Dialeto - Live with David Cross

Recorded last year on July 22^nd at Sese Belenzinho in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this live album shows Dialeto bringing all of the ammunition at the cultural center. Not only bringing the aspects of Bela Bartok’s music, but the shattering eruptions of King Crimson with violinist David Cross. Released on the Chromatic Music label and distributed my MoonJune Records, Dialeto with David Cross who appears from track 5 to 13, are bringing the spirits of both Bartok and Crimson’s music alive.

And I can imagine the audience that night were really amazed and in awe of what they have seen. When you put on Dialeto’s Live with David Cross in which at the time they promoting Bartok in Rock, you can close your eyes and imagine yourself being at the center and watching the trio along with David Cross performing not just Dialeto’s music, but part of the John Wetton-era of King Crimson.

I can imagine David himself tipping his hat to Wetton as is he is watching down from Heaven to keep his spirit alive. Not only that, but his legacy to grow for many years to come. You have Costa doing this walking bass loop on Mikrokosmos 149 – Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm II while he and Codho’s spiral staircase-like guitar structure goes up and down the stairs whilst carrying the beat of the rhythm dancers going into the style of the music.

You can feel the alarming tension on Roumanian Folk Dances 4 – Stick Game with the Bass Guitar going into this homage of Pink Floyd’s Careful with that Axe, Eugene from the live version of Ummagumma. It becomes this walking tight-rope that Costa and Bailey do. It then becomes a very dangerous situation and you never know if the rope is going to be cut or not before reaching the climatic ending to roaring applause.

The morning over the swift sunrise that Cross does to bring the sun over the horizon on Mikrokosmos 78 – Five Tone Scale, brings these vibes to make that sun come out for some haunting textures. The effects in which David himself brings on his violin in the first three minutes are beautiful before Dialeto switches gears for this motorcycling ride down the highway.

Nelson sounds like a creative mad scientist. Listening to this track, I couldn’t even tell if Nelson and David themselves are doing this duel near the end. If they did, it’s an incredible moment on here before coming to an abrupt end. An Evening in the Village – 10 Easy Piano Pieces No. 5 sees Fred doing this clicking-clacking sound on the drums as he’s turned it into a warrior’s cry for a battle of fighting to bring peace in the valley.

There’s some touches of Asian music followed by the twists and turns of the Kabuki theatre atmosphere that the band and Cross do on this track. They do this blaring version of Tonk which is from Alive in the Underworld. It has this Hammill-sque arrangement that Gabriel Costa does to channel the mastermind of Van Der Graaf Generator.

It is part Hendrix and part THRAK-era that Dialeto take the piece into. The sinister and snarling arrangements on here, go into interstellar overdrive and damn! It is an eruptive take for the band to perform live. Their takes of the classic Crimson pieces of Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part II and Starless which Nelson uses the Mellotron on his guitar. I can imagine he used the Electro-Harmonix MEL 9 to create the closing track to finish the album off.

It is a very interesting pedal to make your guitar sound like one of the most amazing keyboards from the late ‘60s and bringing the composition to life. I have to say that this was a very good live release that Dialeto have unleashed this year. And the collaboration with King Crimson’s David Cross, is like a breath of fresh air. I hope they continue to work together again in the years to come.