Aktuala - Aktuala (1973)
This should appeal to everyone who likes Third Ear Band, Embryo, Area's most experimental stuff, Penguin Cafè Orchestra, Clivage's "Regina Astris", Oregon, Limbus 4, Kalacakra, Kaleidoscope (U.S.A.), between Agitation Free's "Malesch" and Popol Vuh's "Hosianna Mantra".
Lineup:
Walter Maioli: Flute, Harmonica, Oboe
Daniele Cavallanti: Saxophone
Antonio Cerantola: Guitar
Lino Vaccina ('Capra'): Percussion
Laura Maioli: Percussion
Releases information: LP Bla Bla (BBL 11054) 1973 / CD Artis (ARCD 038) 1993
Tracklist:
1. When The Light Began
2. Mammoth R.C.
3. Altamira
4. Sarah' Ngwega
5. Alef's dance
6. Dejanira
Aktuala - Tappeto Volante (1976)
Album: Aktuala - Tappeto Volante
Released: 1976 (1994)
Label: Artis - ARCD 044
Genre: Prog-Folk, Experimental-, Jazz-, Avant-Rock, Ethnic Fusion
Blissed out and lovely ethno-trance jams by this Italian ensemble that featured Walter Maioli, who would later go onto do the even deeper cosmic edged Futuro Antico project with Riccardo Sinigaglia (posted by the superb Grown So Ugly blog a little while back) here working alongside legendary percussionist Trilok Gurtu. - PN
Following the same path as Third Ear Band in England, Aktuala tried to mix together the western musical tradition with african and asian instruments, rhythms, cultures, with a result that can hardly be described as "progressive" in the classical sense of this word, and falls more in the psychedelic or avantgarde field.
The band was formed around 1972 in Milan by Walter Maioli, and signed to Bla Bla released their first album a year later. The band didn't play the usual open air concert circuit, preferring a different approach with their audience. Their sound was made with every kind of unusual instruments giving a highly original, though not always inspiring for untrained ears, result.
With second album La terra the band had some line-up changes, with Vaccina and Laura Maioli leaving, the entrance of Otto Corrado (sax, flute - from N.A.D.M.A.), Attilio Zanchi (acoustic guitar - coming from Come Le Foglie) and the dutch harpist Marjon Klok (harp, percussion), and the beginning of a collaboration with indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu. After the second LP Aktuala moved to Morocco, and the long experience produced their third album, Tappeto volante in 1976, one of the very first examples of real world music ever made in Italy.
After the band split, Walter Maioli has continued his search on the origins of musical instruments and traditions, and is still active now with "Il centro del suono" along with daughter Luce.
He released a self produced cassette in 1980 called Futuro antico (first issued on vinyl later, in 1990) along with keyboardist Riccardo Sinigaglia, still mixing eastern ragas with electronic music.
Percussionist Lino Vaccina played briefly with Mino De Martino (from I Giganti and later Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale) in Telaio Magnetico, released a solo album in 1978, Antico adagio, and has started a new recording career since 1992, always in the ethnic music field along with Claudio Rocchi and Juri Camisasca. - ItalianProg.com
Both passionate collectors of ancient and ethnic instruments, husband and wife Walter and Laura Maioli got together in 1973 with sax player Caniele Cavallanti, guitarist Antonio Cerantola and percussionist Lino Vaccina to form AKTUALA (which means ‘actually’ in Esperanto). This is a furiously eclectic band whose Arabian, African and Indian themes are built around trance-inducing repetition. Apart from OREGON, they were one of the first to craft a coherent, gimmick-free hybrid of improvisional jazz with a pan-cultural approach to ethnic music, although theirs is much more loosely conceived than that of OREGON. They released three albums between 1973 and 1976 and then broke up. Walter Maioli is today recognized among Italy’s foremost experts in prehistoric music-making.
Their second album, “La Terra” (74), is considered their masterpiece, surpassing even the more ambitious but poorly recorded “Tappeto Volante” (76). “La Terra” contains four extended instrumental tracks that combine Indian percussion, strains of American jazz and blues as well as Mediterranean and North African ethnic music. It features additional musicians each mastering yet another ethnic instrument: among them are Trilok Gurtu – who later went on to play with John McLaughlin and OREGON – as well as saxophonist Daniele Cavallanti and guitarist Attilo Zanchi, both now well-established members of the Italian jazz scene.
AKTUALA’s material isn’t kind to the symphonic ear: it is instinctive, primordial music full of dreamy darkness and mystery. Should please fans of THIRD EAR BAND, CLIVAGE and fans of free jazz and avant-garde. - ProgArchives.com
Walter Maioli - arabic oboe, wooden flute, naj, bass flute, maranzano, bass harmonica, sil-sil, seeds, desert flute, sea triton, zampogna, reeds, whistles, bells
Daniele Cavallanti - Soprano saxophone, dolak, derbuka
Antonio Cerantola - acoustic guitar
Kela Rangoni Macchiavelli - zanza, tamboura, maracas, seeds, rings
Fabrizio Cassanoi - sitar
Marjon Klok - harp, Tamboura, bells, sil-sil, cymbals
Trilok Gurtu - tabla, snake drums, maroccan bongos, cymbals, xylophone, cow bells, sil-sil, wood block
Tracklist:
1 Churinga (00:49)
2 Ugula Baliuè African Planet (05:23)
3 Ohnedaruth (dedicato a J. Coltrane) (03:32)
4 Il Ritmo del Cammello (03:05)
5 Hare (02:25)
6 Mr. Trilok (02:42)
7 Chitarra e Piffero (02:57)
8 Echo Raga (03:11)
9 Mediterraneo (02:17)
10 Flash (03:38)
11 Waruna (07:41)
12 Aksak (02:42)
13 Nettuno Dio del Mare (01:25)
Aktuala - La Terra (1974)
Walter maioli, Daniele cavallanti, tto Corrado, Antonio Cerantola, Attilio Zanchi, Marjon Klok, Trilok Gurtu
Tracklist:
1. Mina 7:51
2. Mud 7:35
3. Sar 6:14
4. La Terra 10:30