BVC

This Italian band's sole legacy is a wonderful instrumental album of pure symphonic prog dominated by flute, with strong classical influences and a touch of jazz. For comparisons, bands like COLOSSEUM, KING CRIMSON, GENESIS, ELP and The NICE come to mind. Their eponymous album was recorded in 1971 for the Venice-based Suono label but never saw the light of day; a year later, the group had already disbanded. They were eventually honoured by the Rome Villa Pamphili festival who awarded them the prize for 'Best Italian Band' in 1974. The album, which had been shelved for over twenty years, was finally unearthed by Melos in 1992; Italian label Akama also re-issued it in '99 with two extra tracks. The Melos release comprises three wonderful suites of excellent performance featuring great keyboards, flute and sax plus a few rare vocals, the music alternating between quiet, folksy parts and grand symphonic flights. In 1972, an album by Beppe Palomba entitled "A Rosa, a Giovanna e alle altre" was issued under the Mizar label, featuring some of the members from BUON VECCHIO CHARLIE. Its two best cuts are the ones included in the 1999 Akama re-issue of BVC. Although the production isn't perfect, "Buon Vecchio Charlie" is one of the better, very early (pre-BANCO/PFM) Italian prog albums and is certainly recommended for all lovers of vintage Italian symphonic prog. : : : Lise (HIBOU), CANADA : : :