Biography
In Torino, Italy, during 1974, drummer Furio Chirico assembled the sextet Arti & Mestieri after leaving the Trip. Members were drawn from the strongest talents in the city's jazz-rock community, and the group often appeared on the same bills as Area, long-running leaders in that field. Their profile also allowed them to support various international visitors, including Gentle Giant as a standout example.
The band's first studio effort, the 1974 release Tilt, attracted considerable notice yet only suggested their fuller range. A live recording captured around the same time later surfaced on the Vinyl Magic label in 1990; although the audio was flawed, it presented a more vivid account of the ensemble at peak intensity. The next studio album, 1975's Giro di Valzer per Domani, confirmed Arti & Mestieri as a serious contender, aided by the addition of Gianfranco Gaza, previously the vocalist with Procession. The two vocal pieces included on the debut had ranked among its least compelling tracks, but Gaza supplied a fresh and effective layer to the music. This development prompted the Cramps label to issue a single from the album, "Saper Sentire," with the instrumental "Valzer per Domani" on the reverse side.
Even after that step forward, another four years passed before the next Arti & Mestieri album materialized. Issued in 1979, Quinto Stato retained several of the same musicians yet proved underwhelming, offering only routine jazz-rock that led directly to the group's dissolution.
Chirico later issued two additional albums under the Arti & Mestieri name—Acquario in 1983 and Children's Blues in 1985—before shifting focus to instruction and solidifying his standing among Italy's leading drummers; he remains the sole Italian performer to appear at the American Modern Drummer Festival, an event that took place in 2002. He has also put out several solo recordings. Among the original members, guitarist Gigi Venegoni likewise pursued an independent path, producing at least two albums credited to Venegoni & Co. The band regrouped in 2001 with Chirico, Venegoni, and founding colleagues keyboardist Beppe Crovella plus bassist Marco Gallesi at the core. Joined by keyboard player Marco Cimino, who had appeared on Quarto Stato, and violinist Corrado Trabuio, the reconstituted lineup delivered the 2001 album Murales.
The band's first studio effort, the 1974 release Tilt, attracted considerable notice yet only suggested their fuller range. A live recording captured around the same time later surfaced on the Vinyl Magic label in 1990; although the audio was flawed, it presented a more vivid account of the ensemble at peak intensity. The next studio album, 1975's Giro di Valzer per Domani, confirmed Arti & Mestieri as a serious contender, aided by the addition of Gianfranco Gaza, previously the vocalist with Procession. The two vocal pieces included on the debut had ranked among its least compelling tracks, but Gaza supplied a fresh and effective layer to the music. This development prompted the Cramps label to issue a single from the album, "Saper Sentire," with the instrumental "Valzer per Domani" on the reverse side.
Even after that step forward, another four years passed before the next Arti & Mestieri album materialized. Issued in 1979, Quinto Stato retained several of the same musicians yet proved underwhelming, offering only routine jazz-rock that led directly to the group's dissolution.
Chirico later issued two additional albums under the Arti & Mestieri name—Acquario in 1983 and Children's Blues in 1985—before shifting focus to instruction and solidifying his standing among Italy's leading drummers; he remains the sole Italian performer to appear at the American Modern Drummer Festival, an event that took place in 2002. He has also put out several solo recordings. Among the original members, guitarist Gigi Venegoni likewise pursued an independent path, producing at least two albums credited to Venegoni & Co. The band regrouped in 2001 with Chirico, Venegoni, and founding colleagues keyboardist Beppe Crovella plus bassist Marco Gallesi at the core. Joined by keyboard player Marco Cimino, who had appeared on Quarto Stato, and violinist Corrado Trabuio, the reconstituted lineup delivered the 2001 album Murales.
Live