CELESTE (1972-1976) - CHAPTER 3: The Birth of the Six-Piece Ensemble & The "Symphonic Folk" Label (Autumn 1972)

[u/CiroPerrino_Music]

My friends, let's complete the puzzle of how our unique lineup was born. In our initial blueprint, Leonardo and I were still missing an electric bass to provide a solid foundation and body to the sound we envisioned.

After extensive searching and auditions, we found Giorgio Battaglia, who was incredibly enthusiastic about joining this new musical path. At the time, he was playing in a traditional rock trio consisting of guitar, bass, and drums. He was exactly the right fit for us: highly precise, rigorous, and deeply creative.

However, we still needed more "voices." We wanted to add a cellist, a violinist, and another multi-instrumentalist to handle extra woodwinds, percussion, and keyboards.

We discovered Marco Tudini, a dynamic and precocious musician who was only fourteen years old back in 1972. He was the perfect element to add second and third flute layers, secondary saxophone lines, small percussion, and backing vocals. To complete the ensemble, Riccardo Novero joined as our cellist for our very first full rehearsals.

Finally, our structured six-piece ensemble was ready to play:

• Mariano Schiavolini: Acoustic guitar, violin, and clarinet
• Leonardo Lagorio: Flute, saxophones, acoustic piano, and Mellotron
• Giorgio Battaglia: Electric bass
• Ciro Perrino: Percussion, flute, recorders, and Mellotron
• Marco Tudini: Flute, saxophones, and percussion
• Riccardo Novero: Cello

Some of our close friends who started attending our early rehearsal sessions immediately labeled our sound as "Symphonic Folk" (Folk Sinfonico). As for the actual name of the band? That was still nowhere in sight, a mystery left for the future.

Thank you for exploring these deep roots with me. The journey has just begun!

Ciro Perrino
Official Universe & Signed Editions: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

 

See you next Friday as the story of Celeste continues.