Customer Reviews

Work In Progress Live

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For fans of GENTLE GIANT, UK, NATIONAL HEALTH, BRAND X, RETURN TO FOREVER. Very fresh and inspiring blend of jazzy progressive fusion.
A killer live album!

I received a promotional package of CD's from Moonjune Records, for review and 'air time', on my two internet radio stations. Well, I opened the large envelope and what do I find? Two of the three CD's are Italian Prog......oh no! The last Italian Prog I listened to was Banco at Nearfest 2001, and to tell the truth, I was not empressed, at all. So, out falls the DFA CD, Work in Progress, recorded at Nearfest 2000....oh no! The people at Moonjune Records were nice enough to send the CD's and info, so I had to listen. WOW! I was blown away from the first track Escher, reaching for the CD cover and info, I read all I could while listening to the rest of the CD. I won't even bother to getting into the the six tracks, there is no stand out, there all GREAT! No, SPECTACULAR!!!!! This is Progressive Rock at its finest. I noticed in the info that that some have called DFA a Fusion band. There are Jazzy moments but, don't be turned off by this, it just adds to the complexity of the music. These guys have the Chops to get the job done! Alone each solo with a masters intensity, together, the word 'Tight' mean anything! This is perhaps the finest live album I have ever heard! If not for the breaks and applause(Serious Applause!), you can not tell its a LIVE album! Its that Perfect! All six tracks are now into rotation on Odd Sky & Sound of Shadows Internet Radio Brodacast.

DFA plays a modern symphonic fusion that draws on many elements to produce a dynamic sound that can be blistering symphonic one minute and quiet and spacey the next. While they can easily blow you away with their intense sound, their excellent compositional skills and sense of dynamics always keeps the music fresh with plenty of breathing room. The proceedings begin with "Escher", a standout track which starts out with a spacey intro that builds into a energy filled piece with great melodies. One of the band's most memorable pieces. "Trip On Metro" is a groovy cut, with a solid bass line and excellent drumming. "Pantera" is a nice and varied piece, with great electric piano in the quieter sections. The epic "Rango" is filled with all the different aspects of the band's sound, building up the intensity and coming down for the relaxed portions. DFA are one of the brightest stars shining in today's murky progressive scene. While great on their studio albums, this band is especially at home in the live element and this performance is certainly indicative of that. This was truly a magical set, and as great as it was to be there, it's just as great to hear it here on CD.

I mean whadja expect, right? ;-)
The Italians continue to amaze me with their consistent virtuosity in the areas of symphonic prog and jazz fusion. (Are they all descendants of Paganini?!)

D.F.A. has been around for a while, and even came out with a newer cd recently ("4th"), which is killer by the way. This particular cd is from their NEARfest 2000 performance and captures the band in fine form, playing six of their finest compositions (each in the 6-11 minute range) over a total of 60 minutes.

What do these guys sound like? I'm gonna go with a combination of Ozric Tentacles, Djam Karet, King Crimson and PFM. This is mostly instrumental music, though there is the occasional vocal. You get magnificent drumming, numerous time and key signature changes, and truly interesting and new music that maintains the melody within an intricate and busy sound texture. It's all supported by fantastic production quality. This is truly great shtuff to be discovering in the 21st century.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.7/10; Performance = 9.3/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 9/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.9 ("4-1/2 stars")

DFA performed for the first time live here in the U.S at the annual Nearfest concerts on June 17, 2001 at Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center. The group hails from Italy and has quite an international following. This performance was a key factor in elevating their status as one of the premier prog-rock bands in the world in the eyes of the American audience. The responses of the audience show that they were an enormous success. The group is Silvio Minella (guitars), Luca Baldassari (electric bass), Alberto De Grandis (drums, vocals) and Alberto Bonomi (keyboards, vocals).
DFA's music is heavy on the keyboards with a multitude of layering of all the other instruments, which makes for a remarkable listening experience. The separation of each instrument is astounding for a live recording; it's difficult to notice if it's actually live or in the studio. If it wasn't for the dialogue and the crowd's response to the music you would never know the difference. I have to tip my hat to Giampaolo Righetti, the mixing and remastering had a profound effect on this recording. An extraordinary amount of time and effort went into this process, you can tell. The musicianship in this group is quite simply put, out of this world. Most of the music is instrumental. A few of the tracks offer vocals in their native tongue.
"Work In Progress Live" is exactly what it says it is...music that's in a constant state of building and changing. `La Via' is their prog-rock masterpiece clocking in at over fifteen minutes, in fact there isn't a track under six minutes on the entire recording, which is status quo for any good progressive work. This a solid release from start to finish with absolutely no weaknesses whatsoever. Progressive rock doesn't get any better than this, and this live recording could easily set the standard for other groups that are looking to achieve the same results. I can't possibly imagine that a group this good could possibly get any better, but I am sure they will. They will most certainly become legends in no time if they maintain the standards and quality that they set when they play live. Keep your eyes on this group; they are paving a path that others will soon take.