Quartetto - Organic, Playco 1969
SKU
05-ALGA067
"The stable 'Quartetto' that pianist Davide Mosconi, saxophonist Enzo Gardenghi, percussionist Marco Cristofolini, and cellist and violinist Gustavo Bonora brought to life beginning in the late '60s constituted the core of what would, in the early years of the next decade, become the larger improvising ensemble NADMA. The group was also an elegant and accomplished expression of the musical objectives of its members. The rich yields that Davide Mosconi cultivated from his exploration of improvisation and the visionary creativity that revealed influences from parallel planes throughout his oeuvre originated in his formative years. In the life story of Mosconi before the formation of the 'Quartetto,' it emerges that his first musical affirmations arose as he was completing his studies as a photographer. Mosconi furthered his training as a photographer in New York from 1964-1968, including stints as assistant to Richard Avedon and Hiro. Prior to his definitive return to Italy, he spent 1968 in Mexico, a lengthy visit documented splendidly in his photographs. During his stay there, he may have been the first European musician to meet Conlon Nancarrow and encounter his music. From Nancarrow, Mosconi learned the workings of the Ampico player piano. Only much later indeed, in the early '80s, when György Ligeti championed his works, was this now-legendary American composer rediscovered internationally. The 'Quartetto' represented, at last, a solid foundation with which Davide Mosconi succeeded in realizing his own notion of improvisation, aided by musicians who shared his ideal of a continuous, fluid music and thus of a pliable expression that superseded the limits of existential consciousness. In 1968-1969, the group launched an uninterrupted series of private events, studio sessions and live concerts at venues that ranged from offhand happenings to alternative clubs to concert halls. This CD is included in a beautiful digipack full-color sleeve with photos and liner notes. Also included is a 12-page booklet with an essay titled 'Before NADMA: Davide Mosconi and the Quartetto' by Gabriele Bonomo as well as the testimonies by Enzo Gardenghi and Gustavo Bonora."