BARABAN
Terre di passo

ACB/CD13


ACB - Ass. Cult. Baraban
Italia

 

West Liguria, on the border between France and Italy is a poor, harsh land, beaten by winds and by the most various traffics. In this land of ancient travels, one can still sing and dance in its paths, one can hear words and sounds from faraway lands. They come from the world’s barabbas, the earth’s famished, baraban migrants, stowaways, men and women illegal aliens (without papers), who do not dare to pass through the normal traffic routes now that Europe that has banned its frontiers. They travel through streets that once were beaten by passeurs, smugglers, Jews, victims of political persecution.

BARABÀN, one of the top bands on the Italian folk music scene, comes out with its 6th record: Terre di passo (Lands of passage), is an intense and refined work which is destined to stir up emotions. No doubt this is the most mature and persuasive work of the Milanese group, sounding ancient and modern at the same time, cultured and popular. Breaking with the obsolete and expected schemes of many folk records, Terre di passo keep attention to message, being actual and not trite.
Above all it's relevant the meeting between folk music and contemporary poetry. Both the excellent vocal and instrumental skills of the musicians, the deep knowledge of the roots and the compositive inspiration produced a fascinating voyage into Northern Italian traditional music. Refusing any unuseful local pride, BARABAN's folk music is open to the influences of different cultures. The lyrics of Franco Loi, one of the best Italian poets, are wonderful. His poetry, full of tension, tell stories about some time ago and nowadays, dealing with social invective (Italia), wartime memories (La set) and love (El silensi).
Terre di passo is a touching song inspired by the words of F. Biamonti, it tell us about the western border lands, symbol of the whole country, a meeting point of people, cultures and languages. Notte mediterranea is an evocative song where two lullabies, one from North Africa and another one from Romagna, meet each other mixing the beautiful voices of Mouna Amari, from Tunisia, and Donata Pinti, from Piedmont.

The tracks alternate tunes inspired by the Northern Italian root music (Apennine fiddlers or Canavese small brass bands) but also by Yiddish melodies, as the Mantua tune Baraban, or the exciting 14th July, a swing dedicated to Liberation from nazi-fascism. The mixture of sounds produced by several instruments (melodeon, clarinet, violin, stringed instruments, African and Asian percussion, European bagpipes and shawms) gives a solid and strucking music. The CD ends with a powerful live recording of The May Song,written by the Genoese artist F. De Andrè, already recorded by the group in the CD Canti Randagi.