Tag: musica
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Bella Tarantella
Today, the tarantella (shown in this painting) is still alive and danced and played socially in many parts of southern Italy. In modern-day Sicily, however, it’s danced most often by organized folk music and dance ensembles at feasts and festivals. There remains a very strong folk music culture throughout the island, where you’ll find musicians…
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Make Cous Cous Not…
The annual Cous Cous Fest in San Vito Lo Capo not only exemplifies cultural integration by way of dozens of cous cous recipes for all to enjoy, but it also plays host to Italy’s top musical talent. Here is a photo of Irene Grandi during her set on the outdoor stage the night Experience Sicily…
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Go Out, Go Out Maria
When we met Fratelli Mancuso in September, they gave us a mini-concert right on a “stradina” (a little street) in Sutera, their hometown. It was absolutely divine! They sang and played for us their song “Nesci Maria” (pictured here). Some of the lyrics in Sicilian, then English, to give you a glimpse, are as follows:…
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Mixing It Oud
Last year when I was in Palermo, my cousin Silvana and I came across a shop in the historic center filled with various instruments. It wasn’t a music store… maybe a tailor shop? Anyway, the gentleman proprietor played mandolin for us. I took pictures of him and of all of the instruments I could. This…
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Alfio is Meraviglioso
Words cannot describe how emotional and engaging our visit with musician and artist Alfio Antico was this morning! We stayed at his home away from home, the agriturismo Borgo Nocchiara in the shadow of Mount Etna, where we spent a glorious three hours talking about music and the inspiration from Mother Earth.
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Stealing from Old Men in the Village
Calling upon the traditional work songs and sacred music they heard growing up in the small town of Sutera in the province of Caltanissetta, Lorenzo and Enzo Mancuso create “new-traditional” Sicilian roots music. Known internationally as Fratelli Mancuso, the duo mixes elements from Gregorian chant, Christian liturgical laments, Arabic and Byzantine lyrical prayers, and the…
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One of Italy’s Finest from Sicily
Singer-songwriter Carmen Consoli performed in her hometown of Catania on July 26, 2003. I photographed this poster in Taormina, earlier that summer.
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Dancing in the Street
Musicians and dancers from Santa Flavia’s Gruppo Folk Soluntum perform traditional Sicilian folks songs–here on tamburello (frame drum/tambourine), friscalettu (reed flute), and fisarmonica (accordion)–for a crowd of onlookers in Porticello.
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Let’s Celebrate with a Sicilian Tarantella
Let’s celebrate! It’s the first day of summer! Today, my band Villa Palagonia is participating in Make Music New York 2014 in New York City. And although we won’t be dressed like the dancers painted on this traditional tamburello that I photographed in a tailor shop in Palermo’s historic center, I will be playing my…