Love and other drugs: part 3

Title: L’attico (The attic)

Year: 1962

Composer: Piero Piccioni

L’attico is a story about a naïve girl who wants to make it big in the city working as a model and living in a penthouse facing the Colosseum. While fulfilling her dream she also dates several suitors. Piero Piccioni’s score is almost pure jazz, based around two alternating main themes which are the building blocks to almost every single cue on this 70-minute album.

And luckily Piccioni really delivers a home run with the opening theme, which is the most prevalent melody heard throughout the score. L’attico is a lively piece of smooth, falling-rising lines which move from solo instrument to another and allow the performers’ improvisational skills shine. The orchestration here also differs from standard jazz band ensembles, including for instance a vibraphone and harpsichord which give the music otherworldly, slightly off-kilter edge. Usually Piccioni’s melodies tend to take their time to arouse the listener’s interest. In the case of L’attico I was hooked from the first note and I must admit that this might be my all-time favourite Piero Piccioni tune. Fortunately for me (and hopefully other listeners too) the score is basically a theme-and-variations type of score, like e.g. Maestro Morricone’s La cosa buffa, both of which twist and turn their core material into all the possible shapes.

Attico per organo changes the melody into an improvisatory keyboard solo in a slower pace which is just lovely yet simultaneously odd. A nightly, slow jazz orchestra version of track 11 is not as engaging as the faster versions but beautiful nevertheless. After a straightforward reprise, track 13 turns into a hallucinatory duet for abstract organ chords and solo vibraphone. Next reprises are dominated by sultry saxophones before a straightforward church organ version appears in track 20 representing the other end of the spectrum of uses Piccioni has for the melody. It’s followed by a dramatic, Baroque-inspired harpsichord variation of the melody that is just another stroke of brilliance. Track 29 combines the harpsichord and organ into a duet of nearly religious proportions that is ruined when a more mischievous variation appears after a dissonant surge.

The second melody, called simply Ancora is a more mournful tune, whose long lines allow usually a passionate solo instrument to take the centre stage over more laid-back accompaniment. This melody clearly represents the nocturnal, lonely city streets and perhaps also the hardships our protagonist might encounter in the city. In its first incarnation the melody is played first by a trumpet and then saxophone, while in track 9 the roles are switched. The trailer version of track 14 features the melody on flutes and keyboards while the beat is more danceable than previously.

To add some variety, Piccioni wrote also some other pieces of music to expand the musical universe of the film. Afro starts with slow Latin rhythms which are then joined by playful woodwinds and organ notes, but in its 1^st reprise we only get some odd percussion effects and someone blowing into a glass bottle. Afrodite is a poolside source cue for flute soloist and light percussion, whereas Chicago style is a fun, but all-too-brief nightclub ragtime number for tinkling piano and percussion work resembling tap dancing. Its reprise sounds like the saloon piano playing the tune has been detuned and slightly broken. Track 12 includes fast, big city jazz that might have something to do with the main theme but at the level that escapes this listener. A change in pace is also Marcetta which is a comedic march tune interrupted by constant, dream-like space-effects in the background. Lastly there is Piano source, a sad minor-key tune for solo piano written in the best romantic music traditions but strangely it ends with a thump representing the pianist’s frustration.

The listener’s enjoyment of the score depends largely on whether or not he likes the main theme, because that theme is nearly everywhere. I happen to love that melody and hence giving a rating for the score is relatively easy. After a trim, there is nevertheless a large amount of well-composed, jazzy film music for others. The warmth of the music is exceptional and I really can’t remember another Piccioni score that has given me an emotional rollercoaster ride like this one.

Rating: *****

Tracklist:

1. L'attico (02:16) *****

2. Afro (03:11) *****

3. Afrodite (02:08) ****

4. Ancora (03:14) *****

5. Attico per organo (02:18) *****

6. Chicago style (01:01) *****

7. L'attico (01:58) *****

8. Afro (02:41) **

9. Ancora (03:10) *****

10. Chicago style (01:30) ****

11. L'attico (grand orchestra) (02:37) ****

12. L'attico (02:04) ****

13. L'attico (01:56) *****

14. Ancora (trailer) (03:01) ****

15. Attico per organo (01:58) ***

16. L'attico (01:17) *****

17. L'attico (marcetta) (01:36) ***

18. L'attico (02:04) *****

19. Ancora (01:54) ****

20. Attico per organo (01:32) *****

21. L'attico (02:03) *****

22. Attico per organo (01:20) *****

23. Ancora (02:56) *****

24. Afro (01:11) ****

25. L'attico (02:02) *****

26. Chicago style (fast) (01:56) *****

27. L'attico (piano source) (01:31) *****

28. L'attico (01:11) ****

29. L'attico (01:34) *****

30. Ancora (trailer take 2) (02:21) *****

31. Attico per organo (01:28) *****

32. L'attico (01:09) ****

33. L'attico (01:17) ****

34. L'attico (01:47) *****

35. L'attico (grand orchestra) (02:50) ****

Love and other drugs: part 2

Title: Don Giovanni in Sicilia

Year: 1977

Composer: Bruno Nicolai

Originally a film in 1967 then made into a three-part TV miniseries 10 years later. Bruno Nicolai was associated with both the projects, as he conducted the first score by Armando Trovajoli and composed the music for the TV series. Otherwise there is no musical connection between the projects. Nicolai took inspiration from the locale and created a score that might just sound nonchalantly light and breezy at first but reveals some depth during further listens.

The score begins by introducing the two primary themes which both are built in a same way: they have a melancholic beginning usually played by solo instruments whereas B section brings the romantic flavour of Sicilia sometimes even featuring lovely string arrangements. In Sicilia has the unmistakable sound of Alessandro Alessandroni’s high whistling introducing the A section melody before the romantic B section appears. As the cue goes on the romance is amped up with modulation and summery accordion and theatre organ. A counterpart to the opening is A letto which is the melody the score most returns to. It starts with just the accordion and guitar and this time the B section has only minimal arrangement for mandolin and underlying tango rhythms from the accordion. The following Le sorelle goes even more restrained with its instrumentation before it turns into a short lively tango piece.

The two main themes feature heavily in many of the album’s cues. The first one has probably its best version in Don Procopio where the whistling is replaced by a melancholic solo accordion which is seriously moving in its simplicity. A surprising variation is heard in track 13 where the melody is heard over martial drums and serious string section and later joined by military trumpet calls. Alessandroni’s whistling returns in track 24 in a more restrained fashion. The album’s ending cue on the other hand features a moving oboe solo and offers a summery closure with romantic accordions. The second theme isn’t as interesting but there are some clever variations like in track 6 which has an overdramatic accompanying piano performance or Don Giovanni where the dramatic tango version is made grander by an appearance of the strings. The odd comical opening to tracks 19 and 25 reminds me of some crime flicks of the time.

Besides the two themes there are other source music inspired cues as well. Mediterranea’s spooky beginning has odd sproings made with Jew’s harp over an organ line before the mood changes completely to a happy dance perfect for a summery beach stroll but the oddness still continues underneath with more sproings. The reprise of the dance melody in track 14 is just incredibly fun with soothing string countermelodies that it creates easily one of the album’s best tracks. Marranzanu is a piece for just solo Jew’s harps which aren’t the most melodic of instruments hence creating a moment of fleeting annoyance. There’s also a short piece of Medieval-sounding theatre music in Teatrino which unfortunately gets rather repetitive eventually. A piece called La giostra aka ‘merry-go-round’ starts strangely with rather dark atmospheres that cleverly introduce a melody that turns into an actual cheery merry-go-round tune during the cue’s latter half. Inverno a Milano has a feeling of the primary themes with its construction but this time the melancholy isn’t released into a gorgeous major key B section rather the sorrowful intensity continues through the whole cue. The following wedding organ of Sposalizio is a surprising change of pace but nevertheless beautiful in its own right. A straight-up ballroom tango for a violin-piano duo called Ninetta is passionate and dramatic but unfortunately doesn’t reach a proper climax. Luna di Cibali on the other hand brings a moment of pure impressionistic beauty with a guitar solo over jazzy organ harmonies.

As you can see from my review the score to Don Giovanni in Sicilia is a mish-mash of styles inspired mostly by popular music and having a few nods to classical composers as well. The repetition of A letto/Le sorelle theme can be a bit tiring but it doesn’t really bother me that much eventually. Though it’s great Kronos Records decided to release this much music by Nicolai, the album is rather hard to enjoy with one sitting and would need some trimming to be fully immersed in.

Rating: ****

Tracklist:

1. In Sicilia (03:33) *****

2. A letto (02:50) ****

3. Le sorelle (02:50) ****

4. Mediterranea (03:22) *****

5. Don Procopio (04:33) *****

6. Le sorelle (02:54) ****

7. Le sorelle (02:45) ***

8. Marranzanu (01:32) **

9. Teatrino (02:08) **

10. La giostra (02:16) ****

11. Dal meridione (01:55) ****

12. Don Giovanni (03:30) ****

13. Le sorelle (03:36) *****

14. Mediterranea (02:06) *****

15. Don Procopio (02:49) *****

16. La giostra (02:11) ***

17. Inverno a Milano (02:48) *****

18. Sposalizio (02:02) ****

19. Le sorelle (01:47) ****

20. La parigina (01:37) ****

21. Ninetta (02:30) ****

22. Le sorelle (02:50) ***

23. Luna di Cibali (03:03) *****

24. In Sicilia (02:33) *****

25. Le sorelle (02:01) ****

26. La giostra (02:56) ***

27. A casa mia (03:33) *****

Love and other drugs: part 1

Title: Le altre

Year: 1969

Composer: Piero Piccioni

March 1st 2017 will be remembered as the day Finland finally married her first same sex couples. To honour this day of love I’m starting a new series concentrating on romantic films or at least scores that would fit into that kind of atmosphere. The film Le altre suits my reasons as well because it tells a story of a lesbian couple trying to find a man to have a child with and form a family. It’s completely forgotten now but possibly caused some controversy at the time of its release due to the subject matter. The score by Maestro Piccioni is a lengthy exercise in jazzy lounge moods that offer a mellow yet a bit anonymous listening experience perfect for a background listen to a romantic date.

The score is mostly written for a jazz ensemble with significant emphasis on the keyboards probably played by the composer himself. Some tracks feature choral voices of I Cantori Moderni but mostly it is an instrumental easy listening album with several impressive, improvisatory solos provided by the players. Strings are added only to one cue (Seq. 25) to offer some additional colour for a short fleeting moment.

There are several recurring motifs in the score. The most abundant one is reminiscent of Piccioni’s main theme from the film Giovinezza giovinezza which I reviewed a while ago. This time the rising-falling melody is used in a more upbeat manner and it has a bossa-flavoured groove to it that sounds to be somewhat offbeat in its introduction in Seq. 4 at least. The harmonies in that cue also have some odd qualities because of a plucked harpsichord like instrument that deviates from the usual jazz ensemble instrumentation. The melody gets a comical tango treatment in Seq. 8, whereas Seq. 14 treats it with an almost childlike naivety with a cheerful backing that just makes me smile. A downbeat choral version of Seq. 17 offers harmonies reminiscent of classic jazz vocal groups of the time. By far the most interesting variation is Seq. 23 where the melody is heard among atmospheric tinkling sounds and space-like organ effects.

A two-note motif in a minor key is heard in Titoli with sultry choral “hey-heys” and “hums”. At times the voices form bluesy harmonious chords on top of which the mad sax solo can improvise wildly. Much mellower version of this idea is heard in Seq. 24 but still with a groove that makes you sway. The second disc also closes beautifully with a slightly more optimistic version of the idea with bluesy piano and keyboard flourishes. The third theme is by far the most long-lined melody of the bunch and it’s first heard in Seq. 3 with a soft backing track and wordless choral voices singing the the bouncy melody, later reprised in an instrumental bossa cue in Seq. 19, 22 & 28 and finally in a weirdly amusing march-like setting in Seq. 30. A variation of those vocals is combined to a danceable garden party tune of Seq. 5 in Seq. 12 that also carries over to Seq. 6 transforming it into a dubious, unrecognizable electric organ solo.

There are a number of nonthematic source music cues on the album as well. The album begins with the loungy Prologo sequence, however the piano performance in the cue is rather restless and thus prevents it from becoming dull. Faster party cues are for instance Seq. 7 with a melodic base heavily rooted in blues and Seq. 18, 20 & 29 which are certainly more inspired by Latin America. There’s also music with a very fast drum beat and absolutely crazy guitar and keyboard performances that could fit into a modernistic chase sequence in Seq. 13 and Seq. 26, latter cue also having a strange droning noise underneath the chaotic yet extremely fun writing. There’s also a weird Middle-Eastern cue, Seq. 36 that appears straight out of nowhere and features a wandering sitar solo and a snake-charmer flute.

There’s nothing apparently wrong with the score. However there’s not enough variety or catchiness in the themes or performances to stop your mind from wandering off while listening to it. The duration of over 2 hours also doesn’t benefit anyone because everything worthwhile was already said on the first disc.

Rating: ***1/2

Tracklist:

1. Le altre (Seq. 1 - Prologo) (03:10) ****

2. Le altre (Seq. 2 - Titoli) (05:00) *****

3. Le altre (Seq. 3) (03:14) *****

4. Le altre (Seq. 4) (04:30) ****

5. Le altre (Seq. 5) (04:00) ****

6. Le altre (Seq. 6) (03:09) ***

7. Le altre (Seq. 7) (03:08) ***

8. Le altre (Seq. 8) (02:33) ***

9. Le altre (Seq. 9) (04:24) ****

10. Le altre (Seq. 10) (02:58) ****

11. Le altre (Seq. 11 - Titoli alt. take 1) (05:14) ***

12. Le altre (Seq. 12) (03:15) ****

13. Le altre (Seq. 13) (02:20) *****

14. Le altre (Seq. 14) (03:05) *****

15. Le altre (Seq. 15) (01:54) ****

16. Le altre (Seq. 16) (02:13) ****

17. Le altre (Seq. 17) (03:36) ****

18. Le altre (Seq. 18) (04:49) ***

1. Le altre (Seq. 19) (02:48) ****

2. Le altre (Seq. 20) (02:56) ***

3. Le altre (Seq. 21) (04:01) ***

4. Le altre (Seq. 22) (03:14) ***

5. Le altre (Seq. 23) (02:35) ****

6. Le altre (Seq. 24) (04:28) ****

7. Le altre (Seq. 25) (01:04) ***

8. Le altre (Seq. 26) (03:13) *****

9. Le altre (Seq. 27) (03:37) ***

10. Le altre (Seq. 28) (02:07) ****

11. Le altre (Seq. 29 - Titoli alt. take 2) (02:55) *****

12. Le altre (Seq. 30) (02:34) ****

13. Le altre (Seq. 31) (04:29) ***

14. Le altre (Seq. 32) (01:03) ****

15. Le altre (Seq. 33) (03:16) ***

16. Le altre (Seq. 34) (05:13) ***

17. Le altre (Seq. 35) (02:13) ***

18. Le altre (Seq. 36) (02:27) ***

19. Le altre (Seq. 37 - Titoli alt. take 3) (03:30) *****