"Palillo de dientes, Bombón, Helado" es el segundo CD de la banda Aparecidos, la banda es un septeto con tres guitarras, violín, batería, percusión y contrabajo, repleto de una música inteligente, hermosa, llena de encanto latino mezclado con la espontaneidad de la música popular europea y el free jazz. Parece ser que la historia es así: Los hermanos Santiago y Facundo Moreno salieron de Buenos Aires, se trasladaron a Génova, Italia en medio de la crisis del 2001, y pronto comenzaron a participar en la vida musical de la ciudad. Era el lugar de nacimiento de la banda Aparecidos. Dos argentinos sueltos en Europa empezaron a hacer de las suyas y lograron un sonido único, algo así como Samla Mammas Manna pero con estilo latino: mezclan música tradicional argentina, el tango y la milonga, junto con música andina y la música popular europea, todo unido y atado por dosis medidas de rock progresivo, jazz, música de circo, improvisación, música clásica, un poquitín de música árabe y un poco de experimentación. Con ustedes, un experimento (casi) único, pero muy sabroso!
Año: 2012
Género: Jazz rock / Fusión / Prog Folk
Duración: 39:41
Nacionalidad: Argentina / Italia
Quizás este particular combo italo-argentina sirva para ejemplificar eso que decía alguna vez, de un nuevo sonido en el under argentino relacionado en estructura con eso que no se sabe bien que es pero al que llamamos "rock progresivo", "art-rock", "jazz-rock" o similares, pero muy alejado de la pomposidad habitual de las agrupaciones europeas, con un sonido bastante particular, desenfadado y desestructurado... muchas veces sin dejar de lado la cultura latinoamericana, y buscando sus propias fuentes, en un estilo que lo podríamos emparentar con el lado progresivo o instrumental de Arbolito o Eppurse Muove... y cuando en este disco escuchen "Cumbia Inglés" verán que es un tema que podría haber salido de un disco de Arbolito.
Formed by classical guitarist brothers Facundo and Santiago Moreno, APARECIDOS began in Argentina but related to Italy in the early 2000s to pursue their musical careers. The pair added several new members following the release of their first folk-oriented album in 2009. The result was a much more elaborated and world-influenced sound, expanding their folk leanings to include touches of Mediterranean and Eastern European folk, mild jazz and modern avant composition. The expanded lineup released a second album under the name Aparecidos in 2012.Bob Moore
Publicado por el sello italiano AltrOck, es difícil hacerse con uno de estos discos en formato físico ya que casi no llegan (comentario al margen, el otro día me comenta Abel, responsable y alma mater de Factor Burzaco que recién ahora tuvo 50 discos del último disco de la banda, que salió por el mismo sello italiano que sacó éste disco, y eso fue porque alguien conocido viajó hasta Europa). El tema es que no solamente creo que no lo podrán escuchar más allá de lo que se puede reproducir en Bandcamp sencillamente porque no creo que tengan la posibilidad de tener un CD físico a disposición de ser vendido.
Vienen de Italia, más precisamente de Génova, pero realmente vienen de Buenos Aires. Bueno, los hermanos Santiago y Facundo Moreno vienen efectivamente de la capital argentina, aunque llevan tiempo tocando en las callejuelas del casco viejo de la ciudad que fue la patria de la canción de autor italiana (Fabrizio De Andrè, Gino Paoli, Bruno Lauzi…). Justamente en Génova se juntaron con otros músicos amantes del foklore latinoamericano y también de la experimentación musical. Con Tommaso Rolando, Santo Florelli, Marco Ravera, Mattia Tommasini e Manuel Merialdo han creado este conjunto que han decidido llamar los Aparecidos. Dos guitarras clásicas, una guitarra eléctrica, un contrabajo, un violín, batería y percusiones y algún que otro instrumento (charango, glockenspiel, etc.) para la que ellos mismos definen “una mezcla de folklores y paisajes de hoy en día”.Steven Forti
En 2010 grabaron un disco que salió a la calle solo en 2012 por el sello italiano AltrOck. Ocho canciones donde, dejándo hablar solamente los instrumentos, los Aparecidos hacían que las palabras saliesen solas. Empezando por el título del disco: “Palito Bombón Helado”. Tres palabras que recuerdan el grito típico del heladero de las calles de Buenos Aires. Y a partir de aquel momento empiezas a volar junto a sus notas entre el Mar de la Plata y la Pampa, el Atlántico y el Mediterráneo, el porto de Génova y las callejuelas de una ciudad italiana. En vivo, os lo puedo asegurar, son la bomba.
En la gira de presentación de “Palito Bombón Helado”, los Aparecidos llegan también a Barcelona para un solo concierto que se celebrará el próximo jueves 10 de octubre en la bohemia sala del Tinta Roja del barrio de Poble Sec. (...)
Por ejemplo, en "Zamba Del chaparrón" mezclan ritmo de samba con una guitarra floydiana y música folclórica andina. Si a ello le sumamos la mezcla entre la música balcánica con motivos circenses, voces a la "Moulin Rouge", bueno, tendrán alguna idea de cómo puede sonar esto. O no, hasta que lo escuchen.
Sobre la historia de los músicos en Italia, en el siguiente comentario de un tano. Así describe un italiano este disco bien latinoamericano llevado hacia el centro de Europa:
I fratelli Moreno, Santiago and Facundo, nati a Buenos Aires, arrivano Genova, nel 2001, dove si stabiliscono per colpa di una crisi che ha segnato così pesantemente l’Argentina, da costringere parecchi dei suoi a mollare gli ormeggi e cercare fortuna altrove. Arrivano gridando “Palito bombon helado”, che poi è il nostro “ggellattooooo!”, il richiamo tradizionale degli “spacciatori” di cremini. Solo che, a differenza di quello dei gelatai di casa nostra, il loro ha una cadenza manco a dirlo molto più latina. Profumo di mate, dulce de leche, carne alla brace (tanto per fare i pressapochisti)… Un tiro folk, certo, ovviamente, ma anche prog; un po’ jazzato, un po’ Canterbury. Chitarra (slide) e charango. Musica balcanica (accenni, ma sì) e milonga. E, attenzione, molto pop; di quello vintage, anni Sessanta, floreale. Quello che fa alzare i peli sulla schiena ad ogni sfiorare di dito sulle corde e vedere tutto ciò che ci circonda virato in colori pastello, coperto da una sottile velo giallognolo senza dover per forza ricorrere a Instagram.Marco Jeannin
“Palito bombon helado” è un album quasi completamente strumentale, otto pezzi per quaranta minuti, messo in piedi dai due fratelli con l’ausilio di Tommaso Rolando (contrabbasso e basso elettrico), Marco Ravera (chitarra elettrica), Santo Florelli (alla batteria), Manuel Merialdo (alle percussioni, fondamentale), e Mattia Tommasini (violino). A questi si aggiungono un paio di guest: Filippo Gambetta alla fisarmonica diatonica (in “Zamba del chaparron”) e Tatiana Zakharova alla voce (la felliniana “Saracinesca”).
Un album molto interessante, bello, intriso di melodia e di sperimentazione, ma soprattutto di un’atmosfera meravigliosa. Un disco finalmente diverso, capace di farci ricordare che al mondo non esistono solo il garage, il punk o l’indie rock e gli album “di getto”. Esistono anche bravissimi musicisti che vengono, a volte fisicamente, dall’altro mondo; generi che spesso e volentieri dimentichiamo, o che lasciamo per troppo tempo a riposare in soffitta. World music, ritmi, arrangiamenti, priorità ai suoni che fluiscono in libertà. Tanta Argentina, ma anche Colombia e Perù; le Ande e un tocco di casa nostra (la folle, e stupenda, “Impro”). Questi gli Aparecidos. Voto: cento.
Sobre lo estrictamente musical, podríamos decir que el grupo suena como un Gentle Giant salido de Argentina, o mejor dicho de latinoamérica sin importar el país de origen, tocando con acordeón, violín, maracas, armónica y guitarra acústica, una mezcla innovadora y única de ritmos folclóricos sudamericanos, rock, música clásica y jazz.
Por supuesto, las fuerzas motrices y creativas del grupo son hermanos Santiago y Facundo Moreno. En "Palito, Bombón, Helado" se hace gala de ese aparente nuevo estilo un tanto desvergonzado del que hablé en el post anterior, que parece venir desde el under argentino, pero que esta vez se desparrama por Europa, con una libertad creativa que les permite hacerse un lugar en el mundillo artístico con uno de sus primeros trabajos, permitiéndoles tocar en varios países europeos.
La banda toca aquí como un septeto con tres guitarristas que utilizan principalmente la versión acústica de este instrumento. Además, también hace su aparición el charango, percusiones, bajo y violín, o sea, un conjunto de rock bastante inusual si es que esto es rock, hacen lugar a sonidos de jazz que oscilan hacia latinoamericanos y ocasionales incursiones en otros ámbitos de la música del mundo para una música instrumental bastante original... bonita, linda, juguetona... quizás falto de alguna sorpresa que los haga salir de su propio estilo, pero en su colorido, alegre y virtuoso estilo hacen evocar o imaginar un café en Buenos Aires, o en una ciudad cerca de los Andes, porque aquí los miembros italianos están como invitados haciendo música de una América Latina trasplantada al viejo continente.
Álbum difícil "Palito Bombón Helado"... tuvimos Progmetal, tuvimos JazzProg, tuvimos Jazz Metal, tuvimos Folkprog, tuvimos, tuvimos, tuvimos alguna manera todo en todas las combinaciones, faltaba una especie de "etnoprog" que todavía está poco explorado, salvo algunos grupos como los yankis Paranoise, los indúes Coshish, los chilenos Charanku o los argentinos Pulsónica, entre otros. "Palito Bombón Helado" parece sólo un álbum de música popular tradicional combinado con el jazz, música prog y algunos ritmos retorcidos, disonantes y polimétricos, pero da la pauta de un nuevo sonido bien auténtico que se está desarrollando y creciendo, y no solamente en estas tierras, ya se está exportando, como ven ustedes.
Y lo mejor del caso, es que no solamente es una apreciación mía y personal como con el disco anterior, aquí hay comentarios de mucha gente que escuchó el disco y parece darme la razón. Empecemos con los comentarios de terceros (claro, también tenemos el de nuestro colaborador involuntario de siempre):
No sé por qué razón, al poner este disco, pensé que me iba a encontrar una música árida, repleta de disonancias y partes experimentales. Quizás leí algo al respecto, o que se yo, pero estaba bastante desencaminado. La banda argentina Aparecidos se formó en 2001 alrededor de los hermanos Moreno, Santiago y Facundo. No publicaron su primer disco, “Lo que hay en el Charco” hasta 2009, y ahora, con una nueva formación (que incluye dos componentes de la banda italiana Calomito) vuelven con su segundo trabajo, “Palito Bombón Helado”Francisco Macias
Durante 40 minutos, esta formación argentina busca inspiración en diversos estilos y músicas tradicionales como la cumbia, el tango o la música andina, mezclándolo con el rock y el jazz, cambiando ritmos, combinando instrumentos de una forma maravillosa, con melodías realmente bonitas y un aire latino (en el buen sentido de la palabra) envolviendo los temas. Me encantan la combinación de las dos guitarras clásicas, con el glockenspiel y el violín, como ocurre en “Tanto Gonfio Saremo”, cuyo inicio es inmejorable, y donde se pasa de un estilo a otro de forma natural, los aires santaneros de “La Cumbia Inglés” (sobretodo en el solo de guitarra eléctrica), el toque “desértico” y algo mariachi de “Zamba del Chaparrón”, una de mis composiciones favoritas, con una melodía preciosa, que de repente toma aires circenses y de tango, y que cuenta con al colaboración del acordeonista Filippo Gambetta, o “Saracinesca”, otra maravilla donde esas referencias a la música de circo nos traen a la memoria a Samla Mammas Manna, y donde destaca la combinación del violín con las guitarras, tanto clásicas como eléctrica, la imaginativa sección rítmica y la colaboración de Tatiana Zakharova a la voz. La música de este disco está repleta de luz, de belleza, algo que comprobamos constantemente y que se hace aún más obvio en la pieza final, “Peperina en el Semáforo”, donde la combinación de las guitarras con el charango, las percusiones , el violín y la sección rítmica elevan la ya fantástica melodía a un nivel superior, desembocando en una parte central muy rítmica, con un solo de guitarra levemente crimsoniano, para volver a la melodía inicial y terminar el álbum. Cada vez me gusta más que las bandas busquen inspiración en las músicas de sus países o zonas de origen, ya que rompen con sonidos estereotipados, haciéndolos más originales y frescos. No os asustéis al ver la palabra “latino”, “cumbia”,etc…ya que yo soy el primero que no comulga con muchos de esos estilos y sin embargo me he quedado gratamente sorprendido con esta banda y con los pasajes tan fantásticos que han obtenido combinado ritmos y sonidos variados. Un disco sobresaliente que hay que descubrir.
Hoy es el turno de APARECIDOS, ensamble ítalo-argentino asentado en Génova que actualmente está conformado por Facundo Moreno [guitarra clásica, charango], Santiago Moreno [guitarra clásica], Tommaso Rolando [contrabajo, bajo eléctrico], Marco Ravera [guitarra eléctrica], Santo Florelli [batería] y Manuel Merialdo [percusiones, glockenspiel]. Rolando y Ravera son integrantes de CALOMITO, accediendo a formar parte oficial de la banda con éste, su segundo disco, “Palito Bombón Helado”, el cual fue publicado por el sello AltrOck en noviembre del año pasado. Este sexteto dedicado a la fusión de jazz vanguardista, folclore hispanoamericano/tropical y las facetas más juguetonas del rock-in-opposition (a lo HAMSTER THEATER) surgió como iniciativa de los hermanos Facundo y Santiago Moreno, quienes emigraron desde su Buenos Aires natal a tierras italianas a inicios del milenio, abrumados por la terrible crisis económica que tuvo lugar en el crepúsculo de la era De la Rúa. Una vez instalados en Italia, los hermanos forjaron una trayectoria musical basada principalmente en la fusión latina y los folclores urbanos, estableciendo nexos con el teatro de la calle. “Lo Que Hay En El Charco” de 2009 fue el primer disco de APARECIDOS, y ahora, con una alineación modificada, nos trae “Palito Bombón Helado”. Las recurrentes intervenciones del violinista Mattia Tomassini y las ocasionales de Filippo Gambetta al acordeón diatónico ayudan bastante a preservar las ambientaciones (ya sean juguetonas o cálidamente relajadas, dependiendo del momento) diseñadas para buena parte del repertorio del disco: vayamos a los detalles del mismo.César Inca
Ocupando casi 6 minutos de espacio, ‘Tanto Gofio Saremo’ juega con colores y sabores cubanos mientras le da un giro mediterráneo delicadamente extravagante (un poco a lo CALOMITO) desde donde el ensamble cuida la retorcida espiritualidad festiva en curso. ‘La Cumbia Ingles’ sigue a continuación incrementando el aura de alegría: con base de cumbia y florituras de charanguista-guitarreras propias del candor de la cultura criolla centroamericana, el ensamble establece un candor irresistible. Éste es el terreno apropiado para que en algún momento Marco Ravera luzca un solo a lo AL DI MEOLA, generando así un retazo de electricidad en medio del predominante candor. ‘Zamba Del Chaparrón’ parte, claro está, de la dinámica de una zamba, una manifestación de los aspectos reflexivos del folclore pampero. Eso sí, no hay duda de que el ensamble no gusta de quedarse estático en sus viajes sónicos, y ésta no es la excepción: los aires blueseros de la guitarra eléctrica (con slide) y las consiguientes trasmutaciones a cadencias de polca circense que ocurren en el interludio nos recuerdan fehacientemente que APARECIDOS está movido por una espiritualidad netamente extravagante. ‘Camino A Dos Rius’ nos muestra una fluida mezcla de ritmos mediterráneos y brasileños, elaborando un clima de agilidad propio de la idea de estar viajando; el aire coqueto que asume el desarrollo melódico merced a la perfecta amalgama de los instrumentos de cuerda es… ¡simplemente genial! Por su parte, ‘Saracinesca’ nos transporta a paisajes y atmósferas del Cercano Oriente a través de una especie de reconstrucción peregrina de los estándares de HAMSTER THEATER y STABAT AKISH. El ocasional canto de Tatiana Zakharova ayuda a darle un toque ceremonioso a ciertos momentos, mientras que la intensificación del esquema rítmico en la segunda mitad genera un clímax sostenido desde el cual el ensamble explora sabiamente el colorido inherente al motivo central.
‘Amuleto’ tiene base de milonga, a la par que se alimenta del dinamismo jazzero a fin de ganar algo de cálida exuberancia en el desarrollo de su estructura compositiva sin perder la envolvente serenidad básica de la misma: la dupla de guitarras clásicas adopta un lugar más protagónico que nunca en todo el disco. Este momento de relativa calma reflexiva viene contrastada por la inescrutable vibración generada por la breve ‘Impro’, antes de que ‘Peperina En El Semáforo’ cierre el disco al modo de un cénit contundente. En efecto, esta pieza que ocupa los últimos 6 minutos y pico del álbum se basa en una curiosa mezcla de cadencias de milonga y texturas extremo-orientales, convenientemente encapsulada en una ingeniería jazz-progresiva que empieza envuelta en pura sutileza y termina manifestando su etérea luminosidad, sin reservas, a través de una elegante estrategia de dosificación. En los últimos pasajes, el grupo regresa a la sutileza inicial como anticipando la nostalgia de la despedida. Una hermosa manera de terminar un disco tan especial como es “Palito Bombón Helado”, un ítem que ha recibido miles de merecidos elogios en las redes dedicadas a la difusión del jazz, el rock progresivo y la música de avanzada en general. APARECIDOS ha logrado llamar la atención y en verdad que se trata de una banda muy digna de seguir conservándola: tengamos bien presente el nombre de este grupo a la expectativa de próximas obras que produzca en el futuro próximo.
Y no solamente tenemos comentarios en castellano, aquí hay más pero esta vez en inglés:
Palito Bombón Helado, Aparecidos' second album and AltrOck label debut, arrived in late 2012. This rather brief (a bit less than 40 minutes) but consistently appealing and infectious album is another indicator that AltrOck has a knack for issuing some of the world's finest music in any number of stylistic categories except standard-issue alternative rock. AltrOck simply isn't about alt-rock as most people define it; challenging avant-prog is often the main course on the Milan-based label's menu, as exemplified by groups like Yugen, miRthkon, and October Equus -- but Aparecidos aren't strongly avant-proggish, either. Hailing from from Genoa, Italy, and led by brothers Santiago and Facundo Moreno, classical guitarists originally from Buenos Aires, Aparecidos also feature bassist Tommaso Rolando and guitarist Marco Ravera from Calomito (another AltrOck band), as well as violinist Mattia Tommasini, drummer Santo Florelli, and percussionist Manuel Merialdo. This combination of musicians creates an unusual stylistic hybrid that appealingly blends Argentine folk and dance elements with just enough experimentation to keep the music off-center. Don't expect densely convoluted music or Zappa-fied craziness. The folk percussion-driven rhythms touch upon tango, milonga, cumbia, and Andean music, with a strong and -- at least for AltrOck -- even danceable groove, while the arrangements sparkle and the compositional left-turns are engaging, not even slightly off-putting.Dave Lynch
The opener, "Tanto Gonfio Saremo," packs in a lot of rhythmic changeups, but retains a light touch with glockenspiel accents and strummed and picked classical guitar -- not to mention Facundo Moreno on charango, rather like an ultra-bright ukulele. "La Cumbia Ingles" keeps the Latin groove churning as Ravera steps out to display his jazz-rock guitar soloing chops; bridges and choruses again feature the Moreno brothers' deft, intricate, and crisp picking. The pace slows for the atmospheric "Zamba del Chaparron," with Ravera's electric slide and Tommasini's violin centered but not dominate in the mix, bracketed again by the Morenos in a composition that wouldn't be out of place on a Gustavo Santaolalla soundtrack -- although a mariachi break and guest Filippo Gambetta's circusy turn on diatonic accordion move the piece back toward AltrOck's whimsical side. Their Italian bandmates stylistically pull the Moreno brothers across the pond from South American to Mediterranean, Balkan, and Eastern European folk during "Saracinesca," featuring Tatiana Zakharova's wordless vocalizing over a pumping polka-esque beat that accelerates into a frantic circle dance, followed by a tight and complex segment with irrepressible rhythmic energy that never wanes. Aparecidos skitter and rattle around for a minute and a half on "Impro," as if to say "We can play that avant-garde improvising game," but by keeping this penultimate track fleetingly brief, and by maintaining a rhythmic undercurrent even here, they suggest that the audience-pleasing music elsewhere on Palito Bombón Helado is their main priority. This thought is only reinforced by the concluding track, "Peperina and Sematoro," which exemplifies Aparecidos' ability to combine understatement with subtly advanced sonics to produce music that is, quite simply, beautiful.
Aparecidos is best described as an outfit that's whimsical in a worldly way. This string-heavy group blends classical allusions, South American strains, Eastern European thoughts, and straight-up rock and outré ideals into one hell of a zany package. Its unique blend of violin, classical guitars, percussion, drums, bass and electric guitar, along with various other odds and ends thrown in for good measure, allows the group to come at music from all different angles, languages and perspectives.Dan Bilawsky
While Palito Bombon Helado weighs in at less than forty minutes, making it trim by today's album standards, it isn't lightweight; this outing packs in the ideas and interesting twists like sardines. "Tanto Gonfio Saremo" goes from circus waltz to faux Cuba to pastoral pastures in quick succession and "La Cumbia Ingles" gives electric guitarist Marco Ravera a chance to unravel some Santana-esque lines before things move in a more Villa-Lobos-leaning direction. "Zamba Del Chaparròn" turns into the bastard child of mariachi and polka, while "Saracinesca" comes off as a carnival-esque musing on a Hora-Tarantella-Bulgarian Wedding hybrid.
Cross rhythmic conversations, polyglot presentations and oddball antics pop up on virtually every track in some way, shape or form. Drummer Santo Florelli brings a flair for the dramatic into the picture with his occasional left turns into heady/heavy territory, interrupting relatively serene settings with some slamming drums, and guitarists Facundo Moreno and Santiago Moreno mix old world craft with out-of-this-world antics. Percussionist Manuel Merialdo fills the gaps, playing the role of musical colorist, and Mattia Tommasini's violin brings a sense of high art into the picture.
It's tempting to label this group as "experimental," but that tag often carries a sense of anti-music with it. This isn't a loose and dissonant aggregate molded in the free jazz fires. This is a highly organized group that simply doesn't subscribe to a single geo-stylistic dogma. Aparecidos co-opts and twists various folk traditions and modern ideals to its liking, and sounds damn good doing it.
Aparecidos were established by Argentine brothers Facundo and Santiago Moreno, who in 2001 had left their home country and settled in the Italian “prog hub” of Genoa, where they had the opportunity to meet other like-minded musicians. The band’s debut album, titled Lo Que Hay en el Charco, was released in 2009 for independent label Dodicilune. For their sophomore effort, recorded with a slightly different lineup (which includes two members of fellow Genoese band Calomito, guitarist Marco Ravera and bassist Tommaso Rolando), they joined the AltrOck Productions roster – already home to a number of distinguished contemporary acts.Raffaella Berry
Palito Bombón Helado was released in November 2012, at the tail end of a year characterized by a large number of high-quality releases. Though the album appeared on the market almost at the same time as Mirrors, the highly anticipated live album by AltrOck’s standard-bearers Yugen, it managed to attract the attention of the growing contingent of devotees of the Milan-based label’s output. Indeed, Palito Bombón Helado – whose title and endearingly naïf artwork refer to the ice cream bars on a stick sold in the streets of Buenos Aires at a time when ice was a rarity imported from the US and England – feels like a breath of fresh air, marrying superb musicianship with the bittersweet combination of wistfulness and joie de vivre typical of Argentina’s rich musical tradition, whose mostly European background mingles with African and indigenous influences.
In Aparecidos’ musical universe, the folk/acoustic and the electric/rock component coexist in perfect harmony, complementing each other rather than competing for attention. An exquisite flair for melody lends the music a natural flow, making it easy on the ear. The compositions emphasize the ties between Argentina and the rest of the South American continent: “La Cumbia Inglés” draws on a traditional Colombian dance adopted in the Argentine canon, while the prominent presence of the charango (a stringed instrument traditionally made with the shell of an armadillo) anchors the album to the native heritage of the Andean region. The instrument’s distinctive lilting, metallic tone, introduced to European audiences by Chilean bands Inti Illimani and Quilapayún in the Seventies and Eighties, blends with the intricate classical guitar patterns to perfection. Santo Florelli’s drumming, complemented by Manuel Merialdo’s percussion and Tommaso Rolando’s bass and contrabass, evidences a great sense of rhythm, sometimes imparting a solemn, almost grandiose pace to the music.
Though Palito Bombón Helado is conceived as an instrumental album, occasional vocal touches add to the overall musical texture – such as the vocalizing (courtesy of Tatiana Zakharova) that enhances the upbeat, march-like pace of “Saracinesca”, or the appealing, Brazilian-tinged warbling at the end of opener “Tanto Gonfio Saremo”. All of the 8 tracks have their distinct personalities, and feature some spectacular musicianship from everyone involved – warm hand percussion underpinning the seamless interplay of the brothers Moreno’s classical guitars, the crystalline tinkle of the glockenspiel, the accordion’s folksy wistfulness that tempers the joyful bounce of much of the music, the violin’s sweeping lyricism.
Marco Ravera’s elegantly understated electric guitar connects the music to the rock universe, though without stepping too assertively into the limelight: outstanding examples of its role can be found in the afore-mentioned “La Cumbia Inglés” and in the hauntingly beautiful closing track “Peperina en el Semaforo”. Mattia Tommasini’s violin comes into its own in the subdued “Zamba del Chaparrón”, based on Argentina’s national dance, showcasing the effortless nature of the instrumental interplay, with perfect balance between the electric exertions of Ravera’s guitar and the acoustic instruments, and a brief foray into Avant territory towards the end, with drums, accordion and guitar playing in a sort of skewed slo-mo pattern. On the other hand, the short “Impro” is just what the title implies, with a snippet of the iconic “’O Sole Mio” paying a humorious homage to the Italian tradition.
As delightful and refreshing as the delicacy it is named after, Palito Bombón Helado (mastered by renowned sound engineer Udi Koomran) is stylishly eclectic combination of world music, European folk and jazz with a pinch of Avant-Progressive spice, whose complexity is not immediately apparent, and never contrived. Those who appreciate the work of artists such as Cédric Vuille (his 3 Mice project with Thinking Plague’s Dave Willey and Elaine Di Falco comes to mind) or the late Lars Hollmer will find this album a very rewarding proposition, and even the more “conservative” prog listeners will find a lot to like in these 40 minutes of music, even if they do not reflect the conventional features of the genre. In any case, this is another excellent release from the ever-reliable AltrOck label, which in the past few years has become a byword for music whose uniqueness will please those who are increasingly frustrated by the formulaic nature of so much modern prog.
Only two of the eight tracks presented contain vocals, few in both cases, so their bearer appears very much an all-instrumental record overall, pretty uniform in style, I must add. Mostly jovial, yet never thoughtless, the music here is either largely or semi-acoustic and has a certain folk-rock character with a set of South European motifs, of which Spanish (flamenco et al.) and Greek ones (sirtaki) appear most frequently. Tracks like Tanto Gofio Saremo, La Cumbia Ingles and Camino a dos Rios are particularly representative in this respect. All of them are built around two classical guitars, one of which provides folk colorations, while another is played classically, somewhere in the vein of Steve Hackett, albeit at times with frenetic fingerpicking style. Upon that foundation the other musicians add a violin, contrabass and percussion, plus drums and electric guitar when necessary – and then the music assumes the shape of folk-tinged guitar Art-Rock. As almost everywhere on the album, the result is firmly focused on ensemble playing, revealing a lot of various sounds. The melodies range from congenial to overtly jovial, and the harmonies remain completely tonal. On the other hand, although the arrangements aren’t complex, their development exhibits an almost ever-changing character, avoiding repeats of a previously played theme. Saracinesca and Peperina en el Samaforo are in many ways similar, but contain more moves of a full-band sound. The octet’s instrumentation retains a characteristic folk quality, with its frequent low contrabass lines, violin melodies and acoustic guitar leads, but structurally and harmonically, the pieces both look to guitar art-rock traditions more often than they do to folk rock ones, as also do Zamba del Chapparon and Amuleto, the only two tracks on the CD whose source of inspiration is often instantly obvious and is Led Zeppelin. In particular, the glissando riffs that the first of them begins with echo those from the intro to ‘In My Time of Dying’ (“Physical Graffiti”), while the latter rhythmically recalls ‘Friends’ (“III”) in places. In some of the looser sections of the tracks though, where a violin finds its way into the mix, the music has a feel reminiscent of Kansas. Finally, the album’s shortest item, Ampro, finds an acoustic guitar, violin, bass and percussion all contributing fairly equally to its overall sound, but only the former instrument is played traditionally, whereas the parts of the others are done spontaneously. What really matter, though, this is a fun album of original compositions played impeccably by an impressive and talented crew. Almost every piece is full of surprises and unexpected twists that seem to bear out the band’s innovative pedigree, yet it all fits together seamlessly, and remains fairly accessible to boot.Vitaly Menshikov
Conclusion. While the music on this outing owes much to South European folk traditions, the band often goes beyond a simple regurgitation of idiomatic musical stylings. Instead, the material is used as a common reference feature, from which the musicians construct perky, intelligent compositions, most of which have a strong identity to their sound. This sort of thing is obviously not everyone’s cup of tea, but the album is unmistakably a high-quality release, bordering on masterpiece. Those with an appreciation of folk sounds and solid, smart writing will surely enjoy.
It's the tipical shout of "heladeros" in the street of Buenos Aires and South America. Cities and places that preserve the memory of times when ice for the icecream was only imported from England and United States of America. Argentinian brothers Santiago and Facundo Moreno, Buenos Aires originals, arrived in Italy after the economical crisis of 2001 and integrated in the musical scene of Genoa, giving life to the "Aparecidos" project, mixing jazz, folklore, milonga and sperimentation.Record Heaven
The Moreno brothers came to Italy from Argentina in 2001 and soon began incorporating Italian and other European influences into their music for the band Aparecidos. Their debut was released in 2009 and now we are lucky enough to have the pleasure of listening to their 2nd album, Palito Bombon Helado.Rok Podgrajšek
This review was a long time in the making, not for all the wrong reasons, but for too many right reasons. The first few times I listened to the music I was simply left flabbergasted and overcome with satisfying sensations all over my body. Indeed, this album is an experience on all the senses and on every level of your being – intelligence, emotions, pleasure. It’s hard to put into words the smile this album puts on my face every time I listen to it.
We get pushed straight into the music with some more ethnic flavours and already you see this album’s vision is crystal clear and the music absolute perfection. When they start adding some elements from rock, jazz, from South American Indian music, world music, Spanish, French and Italian music, Tango, even classical music (there’s also a Peer Gynt excerpt played on the accordion) and what I like to call circus music (Saracinesca), it almost becomes too much to handle. But it doesn’t. They manoeuver it all with ease and make the whole blend sound fun, yet at the same time intelligent and inventive. The music is presented with such ease that it sounds effortless, which couldn’t be further from the truth because it is a highly sophisticated work of art. There aren’t many musicians capable of making such a profound album sound so light and easy.
It's as if this album was waiting to be made. All the different flavours from all over the world work together so well to create a stunning… A stunning what? What is it exactly? OK, let’s just come out and say it – for me, it’s a modern masterpiece, a big world of magic packaged into a little CD. This is what music is all about. Palito Bombon Helado is an album you won’t forget very soon after hearing it. Exceptional and unforgettable!
With the arrival of each new AltrOck release, I find myself increasingly impressed by the quality of the label, and the consistent world-class virtuosity of the musicians involved. The most recent AltrOck CD releases from the groups Yugen and Aparecidos only serve to solidify my opinion that AltrOck is the major alternative label “from experimental to avant-jazz, from RIO’s heritage to classical progressive rock” and “open to old and new artists from symphonic prog, folk-prog and Canterbury” — a music which looks ahead and doesn’t “clone” big names from the past.Mark McCawley
A string-heavy CD, Aparecidos’ Palito Bombon Helado preserves the memory of times when ice for the ice cream was only imported from England and United States of America, when the typical shout of “heladeros” rang out in the streets of Buenos Aires and South America — “Palito, Bombon, Heladooooo!”
In much the same manner, Aparecidos blends musical memories of Argentinian brothers Santiago and Facundo Moreno (Buenos Aires originals) who arrived in Italy after the economic crisis of 2001, then integrated in the musical scene of Genoa, giving life to the “Aparecidos” project by mixing jazz, folklore, milonga (an Argentinian ballroom dance, forerunner of the tango) and improvisation. Aparecidos brings together the world of circus and street theater, South America rhythms, Andean music, the narrow streets of Genoa, the magic of circus and its melancholy, classical allusions, Eastern European thoughts, and straight-up rock in an eclectic blend of violin, classical guitars, percussion, drums, bass and electric guitar.
Palito Bombón Helado, Aparecidos’ second album and AltrOck label debut, arrived in late 2012. This rather brief (a bit less than 40 minutes) but consistently appealing and infectious album is another indicator that AltrOck has a knack for issuing some of the world’s finest music in any number of stylistic categories except standard-issue alternative rock. AltrOck simply isn’t about alt-rock as most people define it; challenging avant-prog is often the main course on the Milan-based label’s menu, as exemplified by groups like Yugen, miRthkon, and October Equus — but Aparecidos aren’t strongly avant-proggish, either. Hailing from from Genoa, Italy, and led by brothers Santiago and Facundo Moreno, classical guitarists originally from Buenos Aires, Aparecidos also feature bassist Tommaso Rolando and guitarist Marco Ravera from Calomito (another AltrOck band), as well as violinist Mattia Tommasini, drummer Santo Florelli, and percussionist Manuel Merialdo.Mascara de Cera
This combination of musicians creates an unusual stylistic hybrid that appealingly blends Argentine folk and dance elements with just enough experimentation to keep the music off-center. Don’t expect densely convoluted music or Zappa-fied craziness. The folk percussion-driven rhythms touch upon tango, milonga, cumbia, and Andean music, with a strong and — at least for AltrOck — even danceable groove, while the arrangements sparkle and the compositional left-turns are engaging, not even slightly off-putting.
Completely charming album that should appeal to folks who love the more acoustic-based ‘avant/progressive-yet-tuneful’ stylings of L’Ensemble Raye, Feliu i Joan-Albert, 3 Mice, etc. This has definite Italian as well as South American folk influences and has ties to the very fine Calomito.
It’s the typical shout of “heladeros” in the street of Buenos Aires and South America. Cities and places that preserve the memory of times when ice for icecream was only imported from England and United States of America.
Argentinian brothers Santiago and Facundo Moreno of Buenos Aires arrived in Italy after the economic crisis of 2001 and integrated themselves into the musical scene of Genoa, giving life to the “Aparecidos” project, mixing jazz, folklore, milonga and experimentation. Those who have seen their concerts knows that there’s a kind of magic, musically and also because of the close partnerships of the brothers with the world of circus and street theater…
South America, Andean music, tango, the narrow streets of Genoa, the port, improvisation, cumbia, milonga, the concerts in the streets, the magic of circus and its melancholy, all this is ‘Aparecidos’.”
Appeared Argentina The band formed in 2001 around the Moreno brothers James and Facundo. They did not release his first album, “What’s in the Pool” until 2009, and now, with a new line (which includes two components of the Italian band Calomito) are back with their second album, “Palito Blossom Ice Cream”, which had already been recorded two years.
For 40 minutes, this training Argentina seeks inspiration in many styles and traditional music such as cumbia, tango and Andean music, mixed with rock and jazz, shifting rhythms, combining instruments in a wonderful way, with really beautiful melodies and Latin air (in a good sense) involving issues. I love the combination of the two classical guitars with glockenspiel and violin, as in “Both Gonfio Saremo” whose home is unbeatable, and where it goes from one style to another naturally, Santaneros airs “The English cumbia “(especially in the solo electric guitar), touch” desert “and some mariachi” Zamba the Shower “.
Formed by Argentine brothers Facundo and Santiago Moreno, who have been based in Italy for a number of years, Aparecidos here present us with their second album, the delightful confection that is Palito Bombón Helado. The title literally translates as "chocolate ice cream stick" and refers to a particular yummy ice cold treat sold on the streets of Buenos Aires.Roger Trenwith
This album stirs Spanish flavoured acoustic instruments with violin, glockenspiel, drums and percussion; and with the addition of the electric guitar of Italian Mattia Tommasini the result is a sweet mix of flavours redolent of the eclectic street folk music of the brothers' homeland. The electric guitar occasionally lends proceedings an edge that takes the music beyond being a world music curio, and places it somewhere in the West.
The street corner scene atmosphere of the album is evident from the start as Tanto Gonfio Saremo emerges blinking into the sunlight through the background chatter and city noise. The whole album is up on Bandcamp, so click the Samples link above to hear what I'm struggling to express in mere words!
The first appearance of the electric guitar is on La Cumbia Inglés and Mattia contributes a nice understated and fluid solo, full of character and spikiness. It does not dominate the tune though, and the simple thematic melody is quickly re-established, the classical guitars and charango (an Andean lute-like instrument) playing counter melodies and weaving in and out of one another. Quite lovely; close your eyes while listening and I swear you'll see a small sun drenched village square, old men playing checkers, sheltering under a tree from the sun's glare reflected off the cracked adobe walls.
There is a charming innocence to this album that goes beyond the music to the lovely and no doubt intentionally child-like artwork. The playful but languid nature of the record is very occasionally nudged by the appearance of a gentle avant undertone, as if out there all is not quite as it seems. This happens on Amuleto and more so on the following Impro, perhaps not unsurprisingly in the latter given the title, and lends Palito Bombón Helado an interesting curiosity factor that will satisfy those who like their imagination stirred but not necessarily shaken. Fans of Dave Willey's 3 Mice project should lap this up.
The sound is given the usual high level of care and attention by Udi Koomran, and while not "prog" in the traditional sense this is an album that is endowed with an infectious musicality that will delight anyone who can see beyond the traditional rock band format.
Unfortunately lost in a slew of fine releases at the tail end of last year, I am glad I finally got round to sitting down with this album and I will no doubt be revisiting it throughout the year.
Stylistically the front cover of this album does not reveal much of what to expect, neither the name is very readable. The band brings a mixture of acoustic music with a rock touch, composed and played with live energy, an album with tracks that show a whole medley of ideas mixed together into one flow of a composition with for example mandolins and small and all different acoustic guitars as the most dominant instruments, with additional chamber-like rock arrangements of violin, drums, electric bass, electric guitar, some glockenspiel and accordion, as a folk-rock chamber-music’s bloody serious circus of themes. Just a bit of singing participates in it here and there too. The front vision changes a lot and in a way the band does not fall back on a standard generalized sound, which is great. The themes are recognizable, light and easy consumable; the arrangements still sound seriously thoughtful. The themes look like an adventure in music, also bringing in Hispanic and Latin ideas while combining this in a Western thought field of chamber rock, more often with the power of a dance band’s ability of improvisation, then again with a dedicated and refined focus just like in a classical music concert (especially when the Spanish guitar playing comes more forward), then more like film music for certain circus-like visions.psychemusic
The band was settled by two Argentine brothers but they settled in Genoa, Italy. Argentine, Chilean and Brazil influences remain clearly visible.
Una banda con un potencial inagotable y un gran futuro, sacando un muy buen álbum y haciendo de las suyas en Europa. Ésta es una linda historia, veremos como sigue, pero pinta muy bien.
Escuchen el disco, está buenísimo.https://aparecidos.bandcamp.com/album/palito-bombon-helado
Lista de Temas:
1. Tanto gofio saremo
2. La cumbia Inglés
3. Zamba del chapparón
4. Camino a dos rios
5. Saracinesca
6. Amuleto
7. Ampro
8. Peperina en el samaforo
Alineación:
- Facundo Moreno / guitarra clásica, charango
- Santiago Moreno / guitarra clásica
- Tommaso Rolando / bajo y contrabajo
- Marco Ravera / guitarra eléctrica
- Santo Florelli / batería
- Manuel Merialdo / percusiones, glockenspiel.
Invitados:
Filippo Gambetta / Acordeón diatónico
Tatiana Zakharova / Voz
Puzzle Bobble
Karate Blazers
Puzzle De Bloques
Magical Cat Adventure