Mémoires d'un Condottière
Guillaume Grisli Belhomme, musician (gypsophile), auteur (infratunes.com)

The history of the 20th century's creative music is full of artistically fruitful foundations and institutions,but no one could deny the importance of independent record labels that were created and then managed by musicians themselves. The list is long and shows the names of artists often confronted with the deaf ears of listeners, and un-forgiving critics.Artists without enough supporting fans and repeatedly left at the mercy of established recording labels - influential sceptics habitually obsessed with the financial profitability of their recordings and enough power to eliminate any independent competition to their own musical recordings business. So,even though the management of the label was often difficult,the need for artistic freedom and independence was stronger than the 'stability 'offered by established record labels. As a natural consequence,the artistic concessions quickly disappeared and the artists gained a little bit more of their own autonomy. From this necessity emerged profit for different interests:musical (of course), philosophical,and sometimes even political.

In 1976,the Italian drummer Andrea Centazzo chose to have access to this new and fertile field of possibilities. Following the models established by the most n-compromising and audacious American and European improvisers of that time,he decided to undertake the task of recording,producing and distributing his own music. With the help of his (then)wife Carla Luigi, Centazzo established ICTUS,the first Italian label dedicated solely to improvised music.Clangs ,recorded during the 1976 concert with Steve Lacy,was the first record that launched ICTUS'catalogue.Since then,Centazzo collaborated numerous times with the most important artists of the European and American improvised music scene. His journey lasted until 1984,when Centazzo could do nothing but relinquish his label ambitions...