PAESAGGI (700 edition / 1971 album cover)

Finally putting an end to a long wait for library music lovers, Four Flies Records is
proud to present the first reissue of Piero Umiliani’s PAESAGGI – a record that, despite
remaining for many years pretty obscure compared to other titles in the maestro’s
discography, is now regarded by collectors and experts as the gold standard in Italian
library music.
Originally released in two versions with different sleeves, the first on Liuto Records
in 1971 and the second on Ciak Record in 1980, the album features tracks composed
by the maestro himself (under his alias Zalla) and performed by the legendary supergroup
of Italian session players I Marc 4, this time with Angelo Baroncini instead of
Carlo Pes on guitars (which probably explains the name being spelled with a ‘k’ instead
of a ‘c’ on the album cover).
The Italian word “paesaggi” means “landscapes”, and that is exactly what the music in
the album has been designed to evoke – a journey of moods and emotions, through
exotic and pastoral scenery, with loungey sounds that caress your ears like the song
of an enchanted nightingale. Mysterious yet captivating soundscapes transport you
to a faraway and peaceful place, possibly somewhere in rural Asia. While listening to
the record, you’ll feel as if you are sitting under a pavilion, right in the middle of a tea
plantation, enjoying a freshly brewed green tea and watching the calm sunset.
In addition, PAESAGGI is paradigmatic of Italian library music and its genre-defying
nature. By using a multitude of instruments, such as flute, vibraphone, harpsichord,
sitar, gong and others, it brings together a variety of arrangements, styles, and genres
spanning from bossa nova to jazz, easy listening to psychedelic, Latin, exotica, and
many more.
Under Umiliani’s brilliant direction, the pianos and keyboard instruments of Antonello
Vannucchi, the guitars of Angelo Baroncini, the bass of Maurizio Majorana, and the
drums of Roberto Podio dance together and – enriched by other instruments played
by top session musicians like Bruno Battisti D’Amario (sitar), Franco De Gemini (harmonica),
or Franco Chiari (vibraphone) – create the sound that makes PAESAGGI so
unique.
With the honour of reissuing this masterpiece so many decades since its release comes
a responsibility to do full justice to one of the greatest Italian composers of the 20th
century and his now celebrated legacy. Four Flies have done their best to put out a record
that replicates as closely as possible the value of the original as a cultural artefact,
providing Italian library connoisseurs and novices alike with an exquisite sonic, and
tactile, experience.
TRACKLIST:
1.Prime Nebbie 03:41
2.Nel Parco 02:58
3.Risaie 05:11
4.Lungo il Canale 01:12
5.Ciliegi in Fiore 02:55
6.Oriente Rosso 01:13
7.Pianure d’Asia 03:01
8.Tanto Lontano 04:14
9.Borgo Montano 02:02
10.Laguna Tropicale 04:02
11.Vecchie Strade 03:45
12.Porta d’Oriente 02:14