Aktuala to włoski zespół, który powstał w 1972 roku w Mediolanie z inicjatywy muzykologa Waltera Maioli. Z założenia miał być to projekt badawczy poświęcony odkrywaniu na nowo azjatyckiej oraz północnoafrykańskiej muzyki etnicznej i próbom zaszczepienia jej na grunt europejski. Skład na przestrzeni kilku lat istnienia, w zależności od albumu ulegał zmianom, gościli u siebie wielu świetnych artystów, m.in. znakomitego i uznanego na całym świecie tablistę Triloka Gurtu. Jednak kluczową rolę w grupie odgrywali stale trzej muzycy: Walter Maioli, saksofonista Daniele Cavallanti oraz gitarzysta Antonio Cerantola. Wydali trzy płyty, wszystkie w jednej wytworni Bla Bla: "Aktuala" (1973), "La Terra" (1974) i "Tappeto Volante" (1976). Ich muzyka jest zawsze akustyczna, z powodzeniem wykorzystuje mnóstwo instrumentów z różnych kultur, wciąż pełna nowych pomysłów i rozmaitych smaków.
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)
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