| Member Since | 2/6/2008 | | Band Website | www.cannatamusic.com | | Band Members | JEFF BATTER, Piano, synths, vocals. JEFF CANNATA, Drums, guitar, woodwinds, lead vocals. JAMES CHRISTIAN, lead vocals, guitar. ROBERT GIANNOTTI, flute, guitars, lead vocals.
MICHAEL SOLDAN, mellotron, synths, lead vocals. PHIL STONE, bass, flute, vocals.
SCOTT ZITO, lead guitar, vocals.
Lighting and FX, Woody, Sound, Tom Colluci, Road Crew, Kenny C. Lonnie, S. Tom, and all the
rest the brain cannot piece together. | | Influences | The British progressive / art rock bands of the 60's and early 70's.
The story goes like this...........
Then: 1969. Four enlightened musicians from Connecticut: Jeff Cannata, drummer with
New Haven power trio band “Christopher Hawke” and Michael Soldan and Robert Giannotti keyboards and guitarist respectively, with another Connecticut band, “Buckle“ were approached by Rose Bliznick, of the then famous R dee R Entertainment Group, with the idea of a collaboration between the three. Along with bassist Phil Stone, the original Jasper Wrath was born.
Perhaps, the best “undiscovered” progressive , art rock band America, to date had produced. John DuBuque “I had booked Christopher Hawke for an outdoor show in
Milford. In true agency form, another group showed up, Jasper Wrath. I believe it was their first gig. Although upset, I knew , once they started playing, I had never heard or seen anything like this before around here.
Uninterested in doing cover material, the band wrote a handful of songs in the next six to eight months and sent a few demos to record companies in New York and Los Angeles.
Within a couple of weeks, interest from LA based MGM Records, prompted a call to set up a live showcase with their New York office.
Weeks later contracts were negotiated and Jasper Wrath had their first record deal.
Recorded in six weeks at Phil Ramone’s A&R Studio in New York , Wrath was on it’s way.
Just as a national tour was being scheduled, Giannotti leaves the band. After months of
searching for the right replacement, without any luck, the band temporarily splits. Cannata
and Soldan influenced by the British prog / art rock scene at the time decide to
move to London, England to to explore the musical possibilities there.
In time, complications in obtaining British work permits, they take a holiday in Majorca, Spain
co-writing some of Jasper Wrath’s most memorable compositions, ie: “You”
“The Dream”, “ Somewhere Beyond The Sun”, “ The City ”, “ Touch The Sky”, and “ The Ghost of Way”
While at a Yes concert at The Palace Theater in Waterbury in the early 70’s, Rick Wakeman
is approached pre-show backstage by Cannata and Soldan and asked about the then, mysterious mellotron. Rick reveals to us that.......” There are only three in the world, King Crimson has one, The Moody Blues and Yes, and the cost is around $16,000 if you can
even get one”.
Questioning the legitimacy of that statement, while in London Cannata and Soldan find, and purchase the illusive mellotron for a mere 700 Pounds and have it sent back to the States......” Now we had the orchestral sound we were looking for”.Next: to find the right chemistry of players to perform the material live .
Problem.......Find a guitarist, flutist, singer / songwriter that can play classical progressive rock.
Solution: Phil Stone learns to play the flute along with bass , Cannata recruits James Christian from local band “ Magic ” for lead vocals, added to line up Scott Zito on lead guitar,with Soldan on keyboards. Result: A new and more intense Wrath.
Classically trained since the age of four,pianist Jeff Batter joins Wrath for synth and keyboard duties. With the input of Stone, Batter, Zito, and Christian, the Cannata / Soldan compositions take on a more powerful and progressive live form.
Albeit a short lived career, Jasper Wrath today remains one of the most respected, influential, talked about bands of it’s time.
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 | | Record Label | OXFORD CIRCUS | | Type of Label | Indie |
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