Rock
Aktuala
About Aktuala
A quintet formed in Milan in 1973 by husband and wife Walter and Laura Maioli, Daniele Cavallanti, Antonio Cerantola, and Lino Vaccina, Aktuala (the Esperanto word for "actually") are justly ranked among the pioneers of modern world music. They're a furiously eclectic band whose progressive rock tendencies are built around Arabian, African, and Indian themes, and their instrumentals are built on trance-inducing repetition. Cavallanti was simultaneously involved in Rome-based pianist Patrizia Scascitelli's eponymous quartet.
A self-titled debut album in 1973 brought the band some European recognition, and the following year saw the lineup enlarged by the arrival of flutist Otto Corrado, guitarist Attilio Zanchi, harpist Marjon Klok, and percussionist Trilok Gurtu -- each a master of another ethnic instrument. Released in 1974, La Terra, the group's second album, is widely regarded as their masterpiece; their most ambitious project, however, was still to come. Aktuala spent much of 1975 traveling, piecing together what would become their third album in a variety of exotic locations, each of which would flavor one or more of the tracks. With Fabrizio Cassanoi's sitar and Rocchi's keyboards adding fresh textures to the brew, Tappeto Volante was released in 1976. Very well-received, and certainly an unspoken influence on a number of later European acts, Tappeto Volante was nevertheless Aktuala's final offering. The band split later that same year. Cavallanti resurfaced with Nexus, and Walter Maioli is recognized among Italy's foremost experts in prehistoric music-making. ~ Dave Thompson
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