La Novizia

Description

Like other rare Italian gems, La Novizia by Berto Pisano was long considered lost before the label team rescued, restored, and remastered it from the original tapes. And it is one of the best things, if not the best, from the film La Novice se Dévoile from 1975 for which it was written – an erotic comedy featuring the young and captivating Gloria Guida, with melodramatic accents directed by Giuliano Biagetti. Longtime collaborators, Biagetti and Pisano had previously worked together on Les Allumeuses (Interrabang) and La Svergognata. The film's low budget forced Pisano to make a virtue out of necessity. Rather than using a large orchestra and strings (as is known, he was a brilliant conductor and string arranger), he relied on a smaller ensemble – almost a chamber group, but with a jazz rhythm section – to create sensual late-night soundscapes that exude a downtempo vibe. In a word: soft, warm, and velvety music. The essence of lounge sound. At times, the whispered and sexy voices of Edda Dell'Orso (omnipresent at the time) float dreamily over brushed drums, bass, guitars, and electric pianos. At other moments, we find heavyweights of Italian sound illustration like Alessandro Alessandroni (whose characteristic whistling can be heard in "Canto Notturno") and even psychedelic rock influences, as in the acid-distorted guitars, furious drums, and wild synths of "Free Dimension." At other times, we are taken to a more easy-listening territory – "Fiore Rosso," for example, offers a wonderfully cinematic example of Mediterranean bossa nova rather than Brazilian (have they ever thought of using a harpsichord in Brazil?). The secret of La Novizia's charm is that it encapsulates the erotic Italian sound of the 70s in all its nuances, from the morbid to the modest to the naive. For yes, it is a record of shades and musicality. And while the themes are simple in themselves, the fantastic quality of the writing, arrangements, and production speaks to the superb talent, style, and professionalism of Berto Pisano. Finally back to life after decades of obscurity, La Novizia is a beautiful object – which, as a rather brilliant man once said, is an eternal joy. Don't miss out on this joy. The album features original artwork by Eric Adrian Lee and exclusive notes from the Pisano family. All tracks are unreleased, never before issued in any format.