Muzyczne Dinozaury

4th lesson: Folk from center of Italy

We move further up to central Italy. Obviously the Roman scene is very important, second only to the Neapolitan one, but also the Florentine one. One of the typical forms is the stornello (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stornello).Both Rome and Florence are characterized by very derisory music, teasing bordering on vulgarity. Emilia Romagna is famous for the "Liscio" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liscio. Secondo Casadei was surely the best interpreter of this genre. His song "Romagna Mia" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jbHkk-9Rio) is one of the most popular song ever

From Rome, legendary actor, playwright, screenwriter and novelist, but also singer from the begin of XX century was Ettore Petrolini ("https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettore_Petrolini")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdWgwfk_h0
In Roma one of the most famous is Claudio Villa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Villa), called il reuccio (The little king), is voice was incredible powerful, here you can hear his full potentianl in a "stornello" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRMtf-20RHs

But my favourist artist from Roma and maybe the best italian female singer was Gabriella Ferri (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriella_Ferri). She is the voice Rome, even if very famous were also her interpretation of Napoli songs. "Sempre" and "Remedios" are among the best italial albums ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehJEj1JnCMw
Very interesting singer-songwriter and researcher of ethnomusicology was Giovanna Marini (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanna_Marini)

Mixing folk from Lazio with Prog, Canzoniere del Lazio can surely meet the taste of the forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95fmekZutOQ

The folk from Tuscany, is also very intersting, very ironic and biting, but it is difficoult to identify some names, Carlo Buti, was surely very important (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMf5ftBFcbc), but maybe the best was Caterina Bueno, singer and folk music historian.(https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterina_Bueno). Starting in the 1960s, her research and performances of Italian folk songs, particularly those of Tuscany, are credited to bringing a new awareness of Italian folk music. Here in one of the biggest classic of tuscanian folk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RA3ePzwiiM

Recommended titles:
Gabriella Ferri - Sempre https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... ri/sempre/
Giovanna Marini - "La vivazione": La partita truccata https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... -truccata/
Canzoniere del Lazio - Lassa sta' la me creatura https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... -creatura/
Caterina Bueno - Canti di Maremma e d'anarchia https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... danarchia/

Okechukwu pisze: ↑16.04.2024, 15:38

Taribo West pisze: ↑16.04.2024, 13:00Yes also E' Festa from PFM is a Tarantella.

Sure - Festa is fantastic, laid back piece Zainteresował mnie Twój opis Profazio - czy Amuri e pilu to jego najciekawsza płyta?

is it difficoult to find a best album from Profazio, all his albums are valid,but maybe none is exeptional.. "Amuri e pilu" i think is my favourite

Okechukwu pisze: ↑15.04.2024, 18:04

Taribo West pisze: ↑06.04.2024, 08:43 Here the best singer-songwriter from Puglia: Matteo Salvatore (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Salvatore), He had an extremely fictionalized life, born very poor and illiterate at the height of his fame he was convicted for the murder of his wife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je3bCVnLJ8k
From my blog you can download his best album
https://dugongobazar.blogspot.com/search/label/Italy

Taribo, fajnie, że mi przypomniałeś o Salvatore (będę pisał po polsku, bo to jednak polskie forum- wystarczy, że między sobą gadamy po angielsku ). Znam jego płytę wydaną pod tytułem - "Il lamento dei mendicanti" (zresztą poznałem ją lata temu). Jest to takie bardzo surowe, "uliczne" granie, pozbawione jakichkolwiek ozdobników - maksimum autentyzmu. Fajna rzecz - wrócę do niej.

Natomiast co do taranteli - to występowała nie tylko w "czystej" formie w folklorze czy u takich grup jak MusicaNova i Nuova Campagna di Canto Popolare, ale też w muzyce wielu włoskich grup progrockowych (w formie przetworzonej). Pierwsze z brzegu przykłady: PFM - La Luna Nuova (fenomenalna tarantela!), Banco (fragmenty Dopo... Niente È Più Lo Stesso) czy finał utworu Una strana regina grupy Biglietto Per L'Inferno. Generalnie włoscy proggersi lubili grać tarantele co najmniej tak samo jak Namysłowski lubił grać kujawiaki.

Yes also E' Festa from PFM is a Tarantella.

I suggest a couple of masterpieces:
Anane - The Evolution Ethnic: Slebar Slebor

this unknown indonesian album is a portentous mix of Indonesian folk music and avant prog.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois


I'm surprised it's not already on the list, the best singer-songwriter album of the last 20 years

3rd lesson: Folk from south of Italy

We continue the journey through Italian popular music. Now it is the turn of the south, in particular the regions: Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Abbruzzo and Molise.
The folk music of these regions is strongly influenced by the entire Mediterranean area. The main genres are Pizzica and Tarantella (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantella).
The pizzica, in addition to being played during moments of celebration by individual family groups or entire local communities, was also the main accompaniment of the ethnochoreutic rite of tarantism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantism). It was therefore performed by small orchestras made up of various instruments - among which the tambourine and the violin emerged for their rhythmic and melodic characteristics - with the aim of "exorcising" the tarantate women and healing them, through the dance that this frenetic music unleashed, from their evil (1771, Johann Hermann Von Riedesel).
The pizzica, played for days to cure tarantate, often had its own characteristics, which differentiated it from that played for dancing. The "pizzica tarantata" or the "pizzica tarantata sord" - made famous by the recordings of the master violinist Luigi Stifani (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Stifani) was in fact performed with a generally well-supported rhythm to induce the bites from the tarantula to dance and free itself through - according to popular belief - the emission of sweat, from poison. There are various melodies and various rhythms with which the pizzica pizzica music was performed, depending on local customs. In the therapeutic ritual of tarantism, colored ribbons (zagaredde, ribbons, misuri, capioli, these are the names) were also used to stimulate the patient or patient, floral patterned blankets and colored handkerchiefs were also used to stimulate the sight (chromotherapy).

Here you can here Pizzica from Luigi Stifani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fowxR7B6dFA

Here the best singer-songwriter from Puglia: Matteo Salvatore (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matteo_Salvatore), He had an extremely fictionalized life, born very poor and illiterate at the height of his fame he was convicted for the murder of his wife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je3bCVnLJ8k
From my blog you can download his best album
https://dugongobazar.blogspot.com/search/label/Italy

Other very interesting singer-songwriter from Puglia is Enzo Del Re (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzo_Del_Re), Capable of making anything or part of his body play, Enzo Del Re was one of the most original Italian folk singers with a very blues attitude. With his sarcastic lyrics he reminds us of the many battles against abuse and injustice, fought for the rights of the least. Here two piece from him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQZjIeAH3tA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSS7Axh_Htc

Antonio Infantino was perhaps the only Lucanian (Basilicata) folk musician to achieve a certain fame at a national level. In 1975 he founded the Tarantolati of Tricarico, in which dozens of musicians participated over the years, with whom, distorting and reinventing the traditional repertoire of Basilicata , creates a new and composite songbook, moving from lullabies to children's nursery rhymes, to songs of celebration and denunciation against the atavistic problems of the South such as unemployment and emigration, all often based on obsessive and hypnotic rhythms, played with poor traditional instruments southern, like the cupo cupo, accompanied by battente guitar and percussion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79jZJYwPiw

Protagonist of Calabrian music and the national folk revival since at least the beginning of the sixties, Otello Profazio was a unique figure of storyteller, collector of songs and "popular intellectual". He also had some success with the public at a national level. In his long recording career, which began in the early 1960s, he managed to keep apparently irreconcilable extremes together: the more "cultured" and politicized social song with the "lower" and heavier one, social satire and the goliardic repertoire with the songs religious.Here with a singed tarantella
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G6znmcl2zQ

Recommended titles:
Matteo Salvatore - Le quattro stagioni del Gargano https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... l-gargano/
Enzo del Re - Il banditore https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... banditore/
Otello Profazio - Amuri e pilu https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... ri-e-pilu/
Antonio Infantino ed i Tarantolati di Tricarico - Follie del divino spirito santo https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... ito-santo/

Leptir pisze: ↑29.03.2024, 10:34

Taribo West pisze: ↑29.03.2024, 08:08 "In Cerca di Cibo"

Yes, this one is good too.

Thank you very much for this music from Sicily. Rosa Balistreri is phenomenal! I've been to Sicily several times and was a bit interested in the music from the island. I know there is a long tradition of brass bands called banda. Today it's used creatively - for example by the Banda Ionica. This is my favorite album:

Matri Mia

Lorenzo in Sicilia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxvuZAy ... 0&index=11

Brass band is a huge tradition in all Italy, every town has its own band. Less famous than Rosa Balistreri, but same good is this album from Muzzi Loffredo
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... ni_futti_/

2nd lesson: Folk form Sicily and Sardinia

I believe that Italy has the most varied folk scene in the world, ranging from the Arabic influences of Sicilian music to the Celtic ones of the popular music of northern Italy, passing through a myriad of influences (Greek, Slavic, Catalan, Tyrolean, French, South American , etc..). The main problem is that in Italy, folk has always been treated badly and considered second-class music (with perhaps the only exception being Neapolitan music).
In this place I wanted to delve a little deeper into the Sardinian and Sicilian scenes, two of the richest and most particular.
Sardinia has a thousand-year-old culture in its own right, with its own language and music that is difficult to trace back to anything else.
The most unique musical form is tenor singing (Cantu a tenore), perhaps attributable to Mongolian diplophonic singing which is also a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Here you can have some detail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantu_a_tenore)
Here some example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqlE-Pb-eYc

But sardinian folk music is much more than that on wiki you can have all the details (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Sardinia)

This is an example of Cantu a chiterra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpLyHtxmCFE

Certainly the most renowned artist is Maria Carta. She was the greatest female interpreter of Sardinian music as well as an authentic innovator, with a technique and vocal clarity that made her range across multiple genres of the island's musical tradition.
This is her best albums, where you can notice also the influence of Catalan music (in Sardinia there is an area that talk Catalan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI-Qqws ... GgMXhikB7A


Sicily also has a cultural identity of its own, strongly influenced by all Arab and Mediterranean music.
You can find some details on Wikipedia (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musica_siciliana).
An entirely Sicilian genre is that of storytellers, who went from city to city to sing the deeds of brigands (considered by the people to be heroes). The two most famous exponents are Orazio Strano and Cicciu Busacca, but the musical proposal, not understanding the text and difficult to understand, are generally songs even an hour long which are musically somewhat repetitive.
Certainly the queen of Sicilian music is Rosa Balistreri who had an extraordinary voice.
here is one of his most famous songs, from his best albums. I think is the top of Sicilian folk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImaMgyaGlbI

A probably more digestible proposal is that of Taberna mylaensis, with also prog veins. The '77 album is very good, here are a couple of excerpts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8AFOvQLZ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoAWoeqPaU8

Recomended titles:
Tenores di Bitti - S'amore 'e mama https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... re-e-mama/
Maria Carta - Umbras https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... ta/umbras/
Rosa Balistreri - Amore, tu lo sai, la vita è amara https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... a-e-amara/
Taberna Mylaensis - Taberna Mylaensis (Fammi Ristari 'nto Menzu di to Brazza) - https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... o_brazza_/

mahavishnuu pisze: ↑28.03.2024, 17:37 Jako że kolega Taribo West nie wkleił wstępnej listy propozycji, podrzucę coś od siebie. W sumie to może dobrze, że tak nie uczynił, bo temat jest bardzo szeroki. Na pewno byłoby to szalenie trudne i pracochłonne. Tym razem umieszczam swój prywatny TOP 200 progrocka z Italii. Listę układałem circa 10 lat temu. Obecnie pewnie coś bym pozmieniał, ale postanowiłem tego nie ruszać. Jeśli kogoś to zainteresuje, mogę jeszcze wrzucić swój włoski TOP okołojazzowy.

Pls share also your jazz list.
As you can see, it would be maybe impossible to make a list of all italian scene, you wrote down 200 titles only for prog and only till 1980... so maybe 200 titles for the 2% of italian scene Anyway i shared the RYM lists that i think they can give a good idea of italian music.

mahavishnuu pisze: ↑28.03.2024, 17:37 Jako że kolega Taribo West nie wkleił wstępnej listy propozycji, podrzucę coś od siebie. W sumie to może dobrze, że tak nie uczynił, bo temat jest bardzo szeroki. Na pewno byłoby to szalenie trudne i pracochłonne. Tym razem umieszczam swój prywatny TOP 200 progrocka z Italii. Listę układałem circa 10 lat temu. Obecnie pewnie coś bym pozmieniał, ale postanowiłem tego nie ruszać. Jeśli kogoś to zainteresuje, mogę jeszcze wrzucić swój włoski TOP okołojazzowy.

Pls share also your jazz list.
As you can see, it would be maybe impossible to make a list of all italian scene, you wrote down 200 titles only for prog and only till 1980... so maybe 200 titles for the 2% of italian scene Anyway i shared the RYM lists that i think they can give a good idea of italian music.

Leptir pisze: ↑27.03.2024, 15:49 W wolnej chwili postaram się podrzucić coś więcej z rejonów włoskiego jazzu, który jest bardzo interesujący. Teraz proponuję zwolennikom jazzowej awangardy, free improvu i podobnych spraw Italian Instabile Orchestra. To swobodnie improwizujący duży zespół absolutnie nie ustępujący klasą takim formacjom, jak Globe Unity Orchestra czy ICP Orchestra. Wsławił się m.in. wielotygodniowymi warsztatami z Cecilem Taylorem i wydanym wspólnie albumem The Owner of the River Bank (2004)- ale także ich płyty bez Taylora są warte uwagi (np. Litania Sibilante z 2000).

Carlo Actis Dato - aktywny od lat 80. saksofonista (głównie barytonowy), tworzy barwną muzykę z elementami free, ale też muzyki orientalnej, włoskiego folku i innymi gatunkami. Przy wszelkich różnicach duch jego muzyki trochę przypomina mi Art Ensemble of Chicago. Warto posłuchać choćby debiutu Noblesse Oblige z 1986 czy rok późniejszej Oltremare (obie nagrane w kwartecie), Avanti popolo! z 2005. Fajny jest też jego Actis Band (choćby na płycie Garibaldi z 2002). Carlo Actis Dato zresztą też był związany z Italian Instabile Orchestra.

Gianluigi Trovesi - saksofonista, klarnecista, oryginalny kompozytor od lat związany z firmą ECM. Z czasów przed-ECM-owych bardzo lubię Around Small Fairy Tales (1999) nagrany w większym składzie, a miód z ECM chyba najbardziej (dla mnie) treściwy to jego płyty Vaghissimo Ritratto (2007) i Profumo di Violetta (2008)

I think you know italian jazz better than me Anyway I am happy you said Gianluigi Trovesi, i really like him, but i think his best album is "In Cerca di Cibo"

K o n i u pisze: ↑20.03.2024, 08:45 Taribo podchodzi do tematu w sposób akademicki. A ja sobie staram przypomnieć co ze znanych mi włoskich dźwięków wywarło największe wrażenie. Na pewno debiutancka płyta Picchio dal Pozzo. To europejski przedstawiciel Sceny Canterbury, a może Rock in Oposition? Może Taribo napisze coś więcej o tej grupie.
Picchio dal Pozzo - Picchio dal Pozzo (1976)
na uwagę zasługuje też album koncertowy:
Picchio dal Pozzo - A_Live (2010)

https://youtu.be/9Knic3wnb8g?si=TT-663gsbX4DVhnH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2kMlQp1ct8

ah sorry , i didn't want to be academic, i just tought you know quite well italian prog and i wanted to exaplain a little the italian scene and make you discover genres and artists you are not aware of. I really hope the poll will not be only the best prog italian album.

Anyway Picchio debut is one of my fav albums, a totally outstanding album! but in italy none know them. They are ultra niche band.
As you wrote they are on the boundary between Rock in Opposition (that in italy had in Stormy Six one of the founder member) and Canterbury. Surely they are the best Canterbury band we had.
The incredible things of their debut album is that all the band was 15 or 16 year old.

I thibj very good is also the album from 1983, that move more to RIO than canterbury, but almost on the same level of their debut

1st lesson of italian music: Canzone Napoletana

Napoli (Naples) is the cradle of italian popular music with its huge and rich tradition. So I think it is good to start from here to explain italian pop music.
I think everybody know songs like "O Sole mio" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1QJwHWvgP8) and "Santa Lucia" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhjWwONo-2Q) both covered by Frank Sinatra and Elvis. But there are so many other songs very famous all over the world.
Two of the main interpreter of "Canzone Napoletana" are Sergio Bruni and Roberto Murolo.
Sergio Bruno is the voice of Napoli, the best album is from 1984 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/ ... a_canzone/

Here you can listen one of the best songs from this album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky6mF8dCueM

Robert Murolo is another giant with a career long over 60 years, he did a great work in reasearch Naples tradition realizing albums that cover all the history of Naples music, from 1200 till 2000.
This is his most famous song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN5M6kU3how

But maybe two bands that you can like a lot are Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare (NCCP) and Musicanova, they have hints of prog in their music, but always with very deep roots in Naples tradition.

NCCP is really outstanding band and the opera "Gatta Cenerentola" is their masterpiece, but their most famous interpretation is "Tammuriata Nera"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7q-fYVK28

Musicanova born from some component of NCCP and they realized three wonderful album, but they got inspiration not only from Naples, but from all the south of italy tradition.
Here an example of their music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7g8Iu4zR6M

Recomended titles:
Sergio Bruni - Antologia napoletana 1200-1990 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/ ... 1200-1990/
Roberto Murolo - Napoletana: Antologia cronologica della canzone partenopea https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... 7-al-1909/
Compagnia il Cerchio, Roberto De Simone & Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare - La gatta Cenerentola https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... nerentola/
Eugenio Bennato / Carlo D'Angiò - Musicanova https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album ... usicanova/

I&I pisze: ↑16.03.2024, 22:11 Na razie dwa numery spod palca. Różne, ale piękne na swój sposób.

Lucio Dalla is one of the greatest and most famous italian singer-songwriter and this album is one of his best.
So surely very good choice

Almamegretta is an interesting alternative band from 90's that mixed dub, downtempo with Naples tradition

Starting from an idea of Okechukwu i decided to organize an italian plebiscite, There will be no hurry and i will set the date only later on.
My idea is to drive you to discover of the italian scene, so even if i am not so good to explain music, i will try to explain a little about different genres, period and context.
I really hope you will be curious to explore not only prog and jazz, but the overall scene

The rules for creating and delivering lists are the same of the other poll: you should send your individual lists to me (50 titles maximum , 10 is minimum), ordered sequentially, without breaks, from the 1st to the 10th-50th places. The points will be assigned according to the number of title sent, if you send 20 title the first will take 20 points, if 50 it will take 50 points.

Message can be sent:

- from XXXX

- to YYY.

The date of the FINAL will be ZZZ .


For the moment i will share with you my lists on RYM about italian music, maybe later on i will write down also a list here

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bungle77 ... -progress/
This is the main list, you can find all the main albums and artist divided also by genres

https://rateyourmusic.com/lists/edit?list_id=962554
Best italian albums for each year

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bungle77 ... each-year/
best prog albums

anyway i understood, maybe not for all of you, but you perceive String Connection too much easy listening and immediate. I think that is exactly this the strenght of this album.