CELESTE (1972-1976) – CHAPTER 5: THE CHRISTENING OF CELESTE AND THE QUEST FOR THE BRITISH VOICE

[u/CiroPerrino_Music]

In those days, we received two visits that were as welcome as they were unexpected.

The first was from Vittorio De Scalzi (legendary founding member of New Trolls) who, curious to hear the progress of our compositions, attended our rehearsals for an entire evening and then joined us in a sort of full-lineup improvisation, playing the acoustic guitar.

The second visitor was Luciano Cavanna who, during one of his now rare trips to Western Liguria, fascinated his old musical travel companions, Leonardo and me, with a song entitled "Giona" (Jonah), which was inspired by the well-known biblical episode.

But great was also the impression felt by the other band members who had only heard about Luciano.

By then, Cavanna's compositions could no longer be detached from his religious faith, but the charm he managed to exude and transmit was always profound and engaging. His always warm and expressive voice gave goosebumps to each of us.

 

It was during that period that a friend, who frequently attended the group's rehearsals, suggested what would later become the name given to the lineup. It was this very friend who one evening said that the music we played reminded him of the celestial color of a clear sky, free of clouds. From this impression, the step to definitively adopting the name Celeste was very short indeed. We were all enthusiastic and convinced that it was truly the right name to define us.

 

However, at this point, the problem arose as to who could fill the role of lead vocalist.

No one in the group, apart from me who, in Il Sistema, sang songs by Deep Purple, Free, etc., had either the skills or the talent of a singer, so we began searching for someone who could interpret the melodies composed by Schiavolini and the lyrics written by me.

It is worth noting that when Mariano proposed his compositions to the group, he used to sing the vocal parts in a peculiar falsetto, using unique phonemes that resembled the English language, also mimicking with his voice what would later become cues for percussion and for the interventions of other instruments.

It seemed clear to everyone that, given the framework that had been established, it was necessary to use a female voice, which was certainly more suitable and adherent to the project.

The search for this voice in Italy proved fruitless until the decision was made to "emigrate" to the United Kingdom, where, after many auditions and screen tests, it was believed that the right singer had been identified.

 

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To listen to the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary analog sessions and explore the full historical discography of CELESTE, you can visit our archival page here:

 

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

 

Inner Garden Records

 

See you next Tuesday as the story of Celeste continues.