Last night, we enjoyed a private house concert by a trio of musicians from Casteldaccia who performed traditional Sicilian and Southern Italian folk songs for us on my cousin Evelina’s patio. Fiorenza, Raffaele, and Ettore were fabulous. They even were gracious enough to play three of my songs with me! As a group we enjoyed…
Tag: tamburello
Let the Music Play
Ceramic figurines of a guitar player and a tamburello (tambourine) player as seen in the Sicilian Cart Museum in Palermo’s historic center.
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.
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…
Beautiful Tarantella Dancer
This marble depiction of a tarantella dancer takes my breath away. It’s housed behind velvet ropes (that didn’t stop me!) in the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, and that’s really all I know about it. She exudes beauty and emotion.
Music is Everywhere
Nymph with tambourine, from a fresco in Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, the house of Sicily’s parliament.
Santo Vitale is a very talented drum maker and percussionist based in Palermo. He made one of my favorite drums—the one I play most often. Santo is a member of La Bottega delle Percussioni. More at http://www.santovitalepercussioni.it #palermo #drums #drum #tamburelli #tamburello #percussion #santovitale #bottegadellepercussioni #music #musica #folkmusic #musicafolk #sicily #sicilia #sicily_tourism #italy #ig_sicily #italia…
Gruppo Folk Soluntum is a music and dance ensemble made up of performers from Casteldaccia, Santa Falvia, Bagheria, and other communities. The ensemble researches, preserves, and performs the folk traditions of Sicily. They perform throughout Sicily and beyond. #singer #cantante #tambourine #tamburello #strumentipopolari #folkmusic #musicafolk #musicapopulare #casteldaccia #santaflavia #bagheria #palermo #sicily #sicilia #siciliabedda #italy #italia…
Southern Italy and Sicily have an ancient tradition of drumming and dancing practiced for anything from celebrations to healing rituals. These frame drums (called tamburelli in Italian) are a modern example of the instrument design used for centuries: wood treated and formed into a circle, then covered with a dried goat, sheep, or even, fish…
An ancient urn from Sicily depicts a scene inspired by the rites of the Greek god Dionysius as celebrated by his cult, who are known as Bacchantes. Note the frame drums or tamburelli and the thyrsus, a giant fennel staff topped with a pine cone and ivy leaves. A thyrsus is a symbol of fertility….