#orchestra di bruno nicolai & orchestra di ennio morricone

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Dylan LeBlanc & Jarrod Dickenson Live Show Review: 2/1, Sleeping Village, Chicago

Dylan LeBlanc & Jim LeBlanc

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Last night at Sleeping Village, when Dylan LeBlanc and his excellently titled band The Steel Vaqueros (guitarist Clay Houle, bassist Jim LeBlanc--also Dylan's father--and drummer Dave Givan) walked out to Orchestra di Bruno Nicolai & Orchestra di Ennio Morricone's "L'estasi dell'oro (Dal film 'Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo'''')", I didn't think anything they were going to play could match the grand cinematic scope of Spaghetti Western music. I was dead wrong. Whether performing songs from his stellar 2023 concept album Coyote (ATO) or back catalog slow burners like "If the Creek Don't Rise", LeBlanc and company created worlds of space and slowly filled them up with sound.

From left to right: Clay Houle, Dylan LeBlanc, & Jim LeBlanc

Dylan LeBlanc & Jim LeBlanc

LeBlanc started off the night with "Beyond the Veil", the perfect song to introduce his palette and skills: leading a Crazy Horse-style band, singing with what can only be described as a gravel-throated falsetto, simultaneously worn and gentle. That vocal echo gorgeously contrasted the instrumentation throughout the night, like the tactile guitars on "Dust" and the mighty kick drum on "Dark Waters", the combination structured, yet loose. You could say the same thing about the songs themselves. Though each composition was presented faithfully, The Steel Vaqueros took their opportunities to jam. They introduced "No Promises Broken" with acoustic guitar and bass noodling, "Coyote" with a sprinkling instrumental. And "Wicked Kind" pummeled with the most explosive stomp this side of "The Chain". Turns out, if listening to Dylan LeBlanc albums allow you the opportunity to consciously explore the commonalities between his created universes and our lived one, watching him live allows you to simply get lost in both.

From left to right: Houle, Dylan LeBlanc, & Jim LeBlanc

Claire Dickenson & Jarrod Dickenson

Opening for LeBlanc was Nashville-via-Texas singer-songwriter Jarrod Dickenson, who also released a very good album in 2023, BIG TALK (Hooked). With a couple guitars in tow and accompanied by his wife Claire on backing vocals and hand percussion, Dickenson played from throughout his discography and showcased his versatility on the axe, fast-picking on "Faint of Heart", blues-ily chirping on "Home Again". With sparser arrangements, he was able to emphasize his lyrics, taking the time to contextualize some of his songs before playing them, such as ode to touring "Born to Wander" and the empathetic "Long Hard Look". Selfishly, my favorite part of his set happened because yours truly posted on Instagram how much he'd like to hear Dickenson's cover of Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues" (originally released on his 2020 covers EP Under a Texas Sky). Though he usually plays it on his 6-string acoustic guitar, he had been leaving that guitar at the hotel while on tour, as he only has a 40-minute opening set. Well, he borrowed a capo from The Steel Vaqueros and valiantly nailed it on the 12-string. Even if it was a flop, though, the gesture exemplified the friendly spirit of the night, steeped in folk tradition but unafraid of experimentation.

Jarrod Dickenson

[outthedoorforabuck]

L’AVVENTURIERO 1967

Released: 1967

AKA: The Rover, Peyrol le boucanierFrance, The Adventurer, Ich komme vom Ende der Welt

Director: Terence Young

Composer: Ennio Morricone

Conductor: Bruno Nicolai

Feature length film

APPLIED MUSIC

I wasn’t able to dig up too much trivia on this lowkey Morricone score. The Rover gets a mere line list mention in the Ennio Morricone In His Own Words book. What little content available on the internet focuses mainly on the movie’s big budget and low box office ticket sales. Flop city. The score, which is primarily orchestral, highlights the violin / viola preformed by Dino Asciolla. My favorite track is “Tema Di Peirol” #7 or B1 on vinyl. The piece starts off with a few bars of subdued choir which subtly blends into an atmospheric symphonic foundation. It’s difficult to distinguish the instrumentation. Possibly mutiple sting instruments droning. The beginning is a bit ominous, but then Asciolla’s weeping viola melody sweeps in to provide emotional resolve that carries throughout the slow chordal shifts supplied by the orchestra. The mood invokes a sense of tragedy lost in the large expanse of deep ocean or maybe even deep outer space. A truly magical Morricone moment. Twelve years later Morricone would collaborte with Terence Young once again for the Bloodline movie. 

[younglarva]

Duemafioso contra Goldginger - Piero Umiliani • Ragazzi - Tredici Bacci • Volare - John Barry & His Orchestra • Tourist Talk - Syd Dale & James Clarke • Rocco's Theme - John Barry • Popi - The String-A-Longs • Holiday for Strings - Tony Savarino • Angel Face - Ennio Morricone • Rialto Ripples Tony Savarino • Lucertola - Tredici Bacci • Via Beato Angelico - Italian Secret Service • Walk From Regio's - Isaac Hayes • Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen - Zeno De Rossi • Jean Gabin - Bruno Ferrari • Deep Down - Ennio Morricone • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Bruno Nicolai • Un Ragazzo Di Strada - I Curui • Carina Botto - Tredici Bacci • Trans Europe Express - Syd Dale New Edition • The Daniel Quinn Theme - Zeno De Rossi • Let's Try - Piero Umiliani • Italian Summer - James Clarke • C'era Una Volta In America - Zeno De Rossi Shtik • Garota De Ipanema - Standhard 3io & Silvia Donati • Lungo Ditchanza - Tredici Bacci • Smells Like Teen Spirit - Italian Secret Service • Rapporto Fuller, Base Stoccolma - Armando Trovaioli & Vania • No Good Time Fairies - Silvia Donati • Motto - Tredici Bacci • The Massacre - Ennio Morricone • Ypotron - Nico Fidenco • Sospesa As Un Filo - I Corvi • Ringo Rides Again - Ennio Morricone • The Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti - Scott Walker • Jill's America (from Once Upon a Time in the West) - Ennio Morricone • Little Lees (Louise) - Zeno De Rossi • Abracadabra - Zeno De Rossi • Sunny Laze - John Cameron • Sunny - Tony Savarino • [download]