It may seem obvious to underline the cultural and historical dualism existing between the two parts (‘province’) of the northernmost region of Italy, with German and Italian language respectively dominating the culture of the Alto Adige (aka South Tyrol) and of the Trentino area. Such striking dualism is manifest as well in the music of the region, both traditional and contemporary. A third important ethno-cultural point of reference in the same area, however, is represented by Ladin culture, which up to this day has maintained strong ties with traditions but remains extremely dynamic. The contemporary musical landscape of the whole area, finally, shows a remarkable presence of choirs and a vibrant ethno-jazz scene.
The album features field recordings of songs, samples of jodelling, choirs, folk revival versions of pieces for instruments such as the ‘raffele’ (Alpine zyther) and the tyrolean harp, polkas for brass bands, plus experiments in fusion between Alpine brass band music and jazz.