Luca Scherani is an Italian multi instrumentalist who is most know for his keyboard playing in bands such as Höstsonaten and La Coscienza Di Zeno. But also played a short time in the Marillion tribute band Mr. Punch. Furthermore his playing and compositions can also be enjoyed on albums made by The Samurai Of Prog. What few people know is that he has released three solo albums. Namely Everyday's Life (2007), Brivido (2011) and Everybody's Waiting (2012). And now we can welcome his fourth solo musical effort. Titled Everything's Changing. On this new release you can enjoy a blend of rock, progressive rock, neoclassical, jazz, contemporary and experimental music. So don't expect an album related to the bands who he worked with in the past years. No pure progressive rock compositions or a keyboard album which people such as Rick Wakeman or the late Keith Emerson. You might say Luca Scherani's Everything's Changing has everything to seduce fans of melodious and original progressive rock to look beyond the borders of this genre. On this album Scherani played on the keyboards, guitars, bass, vocoder, bouzouki, glockenspiel, flute, saxophone and did some percussion and programming. Guest on the album are people such as Alessandro Calandriello (vocals), Chiara Bisso (vocals), Sefora Frenze (vocals),Paolo Tixi (drums), Ilaria Bruzzone (viola), Chiara Alberti (cello), Marco Callegari (trumpet, flugehorn), Martin Grice (saxophone), Stefano Massera (harp), Joanne Roan (flute), Alice Scherani (flute), Sylvia Trabucco (violin), Alice Nappi (violin), Fabio Zuffanti (bass), Bob Callero (bass), Andrea Maddalone (guitars), Matteo Nahum (guitars),and Paolo Ballardini (guitars). At first glance when you hear this album you don't know what to think because it has so many different musical facets. I think Luca just wants to show his listeners that he's not just the keyboardist in the aforementioned bands. His musical horizons are much broader than anyone thinks. This musical painter recorded 13 tracks to show his musical palette. The album opens with the shortest piece on the album. On the mellow instrumental Piccole Gocce it is Luca who is accompanied by a violin and flute only. The second track Il Discorso gets closer to the progressive rock bands he worked with. Classical music is on the menu on Prologo Frammentario. As on many classical pieces no vocals are allowed. On the next piece, Everything's Changing, Luca is inspired by electronic music and played on this instrumental everything himself. Including the saxophones. Jazz and jazz rock dominates Un Viaggio Verso Un Sogno on which the vocals of Sefora Frenze move the music towards a band such as Matia Bazar (Ti Sento). Again classical music on the short instrumental Nebbia Sul Buio. On La Ragione you can enjoy a beautiful mix of classical music and progressive rock. No vocals included. On La Necessità again classical music mainly dominates the music. Leading roles for the flutes here. The pace continues rather mellow on Ghiaccio Calpestato. Mainly grand piano playing with contributions on the flute and violin. Back to his jazz roots on the short instrumental piano piece Cristina. On the short instrumental Awondalimba you hear that Luca might be influenced by Vangelis. Classical music and progressive rock influences again on Il Cosmo. Without any doubt one of my favourites on this album. The song has a strong crescendo. The combination of the string quartet and the rock group is beautifully done here. On this composition you can hear the recurrence of a theme that we find, each time in a slightly different form, four times on the album, first on Il Discorso, then on La Ragione and La Necessità and finally on Il Cosmo precisely. These four pieces are in fact the four passages of a suite in four movements imagined by Luca to musically illustrate the theory of movement and perpetual flow defended by Heraclitus . "Everything passes, nothing remains". So everything's changes as the album title already indicates. Finally the album ends with Ein Lied Der Soldatenfriedhof In Bruneck . It is, as its name suggests, a song, that is to say a poem written in German and set to music with a piano/ voice association, the latter taking on a lyrical connotation in the person of the soprano Chiara Bisso who is perfect in this compositional role. Howeve this kind of opera tune is probably not everybody's cup of tea A word for the art work and design of this album is in place as well. Marcella Arganese (well known for her guitar playing in Mr. Punch and Ubi Maior) created together with Guilia Scherani a beautiful piece of art which in a way made me think about the cover of Duke. The tenth studio album released by Genesis in 1980. The same kind of window, but this time around without the person who is looking outside. It is now the viewer who is looking outside to what our beautiful nature has all to offer. If there is anyone who can make a bridge between classical music, jazz and progressive rock, it is without doubt Scherani. On Everything's Changing Luca gives the listener a tasteful personal musical view of what he is capable of. The variety of styles combined in a splendid way. Not something every musician can do nowadays. Sure this album is not an album everybody likes. But if you give it a chance to hear it several times you might enjoy it as much as I did. I can only say well done Luca for showing us your musical inner side! **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
