Eight years after the success of Acqua Foco and Vento, the Pistoiese M. Geri and R. Tesi return to work on traditional Tuscan music for a heartfelt tribute to the great performer and their "teacher" Caterina Bueno, who passed away in the summer of 2007. Caterina Bueno had represented popular Tuscan music for over thirty years, music which has spread in Italy and abroad with vibrant and passionate commitment. Her performances, which can always be traced back to previous experiences and research in the field, have allowed her to establish herself as the most important interpreter of traditional Tuscan music. In this project, M. Geri and R. Tesi, who took their first steps in the world of entertainment alongside the Tuscan singer, personally reinterpret some of the most important pages of her repertoire, giving a new guise to songs that still have much to say and want to be sung. The workforce designed for the occasion is formed by the solid nucleus of musicians who hang out with Banditaliana: Claudio Carboni (sax), Stefano Melone (piano), Marzio Del Testa (drums, percussion), Filippo Pedol (double bass), with the collaboration of one of the most acclaimed interpreters of Italian folk music, Lucilla Galeazzi, and surprise guests. The production is the result of the collaboration of three Tuscan festivals - Musica dei Popoli (Florence), Sentieri Acustici (Pistoia) and Lunatica (Carrara).
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THE MUSICIANS
RICCARDO TESI
Composer, organist, researcher and authentic pioneer of ethnic music in Italy, is today the leader of the group Banditaliana. From his debut in folk music alongside Caterina Bueno to his current partnerships, he has confronted with Italian, Basque, English, French and Malagasy musical traditions, as well as with jazz, ballroom music and songwriting. He has played with the Sardinian-Tuscan group Ritmia, in duo with Patrick Vaillant, recorded "Anita, Anita" also with Vaillant and Jean Marie Carlotti and with the jazz trio which includes the mandolinist from Nice and Gianluigi Trovesi. With the trio of accordion players, Trans Europe Diatonique - J.Kirkpatrick, M.Perrone, K.Junkera – he has further expanded his geographical and musical boundaries, along with other prestigious partnerships such as that of Justin Valì, the Sardinian singer Elena Ledda, Gabriele Mirabassi, Daniele Sepe, up to great Italian songwriting with Ivano Fossati, Fabrizio de Andrè, Ornella Vanoni, Gianmaria Testa, Giorgio Gaber andTosca. His most recent collaborations include Francesco Magnelli and Ginevra Di Marco, Piero Pelù and the Portuguese flutist Rao Kyao.
MAURIZIO GERI
Guitarist and singer, he collaborated with the singer Caterina Bueno for approximately ten years, taking an interest in the recovery of the traditional repertoire of the Pistoian mountains. In the same years he played in the trio NURAGES with the Sardinian guitarist Alberto Balia and the Apulian mandolinist Mimmo Epifani (Eugenio Bennato). In 1995 he founded the "Maurizio Geri Swingtet" inspired by the French gypsy tradition (manouche). He made three CDs: “Manouche e dintorni” (Felmay 97); “A cielo aperto” (Visage '01) and in 2007 the new "Ancora un ballo" was released, centred on the songwriting in which he is the author of both the lyrics and the music. Currently the Swingtet is composed of: Leonardo Boni and Luca Giovacchini (guitars), Paolo Ghetti (double bass), Ruben Chaviano Fabian (violin), however in the past other players in the group were: Klaus Lessmann (clarinet), Nicola Vernuccio (double bass), Chris Brashear (violin) and Enzo Biordi (accordion). The encounter with his fellow citizen R.Tesi, who in 1994 gave birth to the BANDITALIANA quartet, was fundamental, as Geri is the protagonist as arranger, singer and guitarist in various projects. He has collaborated with many musicians of various genre such as Nik Becattini, Maria Cassi, Ginevra Di Marco, Alessandro Di Puccio, Luca Di Volo, Beppe Gambetta, Elena Ledda, Piero Leveratto, Francesco Magnelli, Gabriele Mirabassi, Mauro Palmas and Daniele Sepe.
www.mauriziogeri.it
www.myspace.com/mauriziogeri
LUCILLA GALEAZZI
Of Umbrian origin, Lucilla approached popular music during her university studies, becoming a researcher and then an author. In 1977 she joined the legendary quartet of Giovanna Marini with whom she recorded 5 records and 2 CDs, spreading traditional music thanks to her success in major European theatres and festivals. Since 1986 she has been working in Roberto De Simone's shows alongside Irene Papas and on astronomic stages, such as the San Carlo in Naples. In 1987 she founded the group Il Trillo with Ambrogio Sparagna and Carlo Rizzo. In 1994 she presented the project "Cuore di terra" in numerous festivals. She collaborated with Mosalini and Agri on a project around tango, won the Recanati Festival with the song Il canto magico delle sirene, became a soloist of the European Jazz Orchestra in Strasbourg. In 2000 she sang in Rome for the Jubilee; she performed in Chieti Passio et Resurrexio by Sergio Rendine. In 2003 the CD LA TARANTELLA, recorded with the baroque group Arpeggiata, won the AWARDS award of music, among other awards, the Charles Cros Music Academy award with the CD "STAGIONI" published in France in 2004, the Tenco Plaque and the Città di Loano award with the CD Amore e Acciaio released in 2006. She collaborates among others with Michel Godard and Vincent Courtois (Trio Rouge), Michael Riessler, Christina Pluhard, Philippe Eidel, Luigi Cinque, i Tenores di Bitti, Lucio Dalla, Enzo Gragnaniello, Mauro Pagani, Nando Citarella, Elena Ledda, Riccardo Tesi, Mauro Palmas, and has recorded numerous soundtracks as a soloist, she carries out didactic activities in Italy and abroad.
CLAUDIO CARBONI
Saxophonist and composer, Carboni began studying the saxophone at a very young age and already at the age of 11 he played in the orchestras of ballroom dances. He then dedicated himself to jazz under the guidance of Giorgio Baiocco. In 1992 Tesi called him to his side with M. Geri and E. Bonafé for the formation of the group Banditaliana which in a few years reaches the top of the European world music. Some of his most important projects: Un ballo liscio di R.Tesi where Carboni plays a fundamental role thanks to his knowledge of ballroom dancing; Transitalia with the direction of M.Ovadia and musical direction of R.Tesi which brings together the most important names in Italian world music; Acqua, foco e vento with the direction of Angelo Savelli and the musical direction of R.Tesi and M.Geri; Crinali. The traditional music of the Bolognese Apennines in search of the sea... of which Carboni is co-author, co-arranger and musician together with Riccardo Tesi. Carboni also collaborates with the Brazilian singer-songwriter Edinho Queiroz and with the Italian Marco Natali. In September '02, together with Mino Cavallo, Anna Granata, Amedeo Ronga and Ettore Bonafe' he founded the group Elianto. In October '06 together with Luiz Lima, Ricardo Da Silva and Marco Cattarossi Carboni started the project "Luiz Lima Bz-4" on Brazilian music combining contemporaneity and tradition, ethnic and jazz..
www.myspace.com/claudiocarboni
MARZIO DEL TESTA
Born in Volterra in 1975, he is a drummer, percussionist and composer, specialized in the genres of world music and Italian Rock. He began his career collaborating with the Tuscan trio Ceramiche Lineari, working for theatre. He then accompanied the singer Ginevra Di Marco (ex CSI and PGR), also participating in the project Stazioni Lunari created by Francesco Magnelli (also ex CSI and PGR), where he had the opportunity to accompany singers and musicians like Max Gazzè, Enzo Avitabile, Piero Pelù, Peppe Servillo, Daniele Sepe, Tuxedomoon, Paola Turci, Cristina Donà, Riccardo Tesi, Maurizio Geri, Cristiano Godano, Simone Cristicchi, Petra Magoni, Teresa De Sio, Mario Venuti, Marina Rei, Pau e Drigo and Morgan. He also took part in the Cisco solo project, a former singer of Modena City Ramblers, recording on the discs of La lunga notte and Il mulo. He plays in the disc “Sguardo Contemporaneo” by the Milanese singer-songwriter Bugo and with Alessandro Benvenuti in the disc Capodiavolo, participating in the live theatre show.
STEFANO MELONE
Discovered by Miguel Bosè as keyboardist and singer, he established himself as an arranger, producer and composer, collaborating with some of the most famous Italian and foreign artists, from Edoardo Bennato to Ivano Fossati, with whom he became a permanent collaborator, passing through artists such as Fabrizio De Andrè. O. Vanoni, E. Ramazzotti, F. Mannoia, R. Marra, R.Tesi, Luis Llach, M. Bosè, Ron, A. Oxa, J. Americ, Carlo Fava and many others. He has made and arranged records that have earned various awards and recognitions: "Premio Tenco" (Incontri e Passaggi di Tosca), Macramè by I. Fossati and later the “Leone D’Argento” at the Venice Film Festival with the soundtrack of the film by C. Mazzacurati "Il toro" with music by I. Fossati. In 1999 he wrote the Marian Jubilee Hymn "MATER IUBILÆI" sung by Tosca and commissioned by the Vatican for the Jubilee Year, printed on CD with the label S4/Sony.
FILIPPO PEDOL
A multifaceted musician, Pedol began to practice music in the late 80's, initially as a singer and then as an electric bass player, in various rock - psychedelic formations. He graduated in double bass at the music school of Fiesole and subsequently at the conservatory of Florence. He ranges from the Classical – collaborating with the "Galilei" orchestra of Fiesole directed by CarloMaria Giulini - to Jazz: taking part in the "Barga Jazz 2003" competition in the group section with the trio Alta Madera trio composed of the Cuban violinist Ruben Chaviano and the guitarist Mino Cavallo, winning the Luca Flores prize; he collaborates with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Jhon Taylor and Kenny Wheeler. He has also had experience in Latin music and has played with Javier Girotto, Antonello Salis, Eugenio Colombo, Nada, Trilok Gurtu and collaborates with various groups and musicians from the Tuscan area; he has also participated in the international project "Chicago Tuscany Underground". He has released CDs with the groups Hovercraft, Really The Blues, with Enrico Fink in the album "Il Ritorno Alla Fede Del Cantante Di Jazz" and the group Archea, an ensemble of classical music in quintet, in collaboration with Riccardo Tesi and Claudio Carboni, with whom he recorded the Violins of Santa Vittoria. He opened the concerts of Simply Red and Anastasia, followed the tour of Bart Bacharach and is engaged as an arranger of a project on Italian music which was censored during the fascist period.
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