Artist

AGORA'

1974-1975
Roberto Bacchiocchi (keyboards, vocals)
Ovidio Urbani (sax)
Renato Gasparini (guitar, vocals)
Paolo Colafrancesco (bass, vocals)
Mauro Mencaroni (drums, vocals)

1976-78
Colafrancesco quits, replaced by:
Lucio Cesari (bass, percussion)
Nino Russo (sax, percussion)

One of the few professional bands from the Marche, on the Adriatic side of central Italy, Agorà were formed in 1974 near Ancona, and played a jazz-rock very influenced by the likes of Weather Report or the italian group Perigeo, with a very limited use of progressive sounds. Some of the band members had previously been in a rock band called Oz Master Magnus Ltd.

Despite not being so popular they were contacted to play the famous Montreux international jazz festival in Switzerland that gave them a deal with Atlantic.
Their first LP was a live album, recorded during that festival. Mostly instrumental and just 30 minutes long, the LP has its moments, with just four long cuts (one of which is curiously split between the two sides of the LP), that often resemble some english jazzy-prog bands of the early 70's.

The second album, in 1976, is much more jazz-rock oriented than the first. 
The band also played in the 1976 Parco Lambro festival and is featured on the live album released at the time with Cavalcata solare, from their second album and also released on single.

Band decided to split in 1978. For a short time that year Pepe Maina played percussion with them, he's also featured in a concert filmed at Montreux but never officially released.
Ovidio Urbani is still now an appreciated player in the jazz field.


(the trolley icon lets you order the CD from BTF website)

 

LP
Live in Montreux Atlantic (T 50171) 1975 single cover with foldout shaped tree - inner
Agorà 2 Atlantic (T 50324) 1976 gatefold cover


CD
Live in Montreux BTF/VM2000 (VMCD 086)
2003 reissue of 1975 album - mini gatefold cover
Agorà 2 BTF/VM2000 (VMCD 087)
2003 reissue of 1976 album - mini gatefold cover


SINGLES (with picture sleeve)
Cavalcata solare I
Cavalcata solare II
Atlantic (T 10941) 1976 both tracks from Agorà 2


VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATIONS
Parco Lambro
(with Cavalcata solare)
Laboratorio (LB/LP 201) 1976 live recordings from the 1976 Parco Lambro festival - also features Sensations' Fix, Ricky Gianco, Area, Canzoniere del Lazio, Toni Esposito, Paolo Castaldi, Eugenio Finardi.
  Stampa Alternativa (RP 02) 2005 CD reissue of the above with different mini LP cover - only sold with the book Area/Musica e rivoluzione by Gianpaolo Chiaricò

 

Both Agorà albums have never been reissued on vinyl in Italy, neither counterfeited. They have recently been reissued by BTF/Vinyl Magic in their deluxe "Italian Progressive Rock" series with nice mini-gatefold covers and illustrated booklets.

Live in Montreux has a nice gimmix cover with a tree on a street, the tree can be raised and has a small stand on the back. 
The back cover has a beautiful band picture made by a very popular music photographer and cover designer, Caesar Monti.
A japanese edition of the first album exists on Atlantic (P-10399A) label, with standard cover, 4-page insert and the usual obi.

Agorà 2 is housed in a more simple gatefold cover.

      

Live in Montreux - front cover and label

Live in Montreux - back cover

Live in Montreux - foldable tree

Agorà 2 - front cover

 

 

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