20)

2. "Déjà Vu" (4:58) I know that I'm hearing an uncredited violin in the lead during the intro to this sax-led song (or is it Giovanni Tommaso bowing his double bass?). So who was it? Piano and guitar arpeggi provide the initial support for the sax (and continued violin) I really like the unconventional melody lines throughout this one--more jazz like than rock: more like a Coltrane or Magma composition. (9.5/10)

3. "Rituale" (7:31) great jam that just sucks the listener in deeper as it builds and builds. Kind of like a classic Traffic (Stevie Winwood), Allman Brothers or Joe Cocker jam. I just love this! It's so fun--and so funky! (15/15)

4. "Abbiamo Tutti un Blues da Piangere" (6:08) acoustic guitars (two tracks) on display for the first minute before bass takes the lead over some very gently-picked steel-string guitar. Keys first make a mark at the two-minute mark (with cymbals) but only a couple chords for the first 30-seconds, then full complement of toms and Fender Rhodes join in as the full band kicks into sync. Soprano sax takes the lead from the three-minute mark over some awesome bluesy-jazz groovin'. So solid! Too bad I'm not more of a fan of the saxophone family. (8.875/10)

5. "Country" (3:03) more keyboard-centred DEODATO-and DONALD FAGEN-like music. Quite brief. (9.125/10)

6. "Nadir" (3:46) gentle Fender Rhodes with equally gentle saxophone over the top. Switch in the second minute to fiery electric guitar teaming up with the sax to carry the melody forward. I really like American-born guitarist Tony Sidney's fire! (9.5/10)

7. "Vento, Pioggia e Sole" (9:40) It feels obvious to me that American-born guitarist Tony Sidney had been hearing either John McLaughlin or Cervello's Corrado Rustici because his guitar playing has progressed in directions reflecting this style of pyrotechnical flourishing. Such solid drum and bass play throughout. Great jazz piano solo in the last quarter of the song. (18/20)

Total time 43:48

I don't get why some reviewers have rated this album lower than their debut as I see no flaws or weaknesses in this album. Keyboard artist Franco D'Andrea's playing is far more supportive, serving in a mostly accompanying fashion than flashy noodling, which is fine, but, knowing that he develops into such a virtuosic solo jazz piano artist makes one wonder what was going on with him during the composition and recording of this session. Tony Sidney's guitar and Claudio Fasoli's sax seem to take far more of the lead/front stage on this album--which is fine since both are very good and have grown so much since the year before--while the rhythm section has just gotten tighter and more mature.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion--even better, in my opinion, than its predecessor--the band's highly-regarded Azimut. One of my Top 20 Favorite Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums from prog's "Classic Era."

FunkFreak75 A ground-breaking Jazz-Rock Fusion band from Italy that is new to me, thanks to PA compendium of so many things Italian, James Baldwin. This is the band's debut album. Apparently, several members of Perigeo would go on to historic acclaim in solo and other projects, including keyboard virtuoso Franco D'Andrea and saxophonist Claudio Fasoli as well as the band's leader, bassist/composer Giovanni Tommaso from Lucca in Tuscany.

1. "Posto di non so dove" (6:12) Listening to the first song of Azimet, I'm immediately blown away by the Demetrio Stratos-like vocals (a year before anybody'd heard of Demetrio Stratos), the brilliant Don Pullen-like piano, as well as the truly distinctive saxophone. The transition near the beginning of the fourth minute reminds me of early Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso. I wonder if they (or Tommaso) had ever heard of the Giuseppi Logan Quartet. Beautiful! And so refreshingly new! (9.25/10)

2. "Grandangolo" (8:22) The second song seems to convey a feeling and stylistic approach that Eumir Deodato would make popular a year later in America with crème de la crème American jazz players--though there are also Tony Williams Lifetime feelings to it as well (despite the excellent funky bass). I'm am loving this rhythm section! Drummer Bruno Biriaco is quite impressive! The Fender Rhodes soloing is okay and the raunchy electric guitar is great but it's this rhythm section! They are so tight! Great smooth saxophone soloing in the sixth minute. (I love the engineering effects used on it.) And I love the quick descent into frenzied chaos for the final minute before pulling it together for the final coda! It's so Tony Williams like! (18/20)

3. "Aspettando il nuovo giorno" (3:55) The spacious third song opens with the nice Fender Rhodes and electric bass interplay. As sax joins in and then drummer's cymbal play, the keyboard moves to a repeating chord progression while electric guitar and sax solo over the gentle jazz. This part reminds me of both The Soft Machine and Miles Davis. Quite a pleasant listen. (9/10)

4. "Azimut" (7:18) Side Two's title songs seems to continue the spacious forms from the previous song, though this one a little more free jazz-like. Piano, bowed bass and tuned percussion sounds. This sounds so much like the opening of Return to Forever's "The Romantic Warrior"! (Did Chick steal it from Tommaso?) As the song develops further, it reminds me more of the works of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders in the late 1960s. Then, halfway through, the band pauses to come together for a structured full band presentation--one in which the presentation of the main melody is traded off among the instrumentalists in a kind of call-and-response rondo! Cool! Then Franco goes off on a wild piano solo while guitar and bass keep the vehicle on the road (with drummer providing some very entertaining accents and embellishments). Once again I am reminded of the jazzier post-Third work of The Soft Machine (as well as Ian Carr's post-Nucleus albums). (13.5/15)

5. "Un respiro" (1:30) The second song on Side Two opens with gentle Fender Rhodes chords supporting the twin melody-making of saxophone and Tommaso's reverbed vocalise. Very cool little interlude! (4.6667/5)

6. "36° parallelo" (9:51) The final songs breaks out sounding very much like a song from The Soft Machine. The dirty electric guitar takes the first lead over the steady drummer, Fender Rhodes chord play, and machine gun note-delivery of the bass. The rhythm section is really moving! And the melody lines are awesome! I especially like saxophonist Claudio Fasoli's sound and style. Impressive drum solo in the fourth minute. These guys can all play but the drummer, keyboardist, saxophonist, and bass player are all of the very highest caliber! A little too oriented toward the individual solos throughout the second half, which kind of turns me off, but excellent jazz. (17.875/20)

A-/five stars; an excellent jazz-rock fusion album--one of the best j-r fuse debut albums ever! A minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

dreadpirateroberts Let me begin by saying I've only owned this album for a few weeks, and there may be that first flush of excitement to keep in mind as you read. On the other hand, I purchased it within a group of seventeen albums during an overseas trip, and this is the album I keep coming back to.

Perigeo are a jazz-rock band from Rome who probably lean more toward the jazz side of things. While there is fiery electric soloing from Tony Sidney on some tracks, and some riff-work, it is more of an atmospheric rather than foot-stamping album (Although the outro to 'Rituale' cooks.) Instead, acoustic and electric piano, along with acoustic guitar, bass, sax and vocals, often create brooding soundscapes (like in opener 'Non c'é tempo da perdere') or even downright mournful moments like 'Déjà vu' - which makes highly effective use of acoustic piano.

Throughout the album 'Abbiamo tutti un blues da piangere' I hear flashes of Hot Rats, In A Silent Way and others, but find them to be suggestive rather than derivative. Even the title track brought Van Morrison's Astral Weeks to mind with the focus on band leader, singer and bassist Giovanni Tommas' soloing. Much more in line with the rock side of their sound, the rhythm instruments build 'Abbiamo...' effectively before a shrieking sax breaks in for a long solo, employing a familiar structure to rock audiences, and fusing it with the freer nature of jazz.

In general terms, parts of the album's second half are less impressive, with 'Country' and 'Nadir' coming across as a little too sparse for me. The closer, 'Vento, pioggia e sole' however, seems to fulfill the hints of 'Bitches Brew' that the album promises. Rockier than the Davis epic, it has a less shuffling and more driving rhythm beneath energetic soloing from the lead instruments, presented in a more hard bop 'trading off of solos' tradition. It's a stand out track, almost as satisfying as 'Rituale' or 'Abbiamo...' the other clear favourites.

Fans of the aforementioned albums should get definitely something out of this great record by Perigeo, which is a confident and emotive set of (mostly) instrumentals delivered with equal parts snap and subtlety. Well worth the investment, especially if you're looking to start exploring Jazz Rock.

1967/ 1976 My review is based on: BMG Ariola S.p.A. ND 71934

Second Perigeo album is a good mix between Blues and Jazz, in the vein of Fusion but more in traditional Jazz field. The title in English is: "We Have All A Blues To Cry" and in effect the music is dramatic, in general, because slow and with Blues elements.

My preferred song is the title track, a great example of the perfect mix between Blues & Jazz. "Nadir" is a good example of traditional Jazz, slow and similar to the concept that Herbie hancock have recreated in 1986 in the new songs for "Round Midnight" soundtrack. In some moment, "Non c'è tempo da perdere" (intro part) or "Vento, pioggia e sole" (intro part) the music is extremely close to Canterbury School.

"Abbiamo tutti un Blues da piangere" is a great album because aged extremely well and because the sound production was extremely good for the 1973 italian standards. A great piece of Jazz, without a specific genre to assigned.

1967/ 1976 My review is based on: BMG Ariola S.p.A. ND 74103

Perigeo is a great Prog Rock/ Fusion band that is a great band for both musical worlds. This first album from 1972, "Azimut" is a great example of Fusion in Rock field because it is the perfect mix between Prog Rock (in symphonic form) and Be-bop... I.e. a musuc similar to Genesis and similars with tons of Jazz arrangiaments. This album is undoubtedly Fusion but it is also 100% Rock.

I do not have a paticular song that stands out in my mind. Probably becvause "Azimut" is an accessible album both in Rock and Jazz field. The sound production is great for 1972 in Italy and for this fact the power and feelòings are in first plan. Also magic is in first plan. But magic is the Jazz part of "Azimut" music. The more Jazz parts are also the more Prog Rock parts, vice versa the more pure Rock parts are close to a form of Proto Jazz metal that is, incredible, a form of contaminated Hard Rock (not at the level of Ian Gillan Band). I read that perigeo is the Italian version of Nucleus. But, true or not, Perigeo is a great band in the vein of tradition of Italian Jazz. And not other.

In definitive "Azinut" is a great example of the contamination of Rock & Jazz (not Jazz & Rock) and an accessible album. But, probably for these fact, a great album.