ALBUM BY PIERO UMILIANI – DIALOGO
In the complex and evocative world of Italian library music, the themes of the city, industry, urban life, labor, and technology have always held a special allure.
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These motifs have inspired dozens of essential records by composers like Alessandro Alessandroni, Farlocco, Gerardo Iacoucci, A.R. Luciani, Narassa, and many others.
Especially during the rapidly changing and turbulent 1970s, the attempt to create a plausible soundtrack for a society in constant flux often gave rise to masterpieces—works that fused avant-garde techniques with found sounds, daring experiments with lighter compositions, the chaos of traffic and factory noise with the silence of night, the end of a work shift, or the quiet calm of a Sunday afternoon.
Within this rich and multifaceted tradition lies L’uomo e la città by Piero Umiliani. Here, the Maestro is joined by a sublime ensemble of jazz musicians, including heavyweights such as Bruno Tommaso, Oscar Valdambrini, Dino Piana, and Nino Rapicavoli. Together, they bring to life a sound that leans heavily on the richness of brass and the rhythmic interplay of the ensemble, all under Umiliani’s refined direction
L’uomo e la città may be less audacious than some of Umiliani’s more experimental outings, but it gains in coherence and jazz sophistication.
Tracks like Rete Urbana, Quartieri Alti, and Città Frenetica showcase a masterful balance and drive.
Yet the album still knows how to surprise—suddenly and brilliantly—with two stunning versions of Centrale Termica and the standout Suoni della città, among the album’s highest peaks.
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