Rough Guide to Music of Italy
It's hard to believe that Italy has only existed as a unified country for about 150 years, perhaps, but when you listen to this, you get a real sense of its 20 different regions and their traditions. The fiery tarantellas of the south get a modernist take from saxophonist Daniele Sepe, while Sardinia's Tenores di Bitti (possibly the best-known name here) offer harmonies that seem unworldly and almost primitive in their power. The softer folk music of Piedmont in the north has close associations with English folk in style (even some of their ancient dance music, performed by Silvio Peron and Gabriele Ferrero, is similar to English morris-dance music, except for the bright harmonies). It's a wide, wide range, as in any country, but extraordinarily good listening, and the well-annotated booklet helps novice musical tourists along their way. You don't have to leave home to get Italian sun.--Chris Nickson