Oliviero Lacagnina

As one might expect, whole concertos dedicated to the tango style and idiom dig a little deeper than shorter pieces intended for use on the dance floor. Astor Piazzolla was one who took the tango far beyond its roots, and the creation of a concerto in which guitar and bandoneon engage in solistic dialogue seems a logical extension of Piazzolla’s ambitions for the tango as concert music.

They were formed in 1971 by guitarist Dellacasa, that had collaborated with I Giganti in their Terra in bocca, with the drummer Vitanza only 16 year old! A keyboards trio in the same style as ELP or Le Orme in Italy, their first album was Passio secundum Mattheum, with Bach-inspired music and lyrics on the Gospel. An ambitious work, it has its moments but can be boring at times. The band members had a good technique but their keyboard/bass/drums formula was repetitive and mixed with a melodic voice with a result that's not too convincing.A second album, Papillon, came the following year in a similar style, but the production was much better. The album contains two side-long tracks with the Beethoven's derived Patetica on most of side two being a nice example of their style. An English version of it was also recorded but only saw the light in 1992 on CD.

The Samurai of Prog return with a new album of originals inspired by Miyazaki’s films. From pastorale to epic, this is symphonic progressive rock of a cinematic scope. 75 minutes of lush orchestration (including violin, flute, saxophone, horns, trumpets and a multitude of keyboard and guitar tones), with ringing Rickenbacker bass and wide dynamic range drums providing backbone throughout. Featuring compositions and guest performances by Oliviero Lacagnina (Latte e Miele), Octavio Stampalía (Jinetes Negros), Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre), Luca Scherani (La Coscienza di Zeno), Michele Mutti (La Torre dell’Alchimista), Yuko Tomiyama, plus many more. Mixed by the Samurai’s own Kimmo Pörsti, with a lush package designed by Ed Unitsky. Quite possibly the band’s best album to date.

The fifth album from The Samurai of Prog, On We Sail is full of progressive music and lyrical journeys, this time on wild ocean, rivers and dangerous seas…

The multi-national, Finland-based recording project did it again, a marvelous, superbly produced album of first class retro-natured symphonic prog composed and co- performed by excellent prog musicians from various countries including e.g. Argentine, Netherlands, Italy and Japan. 'Another Time' (written by Ronaldo Rodrigues and Steve Unruh who also sings) evolves dynamically from mellowness to energetic instrumental section and features Marek Arnold on saxophone. Oliviero Lacagnina composed a pompous symph prog instrumental 'Dear Amadeus' inspired by Mozart. One may think of 70's RPI bands such as Latte e Miele…

This CD is an album that falls into a niche category of productions. Those familiar with the band's history will recognize the main title of this album, as it is the same as their debut album from 1972. The subtitle, “The Complete Works”, indicates that this isn't merely a reissue, of course. It is not a reissue with added bonus tracks or in other manners issued in an extended version either. Instead, this is a remake of their first album. New recordings of their old album, extended with additional tracks, and when I compare the track list of this 2014 edition with the original album, it appears that the album has been rearranged fairly extensively too. Some compositions are shorter, other are longer, some appear to be missing altogether, at least as far as track titles go. It is, in short, a new album, a brand new version of their debut album from 1972.

Second album by Marco Bernard and Kimmo Pörsti (of The Samurai of Prog). Two thirds of The Samurai Of Prog after the success of "Gulliver" re-propose a great symphonic Prog album with this La Tierra. The present section is the one composed by the Finnish Kimmo Pörsti (drums and percussion) and the Italian Marco Bernard (bass Rickenbacker 4003), and together with them a series of great guests chosen among the most famous South American musicians and the great Italian keyboard player Oliviero LaCagnina. The Album is a small masterpiece where the tale of our land is told and everything expands and summarizes in the long suite that closes the album and gives its title. For all fans but also for those who want to experience a different emotion in music!