ITALIAN SURF ACADEMY
Live at Barbes, June 4, 2016
Concert review by John Pietaro
The trio
that comprises Italian Surf Academy
lives in musical sphere without boundaries; spy guitar effortlessly dances to
Downtown improv before encompassing spaghetti western and “giallo” horror movie
themes. Imagine if you will a music free
to revel in a nostalgia that constantly reinvents itself.
Founded by
guitarist Marco Cappelli while still
living in his native Italy, the band was designed to musically demarcate the post-WW2
Western European vision of American culture. As he stated, “The US represented
much more than a geographic place, it was a concept which we dreamed of
belonging to”. After some twelve years of residing in this country, Cappelli’s
musical mélange may be more parody than adulation (hey, he was present during
the W Bush years), but in any event, the spirit of the inspiration burns brilliantly.
These days Italian Surf Academy is 2/3 American with the inclusion of much
sought-after bassist Damon Banks and
young lion drummer Dave Miller, thus
realizing the cultural fusion bridging the Atlantic.
Opening
its June residency at Park Slope performance space Barbes, the band tore into
its unique repertoire for an enthusiastic audience. Immediately, the familiar
sparkling, shimmering guitar sound of another era filled the room as Italian
Surf Academy kicked off with “Django”.
Over the better part of one hour, the band reimagined main title themes from
decades-old Italian productions, ranging from the noted to the rather
notorious, featuring compositions of Ennio Morricone among others, and threw in
Tommy Tedesco guitar licks, moments of bossa novas and escapades of free jazz
as needed. But each adaptation was tightly arranged and offered the
in-your-face rad bravura New York can claim as original. Bank’s effortless,
grooving terra firma made a nice counter-part to Miller’s skittering, broken
rhythms over a two-piece drumkit colored by small gongs, few cymbals and a
cowbell or two. Both Banks and Miller focused on the leader’s alternately
screaming and singing ax, supporting Cappelli within this ongoing, embracing
three-way conversation.
Highlights
included Carlo Rustichelli’s music from the score of Mario Bava’s “Blood and Black Lace” and the finale “Secret
Agent Man” (here an avant expansion of the Ventures’ arrangement), which
morphed into John Barry’s James Bond theme before juxtaposing to the Vic Mizzy “Munsters” title music and then back to into
black-and-white.
DON’T LET JUNE GET AWAY WITHOUT
STOPPING INTO BARBES ON SATURDAYS AT 6.
Your sense of art and need for fun and reminiscence will fight it out like they’re
on opposite sides of the iron curtain---except instead of suspicion and showdown, Italian Surf Academy lets
both sides party victoriously.
This summer
it’s time to really come in from the Cold.
{Barbes 376 9th Street, Brooklyn NY}
{Barbes 376 9th Street, Brooklyn NY}
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