Sometimes the words ‘Major
Event’ seem to be written all
over a release. This is one of
those. Springing from a com-
mission that northern Italian
composer Einaudi received in
2010,
Taranta Project
has
toured and played to hun-
dreds of thousands in Italy.
It’s a summation not only of the taranta and
pizzica music of southern Italy (it’s the heel in
the boot), but also the foreign influence on
the region which was a Greek province
before the Romans existed.
Building from what’s really an overture
to heighten tension,
Taranta
explodes with
Justin Adams’ electrifying guitar and Juldeh
Camara’s riti. But although the spirit of the
region underlies the whole album (listen to
the voices on
Fimmene
, for instance), this is as
much about the multicultural experience of
the region as anything – hence Mercan
Dédé’s subtle electronics and Ballaké Sissoko’s
kora as part of the mix. Members of
Canzionere Grecanico Salentino are heavily
involved, working with the Roma Film
Orchestra as the spine of the sound.
It’s all remarkably global –
Nizzu Nizzu
transports John Lee Hooker to the Med as one
example – but it works and never loses its local
touch. It’s swaggeringly confident, often lush,
but always retaining that raw edge that keeps
the emotion high. There’s plenty of tension
and release, but a strong connection to the
earth throughout it all; often, with the West
African connection, it feels like a deep blues
for Salento. And finally there’s the graceful
peace of
Nuvole Bianchi
to bring it to a close.
Kudos to Einaudi for subsuming himself
in the culture so deeply, but bringing in these
outside elements that – as news arrives of
boats carrying refugees sinking as they try to
find hope in Italy – is more relevant than ever.
So yes, it deserves that ‘big’ tag. It’s a bit of a
triumph.