Fabio Zuffanti's "Ghiaccio"

"The Beauty is in the Details"

Fabio Zuffanti does it again. He is quickly becoming one of the new masters of music, with his extensive range of styles and techniques in the studio. His new album "Ghiaccio" translated as Ice is a wonderful work of art. The beauty here lies in the details. This is not an album you put on and rock out to one you put on the headphones and relax to after a long hard day at work. Let the music envelop and wash over you like the smooth waters of a gentle flowing river on a warm summer’s day. Lay back and bask in the beauty of this music.

Take note of the many layers, vocal treatments, percussion, beats, and orchestrations. Zuffanti is quickly becoming the master of many styles. His band Mashera di Cera is a wonderful exploration and continuation of the rich lush Italian symphonic progressive music. It harkens back to the 70's and the golden days of Progressive Music...yet it takes off from there and continues on into the new millennium.

But we are talking about his solo work here. Ghiaccio is a beautiful work of art that starts out simple and subtle and slowly progresses through the song list. As the album works its way into your mind you really start to understand its purpose. The lyrics here all sung in Italian and I am at a loss for what he is singing about but I don't even need to know. Each song takes on a beautiful life of its own yet the entire album works together as a cohesive unit. The way each cut starts out subtle, grows and flows and decays in rhythmic beats and electronics and voicings. There are some wondrous layers to this music and more will be discovered on the 2nd and 3rd listening, this I am sure of.

His multifaceted percussive beats know when to be bold and when to be tame. In ways it is similar to Hostsonaten another one of his other band projects. There are many beautiful works in that catalog to check out. However this music here delves more into the experimental micro ambient, electronic, beat genres and yet he tosses in some orchestrations for added flavor. This reminds me of the things that some of my favorites over the years have done to keep the music sounding fresh, new and transcend genres and cultural barriers.

I have only a slight criticism as a fan who is disconnected from the creation of this work. From the outside looking into the world of Ghiaccio my only desire was to hear a little more live percussion and some tasteful guitar. That would have given it the other .25 to be a ***** 5 Star for me....but with that said I give this a solid **** 4.75 and strongly suggest adding this work to your collection.
You can purchase it here. Directly from the artist himself!

Or if you are in the USA and are concerned about overseas shipping you should get it here:

Peace and Music in 2010! Michael A. Inman

The Power & The Glory

"Of the Italian Symphonic Progressive band la Maschera di Cera."

There is something to be said for bands that play music like they did in the 70's but add a new flare. La Maschera di Cera has taken the old and mixed it up with the new and pushed it out into the cosmos with their new title: Petali di Fuoco which translated means "Petals of Fire".

For those of you who grew up in the 1970's you will really appreciate this lush music. It's nice to see bands like this emerging in the 2000's. They harken back to days of old and add in new styles for a nice progression into the new millennium.

The lyrics on this album are all in Italian and somehow I do not seem to mind a bit. In fact I think there would be a lot lost in translation. The accent, the power, and the structure of the Italian language adds a dimension to this music that would be lost if translated into English. I am glad that Alessandro Corvaglia sings the lyrics in Italian they have much more power. And this is all about the POWER and the GLORY here. How can you NOT be moved by this voice....it's so rich and full of life! If I had not seen them live this past summer in Chapel Hill, NC at Progday I would still say the same thing.

The addition of Matteo Nahum on guitar is nestled nicely in the mix of Andrea Monetti on flutes and Agostino Macor the mastermind behind the rich layers of keyboards. Matteo's playing is often reminiscent of Steve Hackett in the glory days of Genesis. Tasteful yet not so overwhelming that it overpowers the song. Macor's keyboards are beautiful as well...he even adds in a bit of Keith Emerson's Classical style to the mix.

Andrea is without a doubt one of the best flutists in music today. He has the power of Ian Anderson which adds a Tull like dimension to the sound. And on the softer side he can make you float off into oblivion with his playing.

Let us not forget the amazing mastermind behind the band, Fabio Zuffanti on bass. Fabio's precise playing combined with Maurizio di Tollo's hypnotic style of drumming fills out the bottom end of the band. They are the glue that holds it all together. Petali di Fuoco is la Maschera di Cera in their prime here.

The opening track Fino all'aurora showcases Alessandro's dynamic voice. I heard that he was once in a Genesis cover band.... but listening to him sing here, he is doing much more than covering old sounds or rehashing old vocal patterns that even Peter Gabriel doesn't sing anymore. He brings LIFE to the music! People this band is not playing oldies or doing cut and paste performances of rehashed Genesis here!

They are taking elements of classic 70's music and mixing it with their life experiences and coming up with something New Bold and Dynamic. BRAVO to Mr. Zuffanti and the gang!

I could give a track by track breakdown here but I think that you should buy it yourself, put on some headphones and get ready for the music to take you away. I love many of the older Maschera di Cera releases but there is something about this new release that takes all of that, mixes it up a bit and comes up with what I would consider to be their swansong!

Get this new release and support this band they really are amazing and should be a lot better known around the globe than they are. If you don't believe me take some time and listen for yourself. You will be glad that you did!

Peace and Music 2010 - Michael A. Inman

You can get the new album here