Yugen

The Italian avant-prog group Yugen formed toward the close of 2004, driven by guitarist Francesco Zago alongside Marcello Marinone, who organizes music festivals and heads the AltrOck label. Francesco Zago sought to merge prog rock with chamber music influences, initiating composition work for Yugen; by the start of 2005, the ensemble comprised Zago plus keyboardist Paolo Botta, reed players Markus Stauss and Peter Schmid, along with bassist Stephan Brunner. Throughout that year, Zago added further pieces while the roster grew to encompass the varied instruments needed for his concept, bringing in Massimo Mazza handling vibraphone, marimba, and glockenspiel; Giuseppe Olivini, who plays an array of instruments ranging from harpsichord and shakuhachi to theremin; pianist Maurizio Fasoli; violinist Elia Mariani; and clarinetist Marco Sorge. When Yugen started tracking their debut album Labirinto d'Acqua (Water Maze) during June 2005, the configuration had expanded further with drummer Mattia Signò; the renowned avant-prog percussionist Dave Kerman (known from Thinking Plague, 5uu's, Ahvak, Present); and mandolin player Tommaso Leddi, formerly of Stormy Six, one of the founding acts in the late-'70s Rock in Opposition movement. Labirinto d'Acqua took shape from June 2005 through January 2006, ultimately involving 14 musicians in total, though not simultaneously on each piece. Mixing and mastering occurred at Ginger Studio in Tel Aviv, Israel, under Udi Koomran, with the album appearing in late 2006 as AltrOck's inaugural release under Marinone. Yugen followed with their sophomore effort Yugen Plays Leddi: Uova Fatali in 2008, marking the fifth AltrOck issue; this collection consisted solely of Tommaso Leddi's compositions, forging a clearer tie to the RIO aesthetic that originated three decades earlier. Returning participants from the first record included keyboardist Botta, pianist Fasoli, violinist Mariani, multi-instrumentalist Olivini (contributing percussion and glockenspiel this time), and drummer Signò, alongside Zago on guitar and Leddi on mandolin. Keyboardist Pietro Cavedon and reedist Valerio Cipollone joined the core, supported by various guests. The third AltrOck outing for the band, Iridule, emerged in September 2010; this expansive project enlisted 19 musicians altogether, among them regulars like Zago, Botta, Fasoli, Cipollone, Mariani, Schmid, and Stauss, plus figures sustaining RIO traditions in the western United States such as guitarist Mike Johnson, bassist Dave Willey, and vocalist Elaine diFalco, all tied to Colorado's Thinking Plague. Drummer Kerman and mandolinist Leddi appeared on a pair of tracks each, with ex-Univers Zero bassist Guy Segers featured once. Additional contributors encompassed Simone Beneventi substituting for Massimo Mazza on vibraphone, marimba, and glockenspiel; Giacomo Cella on bassoon; Enrica Di Bastiano on harp; Michele Epifani at the harpsichord; and Alberto Roveroni on drums. Among AltrOck's September 2010 releases came A_Live by a contemporary incarnation of Picchio dal Pozzo, the Italian band originating in the mid-'70s with strong British Canterbury influences before shifting toward RIO. Captured live at the 2008 AltrOck festival in Milan, the recording showcases a quartet edition of Picchio dal Pozzo (with originals Aldo De Scalzi and Paolo Griguolo) bolstered by Yugen members Zago, Botta, Cavedon, Cipollone, and Signò. A seven-piece Yugen lineup consisting of Zago, Botta, Cipollone, Fasoli, Jacopo Costa on marimba and vibraphone, bassist Matteo Lorito, and drummer Michele Salgarello took the stage at the Rock in Opposition festival in Carmaux, France, during September 2011; AltrOck documented the performance on Mirrors, issued toward the end of the next year. Mirrors drew from Zago's Yugen material, primarily adapting pieces from Labirinto d'Acqua and Iridule with fresh arrangements suited to the septet and live context, plus a rendition of "Industry" off Henry Cow's 1979 album Western Culture — fitting, since Henry Cow helped establish the original RIO collective. The release demonstrated that, despite a reduced ensemble and limited preparation, Yugen could replicate and even enhance their studio work onstage through strength, accuracy, and skill.