Domiz Camp soundscapes (tracks n. 1, 5, 8, 11) and other tunes live recorded by Luca Chiavinato at Domiz Refugee Camp, Iraq/Kurdistan, in July 2017; studio recording, mixing and post–production at Franz[.]Suono Studio, Cadoneghe (Padova), in October 2017.
“Beatles vs. Stones”: una rivalità che per molti è stata costruita ad arte. La storia delle due rock band inglesi ha percorso di fatto tutti gli anni ’60 lasciando tracce indelebili in una miriade di splendide canzoni che sono entrate di diritto nel Gotha della musica popolare del ‘900. Più che la rivalità fra i due gruppi, al trio protagonista di «Oxymoron» interessa proprio quello sterminato repertorio, ancora lontano dall’esser stato totalmente esplorato, e che lascia quindi ampi margini per nuove originali interpretazioni. Kathya West, Valerio Scrignoli e Danilo Gallo affrontano sedici brani di Beatles e Rolling Stones – per almeno metà non fra i loro più famosi successi – con lo spirito libero, creativo e sfidante del jazz, ma senza per questo snaturare la melodia delle canzoni che hanno scelto di re–inventare, rallentandone non poco i ritmi. Va posta grande attenzione alle sfumature, al “non detto”, al solo accennato, al sottile gioco fra le due chitarre, quasi una sfida per la voce, spesso un sussurro, straniante e personale della West, che ha comunque il merito di saper rimanere sempre perfettamente “dentro” la canzone, anche quando sembra volerla completamente trasformare.
La partenza, onirica e malinconica con, nell’ordine, Paint it black e Lucy in the sky with diamonds colpisce nel segno e fa entrare subito l’ascoltatore nello spirito del disco. Si arriva così, quasi senza accorgersene, dopo la sedicesima brevissima traccia, Sympathy for the Devil, sorta di prova, alla “ghost track” dell’album, che è invece la ripresa di Wild horses. Una considerazione finale: c’era, eccome, anche George Harrison nei Fab Four, e le sue due gemme scelte per «Oxymoron» (While my guitar gently weeps e Here comes the sun) lo testimoniano nel migliore dei modi.
Just one year after «Rumors» (Caligola 2224), debut album that has drawn a lot of attention in different musical areas due to its fresh transversality, the New Landscapes trio is protagonist of a new exciting project, that looks to the Arabic music world, and especially the Middle-East. It all started from the experience lived by Luca Chiavinato and percussionist Dario Bano in the summer of 2017 at the Domiz Camp, in Iraqi Kurdistan, which has gathered over 30,000 Syrian refugees. A strong experience, as they say, but at the same time very stimulating artistically. Working day after day with young musicians at the Camp, but also with professionals, singers and oud players in primis, has been so productive to convince Bano and Chiavinato to record as much material as possible, asking, once back home, to the members of New Landscape and other musicians friends, to enrich it with a patient work in the recording studio, which ended only in October 2017.
This original work, «Waking sounds», is born from an unpredictable and highly creative sum of energy, which will capture the attention of fans of ethnic and jazz, but not only. The qanon (Arabian 78-stringed zither) by Niwar Ismat Issa (Faraway so close), the suggestive voice of Amin Tamo (Rojava), the oud by Karim Rashid (Communication breakdown) and Saman Abdulkareem – coordinator of the Middle Eastern part of the project – but also the keyboards by Aisha Ruggieri, the percussion by Dario Bano, the accordion by Sergio Marchesini (the singable and danceable title track is his), the bass clarinet by Francesco Ganassin, the violin by Silvia Rinaldi, the lute and the oud by Luca Chiavinato, who resumed his Walkissat here (from «Rumors»), each have for their part made an important contribution to the success of the operation.
But the fascinating musical outcome is the result of a collective work, a patient craftsmanship that recalls the workshops of the great masters of the Italian Renaissance. This is confirmed by the only traditional song on the album, Reya kobare, and the four short Soundscapes, important links between the songs, not simple fillers of the Cd.
credits
released January 29, 2019
Luca Chiavinato (oud, lute), Silvia Rinaldi (violin),
Francesco Ganassin (clarinets), Dario Bano (percussion)
plus Ensemble Mshakht with, among others,
Abdullah Mohammed, Amin Tamo (vocals), Niwar Ismat Issa (qanon), Saman Fakhradin Abdulkareem (oud, violin), Hoshyar Karim Rashid (oud).
Special guests : Sergio Marchesini (accordion) on
tracks n.2/6, Aisha Ruggieri (piano, hammond) on tracks n. 2/6/7.
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