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CD
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VVJ 111CD
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"I went to New York to search for jazz, but there was none." It is 1982, and a young Massimo Nunzi is located in a city musically very different from what he expected. Who could imagine that then the seeds were planted for the Orchestra Operaia in New York some 35 years ago? To Nunzi, it was a musical and cultural shock, resulting at first in a sense of displacement that in time was followed by positive, creative opportunities. The artistic sensibility of Nunzi absorbed those stimuli and began to develop a new idea of music, in which definitions in general count for very little. "I owe much to Hal Willner, who in 1981 released an album dedicated to Nino Rota putting together rock musicians and jazz without any prejudice. He was flanked in his work serenely by Bill Frisell and Robbie Robertson, Diamanda Galas and Wynton Marsalis, Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello." Taking inspiration from Gil Evans and Frank Zappa, their stylistic freedom planted a flag in him, and Nunzi completed his art project, crafting Orchestra Operaia with much care and filling it with positive energy. "I seek full, not empty. The suspended atmospheres prefer structure, manic work on composition and arrangement. Music of this kind has never been treated by jazz musicians, and in fact it comes from my extremely varied training. It is a true reflection of my artistic life." This release features collaboration from the Lone Arrangers, four young musicians who could shape the Orchestra as they please, under the watchful eye of Nunzi. "The repertoire forged the Orchestra sound and it is merged within the disc that was composed mostly by me, but in this imaginative journey in my memory there were missing pieces that have enlightened me." Here and there emerge the beautiful voices of Petra Gizzards and Chiara Morucci, to further embellish the story of the album, and one must not forget the voice of the young Marta Colombo. A fascinating journey, which is dedicated to Laurie Anderson with a thoughtful nod to the "Six Memos" of Italo Calvino.
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