Italian band Taluna brings Mediterranean folk to California

The four components of the group Taluna, artistically formed in Turin but with very different backgrounds, define their musical style as “Space Folk Made in Italy”.

 

Through their great musical talent they brought the atmosphere of the Mediterranean to warm up winter weather in the City, and will continue to do so until the end of the year 2012 in the various dates of their Californian tour.

 

The group is performing for the first time in the Bay Area, in San Francisco, Berkeley, Sausalito, after hitting other cities in the State with shows in San Diego, Los Angeles and St Luis Obispo.

 

Their debut in San Francisco, always open to established or emergent international artists, was held Sunday, December 9 at the Red Poppy Art House, located in the Mission District.

 

Their concert was introduced by the performance of Laura Inserra, Italian percussionist and multi-instrumentalist well known in the Bay Area’s musical scene, including for activities carried out by Samavesha musical collaboration, the arts organization she founded.

 

Laura has performed with great skill the magic sound produced by the Hang, as well as showing the quality of many other instruments from different parts of the world, before leaving the stage to the special guests from Italy.

 

The show that Taluna immediately engages the public with its rhythms together with harmonious melodies, great originality and intensity of the sound, which carries minds to southern Italy, to Greece, the Balkans and all the countries of the Mediterranean.

 

This is the incredible result of different artistic formations of the four Italian musicians, which have their roots not only in Piedmont, but also in Apulia, Abruzzo, Liguria, even beyond Italian borders as in France and Eastern Europe.

 

“There is a thread stretching from Dubrovnik to Vukovar, which passes through Belgrade and descends to lick Tirana and Athens. A thread that runs under the sea and touches Brindisi and Sevilla, which crosses the ocean up to caress the coasts of Argentina and Chile A thread moves from the strings of guitars and violins, bouncing off the skins of the drums and that bends in the keys of the accordion”.

 

Gaia Mobilij is center stage with his accordion, the old “lira Calabrese” and her warm and evocative voice, the violin of Marco Ghezzo exudes elegant notes that make the audience dream and dance, Luca Russo with his classical guitar accompanies every different style, launching riffs worthy of the best jazz soloist, finally the tambourine of eclectic Giuseppe Leone emanates the vibrant pulse of the group, with continuous reminder of the “taranta of Salento”.

 

The real strength of the group are the autographs pieces, all songs from their album “Exper” are written by them individually and arranged together, in a collection which brings together all genres and styles referring to Taluna: ethnic music (Rom, Balkan ), popular music (Occitan), the “pizzica” of Salento, Latin and Jazz.

 

The main role is certainly played by their stimulating and energetic melodies, but there are few songs that speak of real history as “Eri Juan” and “Pecora Nera”, both composed by musician and singer-songwriter Gaia.

 

The first tells the story of a man who emigrated from Cuba to the United States in search of a better life, “in the country where everything is possible but nothing is real”, working and playing to earn money, but constantly feeling a strong sense of nostalgia for his native island.

 

The second one is set in Italy, in one of the many traditional and a little ‘conservative families certainly in the south, where following passions in search of a different life can lead to being considered as the black sheep of the family, as the title of the song.

 

The artistic result of Taluna’s creativity is a very unique and special sound, based on a repertoire of traditional songs presented in a modern way, a sound produced by classical instruments though resulting new to every listener and public.

 

Fans of the genre will be able to enjoy them before the arrival of Christmas at Revolution Café and Viracocha in San Francisco ( December 12 and 15), at Aqus in Petaluma (Dec. 13), the Fox and Goose in Sacramento (Dec. 14), finally the Subterranean Arthouse and La Pena in Berkeley (Dec. 16 and 23).