For my lira, there may be no better one-two punch in the vast annals of Italian prog than Jumbo, that which starts with DNA and subsequently followed by arguably the greatest of them all in Vietato...
Jumbo are not an immediately likable band. They have none of the panache of a PFM, nor the stateliness of a Banco. As I mentioned recently in discussing Capitolo 6, Italy had far more bands duking it out in the mean streets, than those attending recitals at concert halls. And who was the meanest, gruffest, toughest of them all? Jumbo. And who is Jumbo? Well literally it's singer Alvaro Fella, and it's his nickname. He is, in fact, what makes Jumbo... Jumbo. Both in name and in spirit. Take him out of the mix and you have a highly performing instrumental Italian progressive rock unit. Put him in, and the band skyrockets to the top of the game. He is the band's secret sauce as it were. Buy into his passion and style, and Jumbo are a 5 star band. But if just scanning albums as quickly as possible to get your ratings total up so you can make some fanciful list made by strangers you will never meet, and be rewarded with... what? Who knows. Well, son, you're missing out on the whole point. Buy an album like DNA and sit with it for awhile. Get to know it. And watch an epiphany unfold.
One of the common criticisms DNA receives is that the opening 20 minute track is great and then it falters from there. I agree with this in principle, though on close inspection, the problem has more to do with album placement than quality of material. The opening track of the album should have been 'Miss Rand', a playful beginning with a romping guitar / organ run, and what then introduces our main protagonist as he strums the acoustic guitar and growls out the lyrics while Dario Guidotti hoots on the harmonica. Guidotti incidentally is one of the key ingredients to Jumbo's sound. His haunting harmonica is only bettered by his fantastic staccato flute work - always a hallmark of a good Italian prog band. The other hero is guitarist Daniele Bianchini, whose raw electric guitars match Fella's vocal expression perfectly.
The second track should have been 'Hai Visto...', a fine jazzy number with excellent Hammond and piano from Sergio Conte. And Guidotti's flute of course. Closing off Side 1 should be 'È Brutto Sentirsi Vecchi', a more introspective piece that lulls one into a false sense of security. It's the perfect preparation for 'Suite per il Signor K'. Now the listener is ready for what is to come. Honestly as an opening piece it's too much, too fast. Basically you've already had your hard liquor, and asked to drink beer for the rest of the evening. So the album is backwards from what it should be. Program your CD as above, and see what happens. Suffice to say 'Suite per il Signor K' is one of the all-time greats, and a bold statement for any genre, any time. Not much more to write here other than...
Masterpiece.
Ownership: LP: 1972 Philips. Textured gatefold with lyric insert. Acquired in the early days of ebay (1999).
CD: 2001 Philips (Japan). Papersleeve edition.
My introduction to DNA was the Mellow CD (1992).
I also highly recommend you all seek out a YouTube video of Jumbo from this era. Titled 'Miss Rand', it's a combo of said track plus some parts of Signor K. Interesting to note that the video is in color - and it comes from RTV in Slovenia (former Yugoslavia) (?!). The music is straight from the album, and the video shows the band on sailboats and later in a summer field. The lip syncing and playing is way off (and there are no plugs for their guitars....). It's all pretty silly, and it demonstrates that Jumbo were still young men having fun rather than an intensely serious bunch. Really captures the essence of the era. I love it.
1992; 2010; 3/7/19 (new entry)
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