CELESTE (1972-1977)

The instruments

The band is looking for more members, because they know exactly what they are still missing. Mariano  plays guitar, clarinet and violin. Leonardo concentrates on the piano, flute, saxophone, keyboards and the small Modular Moog, which is also used by Keith Emerson.

Ciro plays any kind of percussion. The drums have to sound less rock and more symphonic. He removes the toms and bass drum from his drumkit. He holds an extensive series of cymbals and bells to create new rhythms. Moreover he plays flute and mellotron.

At the same time he concentrates on electronic devices, because he has bought a nice Davoli synth. 

The only missing piece is an electric bass guitar player. This is necessary to give the music the right groove. 

After many auditions they choose for an enthusiastic Giorgio Battaglia, a bass guitar player, who has played in a rock trio. He is precise, punctual and creative. 

The band wants to add an cello and violin.

They still want to have someone for more wind instruments, percussion and keyboards. This becomes Marco Tudini. He is just fourteen years old. He plays flute, saxophone, light percussion and he can fill in the background vocals.

Riccardo Novero is the new cellist.

The band's line up:

Mariano Schiavolini................ Acoustic guitar, violin and clarinet

Leonardo Lagorio................ Flute, saxophone, piano and mellotron

George Battaglia................ Basgitaar

Ciro Perrino................ Percussion, flute and mellotron

Marco Tudini................ Flute, saxophone and percussion

................ Cello

The rehearsals 

After some meetings at Ciro’s place a rehearsal room is found at the apartment of Leonardo in Imperia Porto Maurizio. They all live in Sanremo except Mariano, who is coming from Ventimiglia.

All members of the band have to go to Imperia every day for rehearsing. They use Ciro’s Autobianchi A112, a small economy car for five people and a cello. From december 1972 they drive daily from Sanremo to Imperia. They Drive back again after midnight. The band is rehearsing on Sundays and  holidays too with passion, discipline and dedication.

The first rehearsals are mainly a bit disappointing for Leonardo and Ciro, because almost everyone has gained rock, jazz and blues experience. On the other hand, this helps to overcome old embedded patterns and to come up with new musical challenges.

Mariano gives structure to the songs with guitar arpeggios. The rest of the develops a harmonious and rhythmic sound. One of their first efforts takes the form of the later song La Danza Del Fato (the Dance of Destiny). 

Unexpected visitors

Those days the six musicians receive two unexpected and pleasant visits. The first one, coming to attend their rehearsals, is a curious Vittorio de Scalzi. Eventually he joins the band and is improvising on an acoustic guitar. The second visitor is Luciano Cavanna. He captivates his old band members Ciro, Leonardo and the new band members with a song called Giona, inspired by an ancient biblical story. He now draws his inspiration for compositions exclusively from his religious world of experience. His music and voice are still breathtaking and make you shudder. 

Lead vocalist

Next thing to do, is to find a lead vocalist. Except Ciro, who sang the songs of The Free and Deep Purple during IL SISTEMA, nobody in the band is a talented singer. They look for someone who can perform the melodies of Mariano and the lyrics of Ciro. Mariano is always singing in falsetto, making use of English-language sounds, with which he imitates percussion and other instruments. 

This pushes the band to search for a female singer, who can’t be found in Italy. They move to England, where they find Nikki Berenice Burton after many attempts and auditions.

Ciro, Giorgio and Mariano try in vain to get in touch with Chas Chandler, the bass guitarist of the Animals and the scout of Jimi Hendrix. They want to ask him to help the band outside of Italy. Despite this setback they can go home with a good female singer with a wonderful folk Voice. The lyrics are immediately adapted for being sung in English.

During the summer of 1974  the band has an invitation to play at the festival in Imperia. This is the first opportunity to test the collective qualities. Unfortunately, the English singer decides to go back to England to pursue her solo career, which she had already started before she met CELESTE.

The first rehearsals take place at Studio G in Genoa. Studio G is located in Fieschi Street in an old and dismantled church building. The entire band moves often from Sanremo to Imperia to finish recording some test material for the song that will appear later on the album Principe di un Giorno.

Technical restrictions

Digital devices don’t exist yet, everything is enormous and analogic with a limited number of recording tracks. In Studio G are some 3 tracks Philips recorders. The guitar, drums and some additional instruments are usually recorded on the first mono base track. Then some of the important pieces are inserted on the second track so that the song comes near the final version. The first two tracks are then placed on the third track at the pre-mix.

The two original tracks can now be erased to make way for new material mixed on the third track, and so on. The last available track is usually kept for the vocals because of a better mix.

This probably gives a concrete idea on how things are working. Passion and patience are the ingredients to cope with any discomfort. If a mix is insufficient, you maybe have to start all over again.

The album

Now the band is a quartet. Nikki leaves for London. Marco  Tudini is going to England to cash out his compositions. Riccardo Novero decides to opt for a career as concert player.

From the start of 1974 Giorgio, Leonardo, Ciro and Mariano are working an entire year in the studio to record their debut album.

The sound engineers are Aldo De Scalzi and Pucci Cochis the drummer of J.E.T., a great person that Ciro still knows of their  live gigs. Pucci asks Ciro to replace him, because he wants to leave J.E.T. to set up a new band with a female singer, the later Matia Bazar. Ciro refuses the offer, because CELESTE completely satisfies his musical quest. Many ideas for the music of CELESTE originate from the creative mind of Tudini.

They have to complete all recordings in about a month in a relaxed and productive atmosphere. For the first time they can use the first generation of 16-track recorders, which exponentially magnify their possibilities.

Other experiences

In that the entire Ligurian region is full of musical creativity. In Savona you have Corte Dei Miracoli, in Genoa Mandillo and Picchio Dal Pozzo, where Aldo, Vittorio’s younger brother, plays. The same Aldo asks Ciro and Leonardo to attend the recordings of his band.

This is an exciting and interesting experience for them because they totally improvise. 

Leonardo plays saxophone on the tracks Napier and La Bolla, while Ciro plays marimba and wood block in the song Seppia. They are also playing with the flute quartet at the beginning of Napier. This collaboration can be interpreted as a pleasant exchange between CELESTE and Picchio Dal Pozzo, because on the long play record Principe di un Giorno we hear some strange vocal jokes from Aldo in the songs L'imbroglio and Eftus.  

Delay of the album release 

Principe di un Giorno has not been released immediately after the recording sessions. According to the Grog label the music is not interesting enough for the potential listener.  The music gets into oblivion and waits for better times. When the Grog label finally decides to release the album, other similar musicians have already released albums with the same kind of music.

Meanwhile

The members of the band remain in contact, waiting for the release of the album. When Mariano has to work on his conservatory exams, his bandmates are going on playing as  a trio with Ciro on his beloved drums.

On August 18, 1975, they are asked for the first pop music meeting (Primo Incontro di Musica Pop) at Teatro Rossini in Imperia. The organization wants as many musicians from the region as possible on one stage for a great collective jam session. There, Giorgio, Leonardo and Ciro have a reunion with Marco Tudini just back from London to participate this musical meeting. They play a memorable Nodissea, a song that has been released on some compilation albums.

The release of PRINCIPE DI UN GIORNO

The release of Principe di un Giorno is postponed until Januari 1976. The album gets regular reviews right after the release. Unfortunately, the album receives little appreciation due to recent changes in the Italian pop scene.

A few years later Principe di un Giorno is getting a strong upgrade. It becomes one of the most esteemed, refined and representative albums of the Italian Progressive Rock Records. Especially in Japan is the interest growing even more around 1980. At that time music collectors and enthusiasts discover many Italian bands and gems, a quest that goes on still today.

New Directions

The critics from the press push CELESTE to reflect about their work and possible musical direction ahead.

The band tries to set up a second line up. They are looking for a new drummer and have to think about each members role.

Ciro's studio has become the band’s rehearsal room.

During one of the many auditions they opt for Francesco Bat Dimas, a talented musician with a long experience in northern Europe. His vigorous drum work gives CELESTE the style they are looking for. Dimas Is with Giorgio a new buzzing rhythm section for the music. Ciro becomes the new lead vocalist, while he is also playing keyboards, synthesizers, marimba, flute and some percussion. Mariano plays the electric and acoustic guitar of the brand Ovation, also some keyboards to create orchestral/symphonic spheres. Giorgio of course remains the imposing rock-bass guitarist that he has always been. He tries to sound more like a double bass player.

Between the spring of 1976 and mid 1977, the band writes for about half an hour new music. This music sounds very different from that of Principe di un Giorno. Everything is more rhythmically built, a colorful blend of jazz and rock, with improvisations, experiments and sudden changes of tempo and sounds.

The end of the band

The Grog label doesn’t show any interest in CELESTE. The band has to look for new support and contacts. They continue the rehearsals and concentrate on every detail of their music. The gigs are indispensable for the development of their music. But even when Ciro doesn’t manage to find the right agency contacts, that enables the band can share the stage with some established popular artists, then the agreement and cohesion of CELESTE are fading away.

Finally in 1977 Celeste has been disbanded.