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Mara ara Aranda

After more than three decades working on the historical repertoires, Mara Aranda is the internationally best-known interpreter of Judaeo Spanish music and committed herself to the sephardic legacy.

To investigate and study the original sources, she travelled to Thessaloniki (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey) and Jerusalem (Israel). And only when all the necessary information had been gathered, only when she understood the historical and cultural context, she dared to approach the musical material. She is currently the director of the International Center of Medieval Music, where all the cultural traditions that had their expression in this era, come together, giving value, and restoring the place in history, the past of our present, that all these manifestations deserve.

Sephardic in the Heart of Greece

'Sephardic in the heart of Greece’ is the third volume of the sonorous pentalogy that recovers and revaluates the Sephardic culture, forged in the Iberian soil as well as in the different regions of the diaspora. The first two volumes of the collection were awarded the title of “Best European album of the year” by Transglobal World Music Chart, in their respective years of release. Women were the custodians of this legacy, they passed the songs by word of mouth, from generation to generation, und by doing so, affected the identity of women all over Europe, because since centuries we share a common past. These songs went along with the dispossessed, and now make their way back to their origin, influenced and linguistically enriched by those places where the Sephardi had found refuge: Sefarad, the Iberian Peninsula.

Homer narrates that the gods of Olympus taught humans how to use and enjoy perfume. Venus, pursued by satyrs, fled under myrtle bushes that concealed her, for which reason she gratefully gave them the intense fragrance they exude. It was also the goddess who gave the rose its colour and penetrating fragrance. Myrrha, a figure of Greek mythology, also known as Smyrna, unwittingly committed incest when her son Adonis was procreated. The goddess Aphrodite angrily metamorphosed her into a tree, but soon felt sorry and remorsefully transformed her into the myrrh tree that bleeds aromatic resin.

Greece, a mixture of East and West, North and South of the Mediterranean, once ruled by the Roman and Ottoman Empires, until the 19th century did not lose a bit of the splendour and fascination of its past, being inspiration and point of origin of all the culture of the Occident. Every foreign culture on Greek soil left it's very special mark, left it's inimitable scent, and this is the unique melange the essence of every song of this album was distilled from.

Be aware that smells, perfumes, and essences communicate with our senses, memories, and emotions. We can distinguish and memorize more fragrances than colours, (we have a thousand receptors for smells, but only few for the vision) that the brain will interconnect with aromas, emotions, and recollection. We are what we breathe and, deprived of this capacity, our life would be severely limited, having no ties with the past. But only those ties render possible to extend this past beyond the life of any mortal.

This is an album that undoubtedly comes from the memory of experiences that, even if we have not lived to see them ourselves, do not cease to inspire us, twentyfour hours a day, 365 days a year, based on what our predecessors, in places near or far, have exhaled.

The attraction of the Sephardic culture comprises many different types of researchers: anthropologists, musicologists and ethnomusicologists, linguists, novelists, journalists, or historians. They emphasize the accomplishment of this compilation of discs which goal it is to try to revive unpublished or seldomly interpreted music as part of world cultural heritage.

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Singer, writer and actor (he is in the cast of the series Mare Fuori in the role of Don Salvatore Ricci, now in its third season and on air from 1 February exclusively on Raiplay and from 15 February also visible on Rai 2) after a career spanning more than 30 years as the voice of Almamegretta, four solo works, a Targa Tenco win in 2014 in the "Best Performer" category for the album "Dago Red" made with Fausto Mesolella and the EP "Napoli C. le / Dusserdorf" (2021) in collaboration with rapper Lucariello from which was extracted "Aria", a song that opened the final season of the TV series Gomorra, Raiz publishes "Si ll'ammore è 'occuntrario d''a morte", an intimate and respectful homage to one of the most popular Neapolitan singers of the last century and who most influenced him throughout his career. An impassioned work, between narration and sound, which presents ten songs by Bruni performed together with the members of Radicanto: Giuseppe De Trizio and Adolfo La Volpe on lutes, Francesco De Palma on percussion, Giovanni Chiapparino on accordion and Giorgio Vendola on double bass.

Often remembered as 'A voce 'e Napule' for having been able to represent all the city's inhabitants with his songs, from the better-off to the more popular classes, Sergio Bruni, stage name of Guglielmo Chianese, participated 12 times in the Naples Festival, achieving two successes with the songs 'Marechiaro marechiaro' and 'Bella', and debuted in 1960 at the Sanremo Festival together with Joe Sentieri with 'È mezzanotte' and Giorgio Consolini with 'Il mare', finishing 5th and 6th respectively. His meeting with the poet Salvatore Palomba was fundamental, from whose association some of the most famous songs of his discography were born, including 'Carmela' in 1976 and the album 'Una voce una città' in 1980, in which Sergio Bruni set to music Eduardo De Filippo's 'È asciuto pazzo 'o patrone'.

Raiz speaks of the album as follows: I have always sung Sergio Bruni, or rather he has always sung inside me. His music passed through my childhood, accompanying my family's joys and sorrows; his songs belong to the Neapolitan community. My tribute therefore goes beyond that due to the immense artist: this album is a tribute to the world that generated me and gave me all the means of expression. I recorded these tracks with an almost religious respect, a thanksgiving to my city through the work of one of its most representative artists. It has not always been an easy journey, as the emotions that these compositions evoke are strong: just lingering over a few notes has taken me back to the time of my childhood and possibly even further back, to the heart of the generations that preceded me. Today, I feel more complete and at peace, like one who fulfils a long-delayed duty. Thanks therefore to Sergio Bruni and thanks to Naples: mother, lover, goddess. This album is dedicated to the memory of my mother Anna Esposito, without whom I would not have been able to sing a single word, and to the life of my daughter Lea, to whom I hope to be able to pass on my love for this music.

LISTENING GUIDE TO THE ALBUM 'SI LL'AMMORE E' 'O CCUNTRARIO D''A MORTE' (LOVE IS THE OPPOSITE OF DEATH)

NAPULE DOCEAMARA (Bruni - Palomba)
Naples is indeed beautiful, not an invention of poets, just as it is not a journalistic plot that it has many, too many problems. Yet amidst all these contradictions, one still breathes a love of life far removed from cynicism.

CARMELA (Bruni - Palomba)
The stripped, abused city comes in the form of a young woman in need of protection, with whom the author is madly in love.

AMARO È 'O BENE (Bruni - Palomba)
The end of a love that can have no future, kisses stolen and bitter because there is no tomorrow.

CHE LLE CONTO? (Bruni - Palomba)
From tomorrow what will I tell my eyes, my hands, my heart, since our story ended without appeal? Perhaps it was a written destiny, but rationality is not needed when one loses a great love. Almost a story from 'A Thousand and One Nights' told in Naples: consciously or unconsciously, Salvatore Palomba, the author of the verses of many of these songs, seems to be walking the imaginary bridge that unites various souls of the Mediterranean: thus also the verse that entitles the entire album, which seems to be a translation of a verse from the Song of Songs where it is said (8-6) 'For love is as strong as death'.

'A FATA D''E SUONNE (Bruni - Marotta)
More prissy and mannerist in tone than the others, here the eyes and mouth of the beloved are imprinted in the town's DNA, so much so that they were sung even before she was born.

'NA BRUNA (Bruni - Visco - Barrucci - Langella)
Making the sign of the cross with seawater seals a pact that cannot be betrayed. The rich foreigner wants this beautiful 20-year-old girl for himself, but she loves another and dies for that. What is money before the will of the heart?

WHAT A MIRACOLO STAMMATINA (Bruni - Palomba)
Mystical, cabalistic, Sufi? The author's awareness of being nothing more than an offshoot of the Absolute and not being able to do anything but his will. My soul has set sails and wings and at this moment from heaven all evil remains far away.

NAPULE IS A THOUSAND Wounds (Bruni - Palomba)
The tone of this song is similar to that of Carmela, but if possible even more dramatic. This time the key image is that of a small leaf springing up among the uneven stones of a street and trembling in the hands of a little girl: there is hope for change, but the heart of the singer is hardened to the point of no longer being able to perceive it.

BELLA SI TU VENISSE IND'AA 'STI BRACCIA (Bruni - Palomba)
Love for a woman in the form of an ancient song of devotion.

PALCOSCENICO (Bruni - Bonagura)
One could criticise this piece for lingering in various places of Neapolitan folk oleography, but its truths lie there. Carolina still fights Rosa for love on the city's open-air set.

RAIZ - BIOGRAPHY

Raiz, stage name of Gennaro Della Volpe, is a Neapolitan singer, actor and writer. Voice of the Italian ethnodub/electronic collective Almamegretta since its foundation, he has recorded ten albums with them, from their debut with 'Anima Migrante' in 1992 to the latest 'Senghe' in 2022. As a solo artist he released 'WOP' (2004), produced by Roberto Vernetti and Paolo Polcari, 'Uno' (2007), produced by Eraldo Bernocchi with the collaboration of Bill Laswell and 'YA!' (2010), produced by Planet Funk. In the course of his career, Raiz has also taken part in several works by other artists: from the two albums 'Corpus' (1996) and 'Unisono' (2006) with Ashes, the Eraldo Bernocchi / Bill Laswell project, through the album 'Alphabet Music' (2003) with the 'Laboratorio Novamusica', to collaborations with artists such as Massive Attack, Leftfield, Pino Daniele, Adrian Sherwood, Gaudi, Stewart Copeland, Mauro Pagani, Vittorio Cosma, Ashtech, Teresa De Sio, Luigi Cinque, Zion Train. In 2011 he released the album 'Casa' with the Bari band Radicanto and in 2014 he won the Premio Tenco for the album 'Dago Red' made with Fausto Mesolella, unforgettable guitarist and producer of Avion Travel. In 2016, he took part in a workshop in the Airola Juvenile Prison promoted by rapper Lucariello and together with him he made 'Puotame llà fore', a song composed with a group of very young inmates. As an actor from 2001 to 2005, he toured with Cantieri Teatrali Koreja in their show "Brecht's Dance" (original music by Kurt Weill revisited by Raiz himself and Paolo Polcari). Between 2008 and 2017, he starred in several films, playing the role of Moreno in Ago Panini's film "Aspettando il Sole" (2008), Salvatore Vitiello in Giuseppe Gagliardi's "Tatanka Scatenato" (2010), himself in John Turturro's docufilm on Neapolitan songs "Passione" (2011) and Rosario 'A Tigre in the Manetti Bros' film "Ammore e Malavita" (2017); More recently, he has worked on several successful TV series including 'I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone' and 'Mare Fuori', and has published a collection of twenty short stories called 'Il bacio di Brianna' for Mondadori. On 24 February 2023, he published with the Visage Music label 'Si ll'ammore è 'o ccuntrario d''a morte', a musical monograph on Sergio Bruni. More

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Cosmonautics as the art of space travel. This is the metaphor that Riccardo Gola chooses for his first solo album - to be released on the Jando Music / Via Veneto Jazz label - after years of militancy in some of the most creative projects of the new Italian jazz scene. As composer and bandleader, he offers us an acoustic quartet but with a strongly hybridized vocabulary. From the very first listening, one perceives the multiplicity of interests and ratings of the eclectic Roman artist (he is also an illustrator and art director) who manages to mix the African-American matrix with a plurality of languages, from rock to electronics, from African music to contemporary classic. With him a real all-star band of the contemporary Italian scene: Francesco Bigoni on sax and clarinet, Enrico Zanisi on piano and Enrico Morello on drums. A cohesive group that through improvisation and interplay leads the listener - like good cosmonauts - on a journey into the unknown. More

Among the most active interpreters of Brazilian music in Italy, the two singer-songwriters met in 2013 to combine their voices, guitars, percussions and give life to this unique project, full of freshness and intensity. With hundreds of active concerts, their first album "Madeleine" arrives in 2015 and positively surprises audiences and critics. For some magazines "one of the best Brazilian records of the year". O Globo (Brazil) wrote: “Pure harmony!”. Album of the week for Fahreneit (Rai Radio3). In their second work "Vai, menina" (2018) the extraordinary guest participation of the great Brazilian composer Guinga stands out, as well as those of the musicians Gabriele Mirabassi, Valentino Corvino, Vince Abbracciante. They took to the stage of the most important national clubs and festivals including Time In jazz, Crossroads Festival, Ravenna Jazz, Trentino in jazz, Casa del jazz in Rome, Bravo Caffè, Torrione Jazz Club, Piazza Verdi Live (Radio 3), Brasil ( Radio 1). More

Durga McBroom, best known for her work as a vocalist for Pink Floyd (between 1987 - 2014), is featured as the guest star on the new single and upcoming album by Finnish prog rock group 5th Season. The single 'Desparate Measures' is out now on streaming platforms and the album is due out in May 2023.

Desperate Measures is 'mini-epic' of a prog ballad that takes its musical cues from bands like Procol Harum and (obviously) Pink Floyd. Guest star McBroom's input is significant as the song develops from a tender ballad up to stadium rock hights. Her beautiful vocal harmonies and the world class vocal solo by the end of the song is very much reminiscent of her classic performances on the Pink Floyd live album PULSE.

5th Season is a prog quartet combining the talents of top musicians in the Finnish rock scene. Bassist and songwriter Mikko Löytty toured Europe in the 80's and 90's with blues-rock outfit Q.Stone and has been a stalwart in the Finnish rock scene ever since. Guitarist, composer and award winning producer Tapio Ylinen is well known in Finland from his work with the Pink Floyd tribute act PULSE as well as the Finnish Grammy (Emma award) nominated prog/jazz group Mortality. Keyboardist Arto Piispanen has played with numerous top selling rock artists like Dave Lindholm, Tuomari Nurmio and Ismo Alanko, and drummer Jani Auvinen is also a sought after session man and live player. His credits include audience favourites Uniklubi and folk-rock top seller Pekko Käppi & KHHL

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Formed in 2017 5th Season was originally a live outfit for songs from Ylinen's and Löytty's previous solo albums and made it's recording debut in 2018 playing two tracks on Löytty's solo album "Höyhen". The group's upcoming debut album solidifies them as a true band and recording unit. The album is a labour of love that pays deliberate tribute to prog legends such as Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and Procol Harum (with influences from The Band and Little Feat thrown in the mix for good measure) while, at the same time, maintaining their own unique sound through strong and original songwriting.

"The original idea of the album was to make music deliberately in the footsteps of all that wonderful classic prog rock that all of us in the band know and love, but through original songwriting and a multiplicity of influences and thus avoiding the trap of becoming a carbon copy of the previously mentioned bands. We combine old and new technology. A 1973 analogue Minimoog and modern digital instruments and plug-ins are there side by side, and so we get a modern sounding album with a recognisable 70's vibe", says producer Ylinen.

The upcoming album will feature original compositions by Ylinen and Löytty as well as collaborations between the two, epic length pieces and impressive guests such as the aforementioned Durga McBroom.

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