On Saturday, November 2nd, I was transported to
the sounds and culture of Southern Italy through music performed by both the
Vesuvius Ensemble and The Sicilian Jazz Project. It was an eclectic mix of styles ranging
from folk, classical, funk, jazz and even Latin forms, creating a picture of
not only the richness found in Southern Italian music but in the cultural
diversity of Canada and its many cultural backgrounds.
The first half of the program was a primarily folk/classical
program lead by the Vesuvius ensemble.
The ensemble is unique for its use of voice, exotic instruments
(chittara battente, chittarone and chittara barocca, tamburelli and colascione)
and spirited performances of classic Sicilian/Southern Italian repertoire. The
tenor voice of Francesco Pellegrino brings a very authentic and operatic
quality to the music, and even Romina Di Gasbarro takes some very spirited
turns singing classical Sicilian repertoire amidst a backdrop of unique
acoustic instruments.
The second half of the program was devoted to the Sicilian
Jazz project, which took traditional and original Sicilian music into various
stylistic directions. As the opening of
the second half started slow and atmospheric through the song “Cantu di
Carrittierre”, the mood starts to pick up through songs such as the funk-jam
“Jolla”, the romantic, bossa-nova influenced duet “Nun ti Lassu”, and the
rousing closing number “Vitti “na Crozza”.
Whereas the first half took a folk/classical approach to
Sicilian music, Michael Occhipinti’s project fuses a lot of elements ranging
from Middle Eastern music, rock music, down-home funk and straight ahead jazz
at times. Michael Occhipinti is known
to be a world fusion artist, transforming unlikely material into jazz and
contemporary fare.
With the performances of both bands, it was a taste of both
“La Dolce Vita” and “O Sole Mio” on a cool Saturday night in November. For a couple of hours I felt I was in
Southern Italy taking in the warm temperatures, spirited music, and the vibrant
cultural scene.
VESUVIUS ENSEMBLE OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
MICHAEL OCCHIPINTI OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
(Michael Occhipinti)
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(The Sicilian Jazz Project. Photo By Frank Nagy)
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