Is it possible for a band to sound so Italian and not-so-Italian at the same time? It might be surprising that an instrumental band like Calibro 35 has become one of the biggest Italian alternative acts in just few short years: record after record, show after show. They have played everywhere in Italy and almost everywhere in Europe with several trips playing the States as well. It was right after one of these US gigs that the band stopped in New York for a week to give birth to the current album, Any Resemblance to Real Persons or Actual Facts is Purely Coincidental, recorded entirely during a 5-day period at the well-known Brooklyn Recording and Mission Sound Studios.
Calibro 35 decided to face new challenges with this album, moving away from the vintage soundtracks of their signature sound to enter the world of rhythmic improvisation and jam-writing, but still keeping the cinematic vibe of their previous work. It's because of this that every song on Any Resemblance... features something unheard of on previous albums. From a musical perspective, collaboration and spontaneous writing was the key creative point of this record, testifying once again to the ability of these exceptional musicians to adapt to new contexts, to interact with each other, and to enjoy other's ideas.
Calibro 35's Enrico Gabrielli (horns and keyboards) has played with Mike Patton, John Parish and prog-rock legend Damo Suzuki (of Can); Massimo Martellotta (guitars) has collaborated with Stewart Copeland, Mauro Refosco and Adrian Younge's Balck Dynamite Orchestra; Tommaso Colliva (sounds) engineered records for English bands Muse and Franz Ferdinand and for Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers. Together with Luca Cavina (bass) and Fabio Rondanini (drums) they create the sound that defines Calibro 35--both Italian and not-so-Italian.
All of the songs on Any Resemblance... travel new territory for Calibro 35. "Massacre at Dawn" comes straight from afro-funk territory--an homage to Brooklyn heroes Budos Band and Mehan Street Band, while "Rain On Concrete" sounds like a French soundtrack composed some decades ago by Francis Lai or Jean Claude Vannier, but completely refreshed, revised and brought back to life in the 2000s.
Calibro 35 also guides the listener through a global funk experience on this record; from the Indian vibe of the sitar-injected "New Dehli Deli," to the streets of San Francisco with the heavy weight of the clavinet on "Thank You and Good Bye," to the high impact horns riffs of Detroit's Motown Studio sound on "The BBQ Band" and "The Package," and then back again to Italy for retro-scat vocals on "Uh Ah Brrr," reminiscent of the best of Ennio Morrione's and Piero Umiliani's compositions from the 60s.
The last pieces of the puzzle to fall in place are in fact two soundtrack themes from the composers themselves: Piero Piccioni's "New York New York" (from the movie "Anastasia, My Brother") and Ennio Morricone's "Passaggi nel Tempo" (from the movie "The Swap," starring a young Robert De Niro).
In order to prevent any possible legal action Calibro 35 would like you to remember: "Any resemblance to real persons or actual facts is purely coincidental". They will take it from there. It couldn't be any other way for the Italian band that has its roots in B-movie soundtracks from the golden era of Italian film.
Calibro 35 decided to face new challenges with this album, moving away from the vintage soundtracks of their signature sound to enter the world of rhythmic improvisation and jam-writing, but still keeping the cinematic vibe of their previous work. It's because of this that every song on Any Resemblance... features something unheard of on previous albums. From a musical perspective, collaboration and spontaneous writing was the key creative point of this record, testifying once again to the ability of these exceptional musicians to adapt to new contexts, to interact with each other, and to enjoy other's ideas.
Calibro 35's Enrico Gabrielli (horns and keyboards) has played with Mike Patton, John Parish and prog-rock legend Damo Suzuki (of Can); Massimo Martellotta (guitars) has collaborated with Stewart Copeland, Mauro Refosco and Adrian Younge's Balck Dynamite Orchestra; Tommaso Colliva (sounds) engineered records for English bands Muse and Franz Ferdinand and for Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers. Together with Luca Cavina (bass) and Fabio Rondanini (drums) they create the sound that defines Calibro 35--both Italian and not-so-Italian.
All of the songs on Any Resemblance... travel new territory for Calibro 35. "Massacre at Dawn" comes straight from afro-funk territory--an homage to Brooklyn heroes Budos Band and Mehan Street Band, while "Rain On Concrete" sounds like a French soundtrack composed some decades ago by Francis Lai or Jean Claude Vannier, but completely refreshed, revised and brought back to life in the 2000s.
Calibro 35 also guides the listener through a global funk experience on this record; from the Indian vibe of the sitar-injected "New Dehli Deli," to the streets of San Francisco with the heavy weight of the clavinet on "Thank You and Good Bye," to the high impact horns riffs of Detroit's Motown Studio sound on "The BBQ Band" and "The Package," and then back again to Italy for retro-scat vocals on "Uh Ah Brrr," reminiscent of the best of Ennio Morrione's and Piero Umiliani's compositions from the 60s.
The last pieces of the puzzle to fall in place are in fact two soundtrack themes from the composers themselves: Piero Piccioni's "New York New York" (from the movie "Anastasia, My Brother") and Ennio Morricone's "Passaggi nel Tempo" (from the movie "The Swap," starring a young Robert De Niro).
In order to prevent any possible legal action Calibro 35 would like you to remember: "Any resemblance to real persons or actual facts is purely coincidental". They will take it from there. It couldn't be any other way for the Italian band that has its roots in B-movie soundtracks from the golden era of Italian film.
