Graduation, by il Sogno, Emanuele Maniscalco

Graduation

by il Sogno, Emanuele Maniscalco

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1.	Um Gosto De Sol 06:44	buy track
2.	Croatian Jungle 04:12	buy track
3.	Pick A Card, Any Card 02:53	buy track
4.	Turiya & Ramakrishna 07:02	buy track
5.	Strings 03:58	buy track
6.	Longings 02:53	buy track
7.	XII 03:37	buy track
8.	Western Theme 03:00	buy track
9.	Ostinato 03:52	buy track
10.	Theme From Sweet Pea 03:27	buy track

about

After a three-year hiatus, Italian pianist Emanuele Maniscalco (Wurlitzer piano, OB-6 synth) joins forces with Polish (and Copenhagen-based) double bass player Tomo Jacobson and Danish drummer Oliver Laumann, AKA Il sogno (“The dream”) for a very special project commissioned (and entirely funded) by Fondazione del Teatro Grande di Brescia, published by Auand Records and co-produced by Gotta Let It Out.
«In some ways – Maniscalco explains –, “Graduation” wants to be just the proof of a long-awaited encounter; in other ways, it’s a concept album that embodies the successful completion of the path I followed, and at the end of which I finally felt ready to get rid of the need to add unnatural consistency to my work. Instead, I could finally unleash the different spirits and references that populate my music.»
With almost 80 minutes of music, “Graduation” will be released as CD, double LP and on Bandcamp on Friday, May 7th. A shorter streaming-only version, made up of 10 singles, is being released starting Friday, April 9th on a bi-weekly basis until mid-August.
Encompassing a wide range of moods, from dreamlike ones (quite fittingly, given the band name) to more throbbing tracks, an original sound identity pervades the entire work – compared to previous and mostly acoustic albums, this new one leans more towards pop and electronics. Keeping the rhythm section acoustic and adding both an old Wurlitzer and an analog poly synth (instead of an actual piano) allowed Maniscalco to create a deep connection between distant worlds.
The tracklist includes free improvisations, originals (“Pick A Card, Any Card” and “Strings”), tunes penned by Jacobson and Laumann, and also cover versions of songs that Maniscalco kept listening over the last few years: Milton Nascimento’s “Um gosto de sol”, Alice Coltrane’s “Turiya And Ramakrishna”, and a theme by Fiorenzo Carpi that is firmly anchored in Maniscalco’s childhood memories.
«“Theme for Sweet Pea” – the composer reveals – is inspired by Peter Del Monte’s 1981 visionary movie “Piso Pisello”, which I watched for the first time when I was a kid. Fiorenzo Carpi’s amazing soundtrack is still fixed in my memory because my father still plays it from time to time. When I rewatched it a few years ago, I immediately realised this trio would perfectly handle one of its themes».

credits

released October 28, 2021

Emanuele Maniscalco – Wurlitzer, synths
Tomo Jacobson – bass
Oliver Laumann – drums, percussion

Recorded at Teatro Grande Brescia on October 2019 by Michele Marelli
Mixed by Michele Marelli and Emanuele Maniscalco at Monolith Studio, Brescia
Mastered by Michal Kupicz in November 2020

Produced by Emanuele Maniscalco
Executive producer: Marco Valente

Supported by Fondazione del Teatro Grande di Brescia

license

about

Auand Bisceglie, Italy

Auand Records is an Italian independent label dedicated to genre-defying music, providing a home for artists who push the boundaries of improvised music.

Founded in 2001 by Marco Valente, it has quickly become a seal of warranty for the next big artists who shape the sound of the future, often introducing their music to an international audience. ... more