Actis Furioso: Avanti Popolo!

Actis Dato builds many of his compositions on the folk music of the places he visits. The result is a broad panorama of sounds daubed and splattered and twisted into a remarkable assemblage. The raucous edge of showtime comes right off with the band chanting before getting into "Perdasdefogu, with Actis Dato's robust baritone sax leading the melodic charge. As the drums and percussion get into the thick, Luca Calabrese dissipates the melody, knotting it, and then when he comes back, bouncing the lines. But the straight and expected is not for the band to essay; instead, these players keep juxtaposing the theme with free-spirited passages.

"Mar Tirreno is another alluring tune. The band infuses a light twirl that is extended and distended by Actis Dato on the tenor sax, with the other horns adding the counterpoint. As the piece progresses, the sound gets deeper into the groove, and then it is pulled out and sent out to whirl by percussion and Piero Ponzo's airy clarinet. Beppe Di Filippo brings in the waltz on "Djolibà, the song floating beautifully, the horns then taking it into a more animated air. But this being Actis Furioso, a robust sound soon infiltrates the piece, which becomes a take-off point for Di Filippo, who fills the extension with entertaining ideas. There is plenty of room for soloists here, but Ponzo has the most illumining moments. The final layer of beckoning is cast by the drums and percussion duo of Fiorenzo Sordini and "Chiquitico Ferdinando Despaigne.

Avanti Popolo!, a sprightly record which casts a spell, also has a video of the band in concert.

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