It was an appeal in itself to discover that today’s artist is driven and inspired by the natural world, but when I also realised that most of his music is created by him and him alone, I was suitably impressed (though for his live shows, he does have a band!).
Residing in a small Italian mountain village above the city of Parma. Alessio Ferrari, better known as Upupayāma, is an Italian multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. Inspired by the northern Apennine Mountains that surround him, Upupayāma’s music is rooted strongly in Eastern and Western folk traditions, an approach that Ferrari blends with his own personal style and insight.
In addition to playing guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums, Ferrari himself also incorporates a number of other instruments into his sound, including sitar, erhu, flute, and a variety of percussion instruments. Reading a little bit more about him (and forgive me if you are already familiar with him – he has been around for a year or two) it has been noted that his song writing ‘possesses a mystical quality, one that reflects the fantastical and surreal, yet simple elements of the natural world’. As declared by Ferrari himself, even the name Upupayāma, which means mountain hoopoe, …”is surreal because the hoopoe is not a mountain bird. I like the fact that a mountain hoopoe and an invented language can live in an imaginative world.”
Listening to his albums now as I write, it really comes across his connection with natural realms. Every sonic layer and texture transforms into vivid imagery as it plays out. Majestic and organic, this music really does transform landscapes into soundscapes!
Comparisons to Kikagaku Moyo are easy to make, but perhaps that’s because Alessio Ferrari is drawing from the same waters as many of his contemporaries, including his Japanese counterparts. These influences are wide and varied, ranging from the folk leanings of Fairport Convention and Popol Vuh to the rich creativity of Italian library music to the long-form jamming styles of Träd, Gräs och Stenar and the Grateful Dead.
The Golden Pond was Upupayāma’s second album with UK label Centripetal Force and US label, Cardinal Fuzz, and followed his 2021 self-titled debut (which I’ve pasted below for your listening pleasure).
The reason I’ve picked two songs for today’s choice is because they need to be played together – preferably in the context of the whole album, but definitely these two together! They follow on from each other and compliment one another so beautifully, it would be wrong to separate them!! At the Fairie Bower & Ergobando both feature on The Golden Pond.
At the Fairie Bower begins with what sounds like the magic call of a cuckoo and proceeds with delicate dreaminess. Clopping percussion and ethereal vocals provide a soft contrast to moments of explosive outbursts in which everything comes together, rising in unison, before dropping back to this coaxing lull once more. It’s siren-like draw keeps you mesmerised and when it flows into the next song, you don’t even realise, but if you were a twig resting within a pocket of a river at the beginning, you are now cast out into the flow of the rapids, such is the new pace. It’s a thrill, but don’t take my word for it, have a listen!
Check both tracks out above, or listen to them in the entirety of the album (recommended) at the bottom of this page! Enjoy!..
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