CORRADO RUSTICI

Interfulgent

(MARQUEE)

Together with his late brother Danilo, Corrado Rustici is an important person in the history of Italian progressive rock. Originating from Naples Danillo shot to fame with the band Osanna whilst Corrado founded the band Cervello which recorded just one album. After the album Melos was released in 1973 the band folded out of which Nova was born still with Corrado at the helm augmented with members from both Osanna and Uno. Nova resided in the UK for a short while and recorded several albums for Arista in different line-ups. At one point Nova incorporated Percy Jones (of Brand X fame) and Narada Michael Walden. None other than Genesis drummer Phil Collins also joined the jazzrock band as a guest.

Throughout his forty + year career Corrado Rustici has performed and recorded with luminaries such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Phil Collins and Allan Holdsworth making him both an ace guitarist but also a highly respected in demand producer working both for Italian and international artists. So far Corrado has released a fair amount of solo albums of which Interfulgent is his most recent one. Interfulgent is Latin meaning “shining through”. He plays all of the instruments himself and is helped out on keyboards by his good friend Alex Argento from the Italian progmetal band Icefish (which also features Virgil Donati).

He calls his new album a “transmodern” project, where melodies and rhythms were constructed using contemporary electronic sounds created from his own rig of signature pedals and effects. He describes it as follows (fasten seatbelts, here we go) “an artistic interpretation of a profound desire to transcend the socio-cultural darkness that surrounds us with the help of new concepts, metaphorically represented on the cover by a luminous object … a harbinger of better times ahead.” And if the quality of the music guarantees a similar quality of life then for sure the future’s looking very bright indeed.

In his style of playing there is more than a Holdsworth influence to be discovered all embedded in the nicest possible way so as not to result in overkill. The Man From Yorkshire (dedicated to A.H.) is a nice example combining guitar and violin (the latter obviously being guitar as well yet sounding like a violin!). By means of his signature pedal Corrado gives his guitar a more profound ‘voice’ which is more expressive than your average guitar. This six string really sings as his fingers carress the strings! A song like Anna screams to be included in a movie full of dramatic atmospheres and intimate passages.

Khetwadi Lane sounds ominous, dark and mysterious. ZuZu Blues embroiders bluesy licks on a funky rhythm. The Water Of Enceladus kind of makes me think of a slowly passing by of camels arriving in a caravanserai in the light of a decending sun. The album closes with the cinematographic atmosphere of G. On A Sunny Day with once again the violinsound of the guitar. Interfulgent is the perfect calling card to illustrate both the diversity and talent of a great original guitarplayer and composer.