Short Biography
It all started by the end of 1970 when in a small underground club, the Quick, located in the area of Vomero, took place the fatal meeting between Elio DAnna (flute and saxophone player who had shortly came out from the Showmen band ), and the band Città Frontale, whose singer was Lino Vairetti, together with Danilo Rustici (guitar), Massimo Guarino (drums), Lello Brandi (bass guitar), Gianni Leone (keyboards). Elio was there together with Tony Esposito and Sasà Petrone, with whom was looking for new members to set up a new band, he was there lo listen to their concert and was litteraly stroke by their sound and peculiarity of their songs (wrote exclusively by Lino and Danilo). The band needed a new member staff to replace Gianni Leone, who transferred his music aspirations into the band Balletto di Bronzo, so they did a proposal for becoming a new member of the band to Elio, who after some disconcert an wavering for a while towards the members he should have left, by the end thanks to their energy and progressive repertoire succeeded to capture him and he finally decided to accept Soon after the new line up had been set up they started to rehearsal, their sound was very crude, dynamic and explosive, it became so captivating that in few months, they had as much stuff to produce at least 3 L.P. A new name was chosen: Osanna, the only name who found everybodys agreement. The first concert was on February 71 in Naples in a club in called Spry Pan. On all the posters there was written: Elio Danna + Città Fr.. Osanna. Afterwards they performed as supporter band to Arthur Brown concert, where several plaudits and positive feedback were obtained, all this confirmed that it was the right time for a jump in quality and face the discography world. Tough Naples, city full of talents and artists, was and still represents, the total denial for producing quality music. The very few existing discography labels were attentive only to Neapolitan music and very often was the result of a cheap subculture. Elio by the way succeeded in persuading the ABC Record owner: Mr Bideri, (Neapolitan music editor and discography publisher well known at that time) he believed in their production, and thats how their recording in Naples studios was achieved, giving as a result the first LP of the Osanna. Unfortunately, time run by and Bideri was not making a breakthrough for letting the L.P. sorting out, he was too much concerned it would have been a dead stock. Some extraordinary job was stucked and let rottening. Nevertheless the band was determined and longing to burst, so did not give up, they secretly took some first recording done and went to Milano were various record companies heard their work, at last somebody was carefully and sensitively listening to their works. Consensus were good, while waiting for their reactions at the same time new glimmers arrived through the acquaintance of Pino Tuccimei and Renzo Arbore who listened to their concerts in different pop contests (among which the famous Terme di Caracalla in Rome, who acted as a real springboard for the band), they were addressed to the 1st Viareggio New Trends and Progressive Music Festival, were their success was established as winners, together with the band Premiata Forneria Marconi and the singer Mia Martini, they did a great music and spectacular performance. The record companies who attended the show, were stroke both by their music and by their impressing theatrical aspect, everybody was taking on the challenge to get in touch with them, after a ping-pong game with the CGD, the Fonit Cetra got the better, offering them, thanks to Massimo Bernardi, their first producer, a very advantageous contract. In June 71 in Fonit Cetra studios in Milano, was accomplished completely ex novo the LP. LUomo, that after few months confirmed how successful was the band, assigning them the Italian Record Company Critic Prize. Three more L.P. succeeded after that one, Preludio, Tema, Variazioni e Canzona, released in 72 as the soundtrack for the movie Milano Calibro 9 in cooperation with the musician Louis E. Bacalov and Sergio Bardotti production. In 73 it was the time for Palepoli, milestone of the Osanna production, from which the homonym musical, with mimes, dancers and actors, the musical had been touring in the main theatres all around Italy, it was the first and unique rock opera. Landscape of life in 74 was the last production achieved for this extraordinary and legendary band. During those four years of activity, thousands of concerts, television interventions, theatre tours, the band stood out as one of the major International Progressive Rock band. Experienced press, books and encyclopaedia are nowadays still careful to the repertory they proposed in the past. The Osanna resolved in 75. After few disco graphic experiences lived with the Fonit Cetra with different lining up among which: Città Frontale - El Tor with Lino and Massimo, Uno and Nova with Danilo and Elio, in 1978 the band was coming up together again with a different lining-up: Lino, Danilo and Massimo and two new members: Fabrizio dAngelo (keyboards) and Enzo Petrone (bass guitar), who was replacing Elio dAnna and Lello Brandi. With this new lining-up a new L.P. was published, Suddance, recorded, mixed in Naples in Splash, Peppino di Capri recording studios. Once again the Osanna had assigned the Italian Record Company Critic Prize, further to the Best rock band prize for the Annuario Discografico in 1987. The band will not last longer due to some new organizational and economic challenges. The Osanna could not find the right space to experience good quality music in Italy, waiting for a new international event that was not about to come, by the end of 1979 they stopped again. Danilo moved to Boston, were he stayed steadily, while Lino conceived a new music - theatre- dance organization, producing different musicals among them, El-Tor and several music events thus far. In the last few years Lino and Danilo, among other productions at the same time have nourished their artistic union communicating by writing letters and after by data transmission. Always moved by the will to carry on the interrupted discussion, in 1999, 20 years after Suddance, at the threshold of a new millennium, they accomplished the new project: Osanna 2000. Some kind of anthology tribute with a new music production in tune with current technologies and sounds. The live tribute of the Osanna has been offered by other talented musician who did the story of Italian Prog, such as: Vittorio de Scalzi of the New Trolls, Francesco Di Giacomo and Rodolfo Maltese of the Banco, Jenny Sorrenti, Patrizio Fariselli of the Area with Antonio Onorato, Gianni Leone of the Balletto di Bronzo, Enzo Avitabile, Aldo Tagliapietra and Michi de Rossi of the Orme and Peter Hammill. Also contributed to their CD: Carlo Avitabile, Gino Evangelista, Andrea Palazzo, Ciccio Merolla, Elio Eco, and special guest Enzo Avitabile, who offered some mind-blowing performance for his artistic and vocal sensibility. CDs and DVDs have been produced by Afrakà for RAI TRADE, distributed by BTF, is the first and unique collection with the most significant tracks recorded by the Osanna in the 70, as Historic Anthology Tribute. With the new and final line-up - Lino Vairetti, Gennaro Barba, Nello DAnna, Fabrizio Fedele, Sasà Priore, Irvin Luca Vairetti - the band is now recording its new cd live, which will be released within the summer of 2008. (English Version by SIMONA COSCIA)
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