Robbie Basho - Live In Forli, Italy 1982
(Obsolete / ESP-Disk)

In the beautiful canon of Robbie Basho, there’s much to get lost in. The primitive, eastern-flavored folk guitarist has a pretty large discography in his shortened life and while there are many beautiful moments in this output, there’s no doubt some repetition and some records to which you needn’t focus on.
Here’s why Live In Forli, Italy 1982 isn’t one of those records. First off it shows Basho at the height of a late career resurgence playing pieces from his LPs Rainbow Thunder, Song Of The Stallion and The Grail And The Lotus. His playing (and singing) is incredibly performed and the recording is exceptional. And, we also get to hear Basho speak to the audience in Italian; telling them the names of the songs, speaking about the laundry costs in Italy and even encouraging them to check out his LPs at his merch table. Otherwise it’s a stunning performance from Basho in his prime (yes the early 80s!). That in itself is enough. (Dom)
Check out a track here.