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I carry the entire Taranta Ethnica series of traditional music of Italy. This collection of field recordings from all over Italy is recognized for its superb insight and quality.

 


Tango alla Romanesque - Old World Tangos Vol.2 - various - 17.99
The second CD in the Old World Tangos series focuses on the 'Romance' countries of Italy, France, and Romania, with a Greek encore.


Napoli mediterranea - Pietra Montecorvino - 16.99
Produced by Eugennio Bennato, this Neopolitan singer offers a rich look at the music of Naples and the Mediteranean. Neither strictly folk nor overtly 'pop,' they skirt a lot of boundaries seeking a new context for the old musical styles.

Facce - Rosapaeda - 17.99
The ten songs in this recording make use of various dialects from Southern Italy (Sicilian, Calabrese, Greek from Salento, Neapolitan, from Lucania) to generate a musical fire in both traditional and original songs by singer Rosapaeda.

In forma di Rosa - Rosapaeda - 17.99
italy italian italia alitalia gypsy bari mediterranean

Vaffatica - Nando Citarella and Tamburi del Vesuvio - 17.99
Back in stock: Nando Citarella is a musician, researcher and performer of a unique and sometimes completely mad musical form born in Campagnia and other parts of southern Italy, and brewed in Naples by a band of percussionists, singers and dancers from different cultures and roots who give an archaic atmosphere to this energetic Italian music. Guests include Lucilla Galleazi, Riccardo Tesi and Maria Rosaria Omaggio.

Espirit de Frontiera - Gai Saber - 17.99
Second recording by Italian roots-rock ensemble. They are dedicated to reviving the folk music of 'Occitania' but do it with a wild energy. Accordions, reeds, hurdy gurdy and bagpipes add vibrant color to the basic rock line-up.

Troubar R'Oc - Gai Saber - 15.99
First album by this Italian roots band has an airier feel on some tracks, but still rocks hard through muc of the recording. Bagpipes, accordions, flutes and percussion fill in the basic drums/bass/guitars rock lineup in 17 complex arrangements.

Voces de Sardinia Vol 1 - Concordu De Orosei - 17.99

I Storie ò Cafè di lu Furestiero - Milagro Acustico - 18.99
Adventurous, sumptuous Mediterranean music from Sicily

La Famiglia - Balli di Sardegna - Mondo Vercellino - 19.99
Wonderful recordings by an old master of the Sardinian songs and dances for the organetto (diatonic accordion), long considered a pioneer and innovator of this unique folk music.

Marea cu sarea - Piccola Banda Ikona - 18.99
Here is a fascinating journey between the sounds and cultures of the Mediterranean sea in the research for a musical and lyrical language that unites its various populations. They write: "Once upon a time there was a tongue shared by the peoples of the Mediterranean. This was Sabir, a lingua franca which sailors, pirates, fishermen, merchants, ship-owners used in the ports to communicate with each other. From Genoa to Tangiers, from Salonika to Istanbul, from Marseilles to Algiers, from Valencia to Palermo, until the early decades of the twentieth century this kind of sea-faring 'Esperanto' developed little by little availing of terms from Spanish, Italian, French and Arabic. We like this language. We like to mix sounds and words. We play Sabir.We sing Sabir."

Nia maro - Daniele Sepe - 18.99
I know I say it almost every time he does a recording, but there really is no one like Sepe in the musical world, a composer and musician with a unique vision of his world, both musical and social, and an artist both global and local simultaneously. This recording is one of his more adventuous, and yet it is remarkably also one of his more 'rooted' although those roots spread all across the Mediteranean basin.

The New Village - Enzo Favata Tentetto (featuring Tenores di Bitti) - 18.99
Sardinian musician and composer Favata has been roiling the roots-jazz of Italy for decades now, recording Cds and playing more than 2,000 concertsaround the world. He fuses tradition with a contemporary sense, forging a new music form folk, jazz and avant garde elements that are strictly original. He has studied classical and jazz saxophone, plays the soprano, sopranino and tenor sax, and the bass clarinet, as well as other ethnic wind instruments from Sardinia and elsewhere. Adding Latin, African and middle eastern influences, he has come up with a creative and original new sound that pays homage to the jazz greats while being beholden to no one. This recording features the incredible Tenores di Bitti, who offer not only their voices, but the inspiration of their melodies that are infused into the very core of Favata's new compositions.

Suite per bandoneon e orchestra - Daniele Bonaventura - 19.99
The bandoneon master performs two new major compositions, a suite for bandoneon and orchestra, and Piccolo Requiem for Solo Bandoneon.

Il giardino delle delizie - Vito Ranucci and Napoli Est - 17.99
Neopolitan arranger, composer and saxophone player Ranucci is joined by the large ensemble Napoli Est for his 2007 work.

Sospiro - Faraualla - 17.99
Sospiro (whisper) is the third recording by the female vocal ensemble Faraualla. The name of the group derives from a deep hollow in the Murgia, the plateau of Puglia, a mysterious place that has inspired singers Teresa Vallarella, Gabriella Schiavone, Loredana Perrini and Paola Arnesano. They are joined by percussionists Cesare Pastanella and Pippo Ark D'Ambrosio.

Tuttipari - ipercussonici - 17.99
The “marranzano”, Sicilian for jew's harp is the core of this band from Catania. In this project there is all of Sicily, the ancient Trinacria and the modern island as different rhythms and instruments intertwine with the sound of an electrified jew's harp and the beat of primitive drums. Dum dum and didjeridoo become the drum n' bass for the syncopated, psychedelic raids of the electric jew's harp; tambourine and djembè create African-Sicilian rhythms, with the voice switching between sea and urban chants, serenade and ragamuffin. Sicily is celebrated and criticized with energy, involvement, collectivity and passion.

Fuori dal Paradiso - Piero Brega - 17.99
One of the most beautiful voices of Italian popular music, winner of the Ciampi Award in 2005 with his debut record "Come Li Viandanti", is back with his second work, "Fuori dal paradiso", a record of original songs written by Brega and Martire, arranged by Mark Hamlyn and produced in collaboration with the Gianni Bosio Club. The record, twelve tracks, expresses the origins and the relevance of Brega's music, who, since his beginnings in the '70's with the Canzoniere del Lazio, has always loved the contamination of the tradition with the driving force of the rhythmic instruments. Also in "Fuori dal paradiso" music and words flow in a series of tales and colours, moving from waltzes to ethnic suggestions. Brega is in love with Rome and with its dialect, and gives us a well-balanced record in which personal stories mix easily with fantastic tales.

Uccelli - Teatro Settimo - 17.99
The soundtrack of the theatre version of Aristophanes' "The Birds" presented at the Spoleto Festival in June 1996 as performed by Banda Osiris, Aringa & Verdurini, Paolo Pizzimenti, Anna Coppola and many other singers and musicians from the Italian music world.

Cromozome: Musique Traditionnelle des Alpes Occidentales - Trouveur Valdotèn - 17.99
Following its path of deep ethno-musicological research in the Western Alps, the ensemble tries to give a live, contemporary dimension to the cultural expression of the region and a defense of the special nature of Valle d'Aosta, a Francophone region in the Italian state.

Baqshish - Francesco Banchini - 17.99
Banchini’s previous works have taken him from the study of classical and Medieval music to music therapy to southern Italian folk music to the traditions of Balkans and the Mediterranean. This is a CD bursting with colour and flavour, where original compositions blend with traditional Mediterranean songs and melodies. As well as various types of clarinet he plays nay, flute, chalumeaux, piano, while his own voice broadens the sound further. Accompanying him on the record are a group of fine musicians including Davide Della Monica (guitar), Cristiano Della Monica (percussion), Francesco Migliaccio (accordion) and Manuela Salinaro (darabouka, cajon, frame drums).

PresenteRemoto - Riccardo Tesi - 18.99
A full blown ensemble release by the master organetto player from Italy. A great ensemble that includes Stefano Bollani, Elena Ledda, Ginevra Di Marco, Gianmaria Testa, Daniele Sepe, Gavino Murgia, Patrick Vaillant, Gabriele Mirabassi and of course, Tesi's Banditaliana. Highly recommended, like everything Tesi does.

Accordeon Diatonique - Riccardo Tesi - 17.99
The master of Italian accordion offers a completely solo recording that shows the breadth and depth of his skills, talents and interests in the music of the instrument. Highly recommended

La bella Noeva - Marco Beasley with Guido Morini - 17.99
Italian singer Beasley and accordionist Morini interpret 17th and 18th century 'broadsides,' popular songs of the time that often competed with opera in terms of popularity and success. Accompanied by a small ensemble of violin, viola, théorbe and archiluth (lutes) and Baroque guitar.

Marlevar - Marlevar - 16.99
The voice of Luisa Cottifogli in the front line was enough for me to fall in love with this recording. This excellent acoustic ensemble displays a world of musical interests from Italy and France (Provence) and creates their own unique sound with these pieces.

Liberte Creativite Feminite - Sabina Manetti - 18.99
Liberté Creativité Feminité presents a strong vocalist from Tuscany in a solid mix of roots and jazz, accompanied by a straight ahead jazz ensemble of bass, drums, pianos, percussion, with accordion and violin. This is the first I have heard her, and she's a voice to hear.

Kronomakia - Daniele Sepe, Ensemble Micrologus, Und Rote Jazz Fraktion - 18.99
Neopolitan arranger, composer and saxophone player Sepe, joined by two ensembles, takes on the early music of Italy in his usual shocking style, seamlessly joining jazz, classical and early art music into a beautiful whole.

Al Qantarah - Ammaraciccappa - 18.99
This Salentine ensemble have a lot of phrases for their music: "electro-world+salento+maghrebi, ecstatic rhythms of south Italy, desert voices and metropolitan sounds." They make thoroughly modern Italian music, completely rooted in the ancient past, and totally beyond classification or pigeon-holes. Highly recommended.

Satyricon Circus - Satyricon Circus - 18.99
A rich new musical production, the work of composer Gabriele Coen (Klezroym), Mario Rivera (Agricantus) and Vito Ranucci, with participation from Barbara Eramo, Gabriel Zagni, Maria Letizia Gorga, Federica Vincenti and Gianni Santucci.

Monkey - Dounia - 18.99
Four musicians from various artistic and cultural backgrounds explore Italian and middle eastern roots with a combination of melodies, harmonies and rythmns from all over the world. Their unique sound is unlike much else out there

Diavule a quatto - E'Zezi - 18.99
Diàvule a quàtto is the 2003 release by this seminal Neoplolitan folk-jazz-political ensemble.

Piccolo Canto Nomade - Mazapagul - 17.99
This Italy band from Emila-Romagna grabs folk music, reggae, salsa, jazz, spaghetti western sound track themes and what might be called art school music (i.e., Talking Heads) and toss it around like a musical rag doll. A big brass sound hallmarks this band, and the Blakna influences are pervasive and unique.

Mandolini All'Opera - Napoli Mandolin Orchestra - 17.99
This second project by the ensemble from Naples, Italy presents some musical melodrama, reworking the tradition of the Italian plectrum clubs, which, between XIX and XX century, popularized the opera outside the legitimate theater. Her they take on a fantasia from Bellini, Verdi's Traviata, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Bizet's Carmen and others, all given a romantic yet visceral reinterpretation that is both antique and refreshing.

I virasolelhs - Lou Dalfin - 17.99
After a four year break, the Occitan band is back. The release of the I Virasolelhs (the sunflowers) is an opportunity to celebrate the twenty-five career of a band whose music has promoted the culture of the Occitan valleys of Piedmont. Guided by hurdy-gurdy maestro Sergio Berardo, Occitan music has come out of the local shadows to become known by global audience. Since the 90's, the band has put traditional instruments (hurdy-gurdy, accordeon, violin, horns) next to guitars, keyboards and drums, modernizing their music without radically changing their sound, keeping alive the traditional legacy of the valleys in which they were born.

Istanpitta: Danses florentines du Trecento - Henri Agnel - 17.99
Although the estampies are formally based on the scheme of verse and refrains, they allow for a certain degree of freedom. During the fourteenth century, music was mobile, composed then reinvented: improvisation, ornamentation and the art of preluding were the keynote. Henri Agnel directs the ensemble, and plays cistre, ceterina, oud; joined by Mickael Nick, quinton; Henri Tournier, flûte traversière (bansouri); Djamchid Chemirani, zarb; Idriss Agnel, oud

Contagio - Bandadriatica - 17.99
BandAdriatica focuses on the Adriatic Sea bands and Balkan fanfares, music for processions, carnivals and other events. This recording offers a hypothetical voyage around Adriatic sea port from Salento to Dalmatia, from Venice to Durazzo and out to the Greek islands. Marches and tarantellas, slavic dances and Greek night songs are given personal interpretations by this ensemble of brass, accordion, reeds, strings and percussion. Special guests: King Naat Veliov and the Kocani Orkestar

La Pegra A La Mateina La Bela E A La Sira La Bala - La Piva Dal Carner - 17.99
Songs and dances of Emilia, Italy

Materiali Tradizionali - BEV - Bonifica Emiliana Veneta - 17.99
2006 release by the Emilian-Venetian ensemble is a veritible ancient 'wall of sound' for hurdy gurdies, bagpipes, voices, reeds, horns, accordion and more.

Indie Mood - Chantsong Orchestra - 17.99
album dedicated to 1990s alterative Italian rock-pop. The classics comprised in the repertoire must not be mistaken as a mere rereading but come as a new fresh reinvention of the chosen tunes according to an innovative operation that sees some of the protagonists of the original releases directly involved. Those artists have put themselves to the test with great enthusiasm, resuming their – or their colleagues' – creations with the intention of shuffling the cards once again on a creative level, to remodel them and blow new life into them.

La Tarantella: Antidotum Tarantulae (SACD) - Lucilla Galeazzi, Marco Beasley,L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar - 17.99
A fascinating, original crossover of folk and classical, with the musicians of the Renaissance ensemble L'Arpeggiata joining the illustrious singers Galeazzi and Beasley, performed on modern and ancient instruments including chitarra battente, lutes, harp, psaltry. With Alfio Antico, Eero Palviainen, Marcello Vitale and many other fine musicians.

Se canta que recante: Chants des moments perdus en Massif Central - Bruno Bonhoure; La Camera delle Lacrime - 17.99
This recording explores the traditional music of the Occitan-speaking people of south-central France known as the Massif Central as well as the influence that the emigrants to Paris had on the music of their native region. Bruno Bonhoure gives a bold interpretation of some of those songs. He is joined by the charming voice of the Italian singer Patrizia Bovi. Fresh and alive, their interpretation brings out all the intrinsic beauty and lyricism of these pieces, which have all too often been diminished by false authenticity. / Bruno Bonhoure, voix and direction; Jean-luc Tamby, renaissance lute and mandora; Karim Touré, tambour sur cadre, tambourin, bendir and djembes, derbouka à cymbalettes, tambour of Sri Lanka

Alla Napoletana, Villanesche & mascherate - Suonare e cantare, Jean Gaillard - 17.99
Inspired by the work of Gian Domenico del Giovane da Nola (1510-1592), organist and later master of the church of the Annunciation in Naples. In addition to a number of madrigals and motets, he left a rich collection of Canzoni Villanesche (1545). These Canzoni Villanesche (or Napolitane) were songs on popular themes, originally written for three voices in the Neapolitan dialect. The texts are characterised by their burlesque or erotic inspiration, usually containing metaphors, popular proverbs, malicious or saucy puns, distorted words and various types of comical or meaningless onomatopoeia. The programme is enriched by a selection of varied instrumental pieces, featuring not only instruments that were fashionable during the Renaissance (recorders, post horns, reed instruments, violas, luths, guitars, percussions and bagpipes), but also typical Neapolitan instruments as colascioni, tammorri, tromba degli zingari and more.

All'Improvviso - Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata - 17.99
Working with sources from 17th century chaconnes to new compositions by artists like Lucilla Galeazzi, baroque harpist Christina Pluhar and her ensemble L'Arpeggiata offer an imaginative look at improvisation, joined by actor-singer Marco Beasley, vocalist Lucilla Galleazzi and jazz clarinetist Gianluigi Trovesi in traditional baroque grounds that demolishes conventional notions of 'crossover' music. With Gianluigi Trovesi, Marco Beasley, and Lucilla Galeazzi.

Lampo - Gianmaria Testa - 17.99
Little stories of everyday people and things are the singer's focus on this 2007 reissue of the 1999 recording: lovers in Rome, the moon, chestnut trees, chalk dust left on doorsteps to mark the steps of visitors. The album title alludes to both lightening and the flash of a camera: a luminous instant, short-lived, but leaving an indelible trace in one’s memory. Musicians include Glenn Ferris (trombone); Vincent Segal (cello); Riccardo Tesi (accordion) and Rita Marcotulli (piano), with David Lewis leading the ensemble.

Fellini - L'Uomo dei Sogni - Harmonia Ensemble - 16.99
Music from the films of Fellini performed by one of Italy's most respected new music ensembles

Il giardino di Sofia - Roberto Carlotti - 17.99
With Gabriele Coltri, Vincenzo Caglioti, Stefano Valla e Maurizio Dehò. Musician and composer Antonello Paliotti says: Roberto Carlotti defines himself a "non-professional man of music". This is probably what makes his CD not a product to be sold, not a demo, not a promo. It is neither Northern nor Southern music; it should be given as a present, just like the famous red horn-shaped amulets or talismans; it would be better to donate it just like you donate a bit of commonsense and joyful sounds. In other words, it is not a typical fucking-damned popular-ethnic product of the music recording industry. All the "professional men" who work in this field – with Paliotti in the front row – can learn something from this CD and from Carlotti. Thanks a lot, Roberto.

Sugnari - Ma'aria - 17.99
Ma'arìa are two extraordinary female voices, set to the rhythm of percussion and one guitar. With the poetry of Valeria Cimò, taken from the fragments of real life, they make powerful songs. Ma'arìa means witchcraft... incantesimo. And in their the magical formula they use potent ingredients to make a fascinating and vigorous musical statement.

Adalgisiana - Tandarandan - 17.99
The return of Tandarandan, two years after their marvelous 'Epata, music of the seasons' and focused on music for dancing in an homage to all the old musicians who they have met along the way.

Il Ritorno Alla Fede Del Cantante Di Jazz - Enrico Fink - 17.99
'The Jazz Singer's To Faith' is an exploration into Italian Semitic tradition from a decidely modern viewpoint by one of Italy's premier Jewish musicians. With Amit Arieli,clarinet; Stefano Bartolini,saxophones; Arlo Bigazzi,bass, Percussion, programming; Enrico Fink, voice, flute, programming; Alessandro Francolini, acoustic guitar; Filippo Pedol, double bass; Guglielmo R. Gagliano, programming and featuring Orio Odori and la Banda Improvvisa.

Tutti baci - Savina Yannatou and Elena Ledda - 18.99
The 2006 excursion by these superb Greek and Italian vocalists, includes Mauro Palmas and Primavera En Salonico. It's a bold statement, acoustic but agressively new.

Fugace - Gianluigi Trovesi Ottetto - 16.99
The Italian reed man in an all-Italian octet that celebrates the spirit of early jazz in a thoroughly contemporary context.

In cerca di cibo - Trovesi and Coscia - 16.99
duets for clarinet and accordion. Italy (ECM-2001)

Nadàl Encara - Cororchestra Cantarchevai - 17.99
A collection of Christmas carols from Italy and elsewhere, performed in a unique, sparse, modern folk style, an almost neo-field-recording atmosphere.

Sevastopol - Dire Gelt - 16.99
Naming themselves after a well-known Yiddish song (Rent Money), this Bologna Italy based kelzmer band has its own unique sound, steeped in the eastern European traditions but with a decidedly personal flair.

Les Italiens - Les Italiens - 16.99
A roots-style big band from Italy. They swing, they rock, they root and roll, and the sound moves from tarentella to mambo to ska with fluidity and humor.

Projeckt Jon - Projeckt Jon - 16.99
A strange one, this. An Italian studio freak pulls together a bunch of traditional Albanian musicisna dn singers and creates something swirling, electronic, dance-hall-trance-dancey weird.

Malmediterraneo - Cantodiscanto - 16.99
The 2003 release by this splendid Italian band offers an even deeper look into the broad spectrum of Mediterranean music that they mine to find gems for their for their powerful and beautiful musical devices.

Medinsud - Cantodiscanto - 16.99
Already a house favorite, the sinous, slinky Mediterranean sound of this Italian ensemble is rich and personal, with great musicians, great singers and great ideas.

Tangerine Café - Luigi Cinque Tarantual Hypertext O'rchestra - 16.99
fRoots says: 'definitely deep Mediterranean, even though it draws elements from further afield... staggeringly well integrated and arranged through all its different layers and levels... Wow!'

les voix des femmes - Giovanni Nuti and Co - 16.99
 A song-cycle focused on the voices of Lucia Lippi, Rossella Ruini and Emanuela Berti and arranged by Riccardo Galardini. Nuti has merged classical, popular, jazz and traditional vocal styles in a set of songs, accompanied by guitar, charango, mandolin, acoustic bass, flutes and violins.

Marannui - Epifani Barbers - 16.99
Mimmo Epifani and his ensemble of singers and musicians pay tribute to the soul of the taranta and the region of Salento of Italy.

Maschi Femmine And Cantanti - Corou De Berra - 16.99
The traditional vocal ensemble from France tackles more modern material by Italian poet/composer Fabrizio de André, although still delivered in a roots style. fRoots says: 'Courou de Berra sing with great precision and their dense harmonies approach a cappella, with the largely string-based accompaniment being little more than decoration. The vocals dominate the recording and are relieved only by the shortest of instrumental passages, which at times can be overpowering, but their voices make a glorious sound.'

Rumi - Lu (Luisa Cottifogli) - 16.99
Italian singer and composer Cottifogli returns in 2006 with a new solo project that expands on the explorations started in her superb (and sadly, out of print) Aio nene. Innovative arrnagements that delve into the 21st century via ancient roots are executed by a fine ensemble of piano, percussion, chitarra battente, guitars, flutes, electronics, reeds and strings, all focused on one of Italy's finest young voices. A heavier emphasis on samples and electronics is balanced by chorale vocals, classical strings and a total awareness of the roots of the music, be they sacred or profance. This is a unique and challenging recording that offers new rewards with each listen.

Cants e musicas del pais de lodeva - La Talvera - 17.99
This 2007 release carries on the tradition of Occitan music, but also ventures outside the roots with unique but always sympathetic arrangements. This recording features traditional songs all based on a mid-19th century manuscript by Jules Calvert. fRoots says 'The pride of Occitan delivers the goods gain with another stunning album.'

Pòble Mon Pòble - La Talvera - 17.99
2003 release by the noteable Occitania roots ensemble received the 'Choc de la musique' award from Bravo Trad Magazine

Marie Merci - Tabule - 17.99
Tabulè present from Salento both new and old, performed by Claudio Prima (accordion, vocals), Giuseppe De Trizio (mandolin and guitar) and Fabrizio Piepoli (vocals, guitars, bass, bouzouki), Vito de Lorenzi (tamburello), and Stefania Ladisa (violin).

La banda - Circo Diatonico - 17.99
A funambolico, a musical adventure with many references to Italian popular music, the Balkan, Neapolitan song, jazz and the great tradition of the country band, to evoke the special magic of a circus, the poetry of traveling in a caravan, the bravado of the trapeze, the chaos of the juggler, melancholy of the clown, the elegance of the high wire balancer. A sarabanda of voice and percussions surround the organetto of Clara Graziano, leader and composer of the group, making musical atmospheres of illusion, equilibrium and excitement of a day with the circus caravan. Listen to the music of the new circus: organetto, fanfare and jugglers!

Vagabondo - Gruppo Spontaneo Trallalero - 17.99
a celebration of the northern Italian tradition of 'circle singing,' the trallaleri vocal tradions of the region around Genoa, and a recording to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this ensemble. Listen

Fermarono i Cieli - Ambrogio Sparagna - 17.99
In the middle of the 18th century Alfonso Maria de' Liguori and his Redemptorist priests introduced hymns both in the local dialect and in Italian, based on popular songs, to teach the basics of Christianity. Many of the songs were related to Christmas-tide celebrations, as well as lullabies, pastorales for the zampogna (Italian bag-pipes), alms-seeking chants, and others. Sparagna preserves the original spirit of these traditional folk prayers with Peppe Servillo and a female vocal quintet, accompanied by the eclectic instrumentalist Erasmo Treglia and an trio featuring a giant zampogna (bagpipe), along with harmonium, tamburelli, organetto (accordion), ciaramella, ghironda, oboe barocco, violino and more.

25 anni Calicanto (2 CDs) - Calicanto - 24.99
Calicanto is one of the most important bands in the northern Italian folk musicscene. This double CD is an anthology of this amazing group, born in Padova 25 years ago. All the tunes in CD 1 were recorded live in 2006 and present favorites form the repetoire as well as songs never before recorded by the ensemble. The tunes in CD 2 are all original versions taken from the 12 CDs published by Calicanto, most of which are no longer in print or readily available. Highly recommended

Chilla Stilluccia Mia - Canti tradizionali in Abruzzo - Vol.4 - various (Taranta Etnica) - 17.99
Folk songs of Abruzzo: Domenico di Virgilio. The songs on this CD present the vocal repertory from the Abruzzo region and present both single multiple voice songs. These authentic recordings of the folk culture give a brief tour of the variety of spoken dialects of Abruzzo.

Rev - Meikenut - 10.99
A great new band that mixes tradition and innovation. The record presents Piedmontese traditional melodies in new arrangements

Il senso della Vita (The meaning of life) - Folkabbestia - 10.99
In the grand tradition of folk rock and acoustic madness that has swept Italy in the last decade, Folkabbestia certainly are destined to lead rather than follow. This six-piece ensemble rocks, roars, and rollicks their way through a traditional repetoire with little sense of decency or decorum, and the better they are for it! You'll hear tarantella, ska, jazz, rock and hybrids yet invented.

Lokshen: patrilineare - un racconto - Enrico Fink - 17.99
Jewish Italian composer Fink and his ensemble of clarinet, baritone and tenor sax, guitar, percussions and voice, retraces a journey through the culture and history of a generation of Italian and European Jews.

Enfants terribles - E.Y.F.O. - 8.99
The European Youth Folk Orchestra are the 'Enfants terribles'. This is a live recording of the first European youth orchestra of traditional music.

Cante Bergera (ES5319) - Betti Zambruno and Bartavela - 10.99
An extraordinary female string sextet busy with a repertoire inspired to the Teresa Viarengo's heritage. Upon every string, Betti Zambruno gives an example of her ability in playing the piedmontese vocal repertoire.

Live au Folkclub (ES5321) - Trio Contempo - 10.99
The powerful sensuality of tango mixed to the fascination of a female trio with accordeon, guitar and cello. Recorded at the well known club in Turin, this is the first live album for this young but very skilled ensemble, interpreting the repertoire of Astor Piazzolla.

Territoris amables (ES5318 - Urbalia Rurana and Maurizio Martinotti - 13.99
The best band from the Pais Valencian (Spain) and the leader of the well known group La Ciapa Rusa (Piedmont/Italy), involved together in a new project.

Macario, Parole E Musica - Raffaella De Vita and Roberto Cognazzo - 12.99
Macario, Words and Music presents the comic music of Turin-born singer Macario, called 'the comic who fell from the Moon.' These are songs taken from stage revues and films from 1938-1954, performed by vocalist De Vita and pianist Cognazzo, accompanied on some songs by guitarist Silvano Biolatti.

Cercando (ES5310 - Epinfrai - 10.99
Epinfrai is the project of four young musicians working on the repertoire of piffero, a sort of oboe used in the musical tradition of the northern part of Apennines, in the area called of the four counties. Starting from a deep knowledge of the development in the tradition of piffero in the last two centuries, once played with the Musa (a sort of bagpipe), then with the Italian accordion, Epinfrai is trying to give a new life to the tradition with the use of stylistic solutions taken by jazz, language that belongs to the musical training of some members of the band.

Stagioni - Lucilla Galeazzi - 10.99
A compilation of songs by Umbrian singer Lucilla Galeazzi with Massimo Nardi, guitar; Massimo Carrano, percussion; Antonio Ramous, cello/Salvatore Zambataro, accordion. Most of these songs are on her Lunario and Cuore di Terre CDs already available at cdRoots, but for newcomers to this wonderful Italian singer's work, this is a great collection of 18 acoustic gems.

Alhambra - Gabriele Coen and Atlante Sonoro - 17.99
Gabriele Coen is one of the founders of Klezroym. This is his second solo album with the Atlante Sonoro project.Featuring Pietro Lussu on piano, Marco Loddo on bass and Luca Caponi on drums, Gabriele Coen (soprano and tenor sax and clarinet) is exploring fascinating places the border lands between the sunny landscapes of Mediterranean music and contemporary jazz. This project also includes Lutte Berg on guitar, playing on two different tracks. The different pages of this Atlante Sonoro are Hebrew music from eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, various European jazz traditions and the arabesques of Alhambra.

Lengua Serpentina - Roberta Alloisio with Orchestra Bailam - 17.99
Italian vocalist Alloisio offers a project that joins an Oriental sound, the tempos of the Balkans, the chant-like singing of Genoa and lyrics taken from both classical and popular literature spanning from the XIII century to now. A rich mixture of different sounds is completed with arrangements of Franco Minelli and the Orchestra Bailam, with additional vocal help from another fine singer of baroque and ancient music, Marco Beasley. Highly recommended.

Siqiliah - terra d'Islam - Milagro Acustico - 17.99
Sicily, land of Islam is the ensemble's deeply researched, intelligent and personal recording, the final part of their trilogy of works dedicated to Sicily's Islamic heritage

Cammenann - SOS - 17.99
They blend Mediterranean sound and Neapolitan lyrics, and as they put it, 'contaminations melt down to create a half-caste and strange rock.' They start the journey in a Naple's neighbourhood, taking inspiration by the' 'Neapolitan Sound' of the 80’s (Pino Daniele, Avitabile, Senese, E’ Zezi and Almamegretta) and add Egyptian, Nigerian, Senegalese and Algerian influences to make a melting pot of styles, races, cultures and traditions.

U squatasce - I Tarantolati di Tricarico - 17.99
Five years after their unique Andamenare this Italian ensemble is back with another recovery of traditional music based on their research of the culture. The 'melos' (a kind of popular, spontaneous chant) is mixed with strong rhythms, traditional melody to create what they call 'a musical exorcism that remembers the ancient Dyonisia,' in a staunchly contemporary mix of ideas.

Venticinqueaprile (Live in Fossoli) - Klezroym - 17.99
In the town of Fossoli there are still visible traces of the Transit and Police Camp (Polizei- und Durchgangslager). Klezroym were invited by Associazione Ex-Campo Fossoli to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation from Nazi-Fascism. Klezroym offer their music in memory of this tragic history, and to reassert the importance of values like freedom, democracy and brotherhood. This CD contains the live recording of that concert as a way to commemorate the past and celebrate Kleroym’s 10 years in music.

Voce 'e mare - Nando Citarella and La Paranza - 17.99
Citarella and his ensemble Paranza offer a unique vision of the southern Italian tradition, steeped in Arab-Andalusian sounds, full of the sound of the human voice and the tammorra, vital and energetic. This is a collection of classic songs and liver performances done as only Citarella and company can do it.

Attinde - Calic - 17.99
A modern Sardinian band with strong folk roots and local instrumentation, but plenty of adventure. Instruments include bagpipes, ghirondha (hurdy gurdy), accordion, voices, bouzouki, guitar and percussion

Isettande - Tancaruja - 17.99
This is music refreshing, rhythmically interesting and musically well played. This ensemble from Sardinia has found their path by abandoning the electronics in favor of more wood and sinew. It has one truly treacly moment, but otherwise, I think the music speaks strongly for itself.

Mundis Imaginalis - Isola - 17.99
Lots of poetic license in this recording of Sicilian music by Iolanda Vacalebre (vocals), Nicola Rustica (guitar and vocals) and Giovanni Crispino (violin, violoncello and guitar).

Stari Most - Stefano Saletti and Piccola Banda Ikona - 17.99
The latest work by Stefano Saletti (founder and leader of Novalia) and the Piccola Banda Ikona, a newly formed group that brings together members of Nuklearte), Agricantus, Novalia, Nando Citarella Band, Acustimantico, Klezroym and others to explore the culture and language of the mediterranean basin in a most contemporary way.

Mari e Lune a Est Del Mondo - Ghetonia - 12.99
Music of the Grecìa Salentina, Salento, perfomed by one of the most repsected new ensembles reviving this griko (Greek-Italian) cultural tradition. This is a short 31 minute CD in a simple slip-case. No notes, just 7 fine pieces of music.

Ronde Noe - Nidi d'Arac - 17.99

Garage Tango - Gigi - 12.99
An evocation of bellows instruments (accordion, bandoneon, etc) are blended with pop-dance arrangements in an unusual and surprisingly satisfying montage. In this CD, the first 'virtual accordion' (Roland V-accordion) was used; its physical sound modelling technology enables the musicians to express their creativity to sweep unexplored musical genres. Luigi Bruti, who’s responsible for Roland’s musical laboratory, is also the author of this musical instrument.

Amore e Acciaio - Lucilla Galeazzi - 18.99
"love and steel" refers to the lyrical content of the songs presented here, about factory layoffs, famous murders, sons going off to war. But it is also a good description of the music of Lucilla Galeazzi. She has a huge heart that comes through in every note she sings, and those notes are powerful, full of the strength and wisdom of Italian roots. This 2006 recording confirms my opinion that among the firmament of Italian singers, Galeazzi still shines as bright as any.

variable/naturale - BEV - 17.99
The 2001 release from the Italian ensemble aka BonificaEmilianaVeneta

Sonos - Elena Ledda - 17.99
Sardinian vocalist uses folk roots to forge a daring new acoustic music

Mater Heart Folk - Rosapaeda - 17.99
Pugliese vocalist Antonella "Rosapaeda" Di Domenico is back, and as great as ever. From religious nursery rhymes to dub, from funk to Neapolitan-inflected melodies, rhythmic pizzica and more, she is at the peak of her artistic powers. Accompanying her are an excellent group of musicians that includes Eddi Romano on accordion and Domenico Lopez on classical guitar. Highly recommended.

Alguìmia - Franca Masu - 17.99
Modern songs with traditional elements of Alghero, performed by Sardinian singer Franca Masu accompanied by double-bass, accordion, mandolas, percussions, classic guitar, cello, ud and cajon, are some of the instruments that produce the clear and familiar sound of this region.

Taranteria - Mario Salvi - 17.99
The great Italian organetto (diatonic accordion ) player's 2004 release of traditional and orginal tunes and songs features a wonderful backing ensemble including Luciano Orologi (clarinett and sax), Giuseppe De Trizio (guitar and mandoin), Fabrizio Piepoli (voice, tamburi, electric bass) and guest appearances by Gisella Di Palermo, Antonio Esperti, Raffaele Inserra, Giandomenico Caramia, Carlo De Pascali, Adolfo La Volpe, Giampiero Mazzone.

Dea - Mau Mau - 17.99
The hard driving multi-culti band from Turin are back with a Brazilian inflection that always returns to Italy, particularly the Salento, and France. This 2007 release shows they are still the band to imitate in Italy!

U Diavule E L'acqua Sante - Uaragniaun - 17.99
The fifth album for Uaragniaun, a key group in the research and rediscovery of Southern Italian folk music. It has an unbelievably great cover, although I am not certain what it means... [Felmay]

Arcobaleno - Falafel Project - 16.99
A new ensemble born among the vineyards around Barolo and Barbaresco, led by well-known Piedmontese folk artist Silvio Orlandi. The record mingles traditional music with modern sounds, with trad concepts meeting rock and jazz.

La Fabrica Occitana - Gai Saber - 17.99
2006 release by this now well-seasoned young Occiantian folk rock ensemble of vocals, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, flutes, melodeons, djembe, derbouka, harp, drums, Provençal flutes, acoustic guitars, bodhran, samples and programming.

Tarantella Storta - Antonello Paliotti Trio - 17.99
Guitarist Paliotti and his trio take a chamber music approach to traditional Italian folk genres such as the tarantella, moresca, and serenata. Their sound is delicate and well defined, with finely crafted intersecting lines and inventive, ever-shifting tonalities.

The Trallaleri of Genoa - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 16.98
The longshoremen of Genoa perform in the exciting, full-throated, improvised style known as trallalero, a five-voiced male polyphony found only along the coast of Liguria. The parts (from high to low) being: falsetto, tenor, chitarra ("guitar"), baritone, and bass. Alan Lomax considered the trallalero singers '. . . the most perfect choristers in western Europe.'

Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 16.98
Alan Lomax's historic 1954 recordings from the mountains of Emilia-Romagna. Songs of farming, ballads of partisan struggle in World War II, songs of the women rice workers, dance music, age-old new year's songs, and excerpts from unique May rituals redolent of the poetry of the Italian Renaissance, recorded just as industrialization was forever changing the fabric of Northern Italian rural life.

Sicily - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 16.99
The voices and instruments of peasants, fishermen, shepherds, salt and sulfur miners, cart drivers, storytellers, and strolling players bring us murder ballads, dance music, lullabies, and a tale of battling knights: songs of love, work, and devotion connected to the yearly round. Recorded in the field in the 1950s, this historic document restores to us the colorful and dramatic universe of sound of the Sicilian past.

Abruzzo - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 17.99
Love begins with fine singing, says a line from a song from Abruzzo, a mountainous region of independent people in south-central Italy. Choral songs, a shepherd's leave-taking, holiday and alms-seeking rites, songs for work and courtship, lullabies, a nonsense incantation, funeral laments, narrative ballads, and dance music vividly evoke a vanishing rural life when everyday activity was accompanied by song.

Liguria: Baiardo and Imperia - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 17.99
Historic recordings featuring the spectacular vocal polyphony of western Liguria, a region of ports and hill towns, rich in folkloric traditions. This CD includes sung narratives, including selections from the remarkable A barca ceremonial ballad cycle of Baiardo, as well as instrumental dances from the port city of Imperia. Italian Treasury In 1954, Alan Lomax and Diego Carpitella set out on a yearlong voyage of discovery that resulted in an exhaustive documentation of Italian folk music.

Liguria: Polyphony of Ceriana - Italian Treasury / Lomax Collection - 16.99
Historic 1954 recordings from Alan Lomax's journey to Liguria's western Riviera, featuring performances by the Compagnia Sacco from the village of Ceriana: a unique and splendid vocal polyphony distinct from, and yet as exciting as, the Genoese trallalero. Italian Treasury In 1954, Alan Lomax and Diego Carpitella set out on a yearlong voyage of discovery that resulted in an exhaustive documentation of Italian folk music.

Portella della Ginestra 1947-1997 - Various Artists - 17.99
Published on the the 50th anniversary of one of the most bloody massacres of the Italian Republic, this document gives various viewpoints of the event, by a number of composers and performers including Taberna Mylaensis, Pino Veneziano, Francesco Giunta.

M'oli tin passiuna - Suoni e canti di Corigliano d'Otranto - Giovanni Avantaggiato - 17.99
In Corigliano d'Otranto, one of the most important towns of the Greca Salentina of southern Italy, there are several families or individuals who have cultivated a particularly intense musical heritage and who are reference points today for their fellow townspeople and for scholars. One of the most notable is Giovanni Avantaggiato, a musician with a lively personality, over 80 years old, who with his hand organ and his voice, is one of the most important repositories in all of the Greek-influenced area of the Salento.

Balli Popolari In Abruzzo Vol. 1: Saltarella E Spallata Dell'area Frentana - Various Artists - 18.99
An anthology of the popular dances of the southern Abruzzo. The Frentana region is one of the most interesting for the number, variety, and the physiognomy of the dances still in use (saltarella, spallata, 'ntricciariello, valzer scambiato, mazurka scambiato, serpetille, isciana, sciottë, cotta, danza, tre passi. The hand organ (organetto) is the instrument which predominates in the Abruzzo. Recordings from 1981 to 1991.

Plica Polonica - Carlo Muratori - 16.99
Contemporary folk from Sicily - The artist's says: 'I alternate my work between the research of ancient traditional music of Sicily and the composition of new songs. This is a compilation of these new songs, tales of my own life in Sicily: dreams, loves and the daily difficulties of life in sud Italy. The music is full of regional and cultural contaminations; it is a Mediterranean sound.

Amore e Odio - Banda Bassotti - 17.99
Heavy ska, roots and rock from an Italian band of guitars, bass, drums and horns - they're political, passionate and loud (think Negu Gorriak, Les Negresses Vertes and The Clash). If you have the 'need for speed,' this is the band for you.

Nòse amor - Laura Conti and Eivador - 16.99
Laura Conti & Eivadòr prsent music of Piedmont, Italy, with Maurizio Verna, a refined guitarist and arranger who gives a very personal touch to the tradional melodies of the region.

Pau i Treva - Fàbregas, Martinotti, Torregrosa, Sette - 16.99
It means 'Peace and Truce.' A thousand years after the famous medieval edict, war has become again a sad reality. Music cannot change the world, but it can surely throw little signals of peace, of social cohesion and this is the hope of this musical project, which gathers together musicians from Piedmont, Occitania, Catalunya and Pais Valencia, each one carrying his own store of personal experiences: Jordi Fabrégas, Maurizio Martinotti, Renat Sette, Toni Torregrossa, Paul James and many more!

63 Strings - 63 Strings, feat. Manomanouche - 10.99
A group of Italian musicians executes a musical raid into French Gypsy Jazz territory, joined by the well known Italian Gypsy ensemble Manomanouche and American harpist Park Stcikney. Nunzio Barbieri (acoustic guitar), Dino Contenti (upright bass) and Luca Enipeo (acoustic guitar) take on the obvious (Django Reinhardt) and some less well known turns as well (Domenico Modugno, Romane).

Da questa parte del mare - Gianmaria Testa - 17.99
The 2006 recording by the Italian troubadour with echoes of Paolo Conte and Leonard Cohen in his vocal delivery and his poetry. Musicians featured on the album include guitarist Bill Frisell, Gabriele Mirabassi on clarinet, Greg Cohen on bass and Paolo Fresu on trumpet. The booklet contains English translations of the lyrics.

Storie di fiume - Simone Guiducci and Gramelot - 17.99
The Italian guitarist once again explores Italian roots in his efforts to redefine Italian jazz, joined by Roberto Dani (drums and percussion), Salvatore Maiore (double bass), Fausto Beccalossi (accordion) and Achille Succi (clarinet).

Non occidentalizzarti - Orchestra Bailam - 17.99
This Genoa-based ensemble is full of surprises, rich in both novelty and tradition. Their passion for the music of the Balkans is enriched by their sense of musical adventure, from kletzmer to rebetiko, Balkan fanfares to Arabic classicism. The group includes Franco Minelli (guitar, 6 and 8-string bouzouki, oud, vocals), Edmondo Romano (soprano and alto sax soprano, clarinet, flutes), Roberto Piga (violin), Laca Montagliani (accordion), Luciano Ventriglia (drums, derbouka, percussion), Riccardo Barbera (double bass)

La storia si canta - Fabrizio Poggi and Turututela - 17.99
Singer, guitarist and harmonica player Poggi is back with new of songs, accompanied by Roberto G. Sacchi on accordion, Marco Rovino on guitar and mandolin, backing vocalist Odette Lucchesi and a great group of guest musicians, , offering an homage to rice pickers, factory workers, migrants, soldiers, the people who built 20th century Italy but whose names are absent from the history books. In reworking standards such as 'Bella ciao' (orignally dedicated to female rice pickers), 'Saluteremo il signor padrone' or 'Mamma mia dammi cento lire,' he helps rediscover the spirit of a time gone and forgotten. It's as romantic as it is determined. Listen

E Prite Tottu Custu - Tenore 'San Gavino' De Oniferi - 17.99
Sardinian polyphonic singing may be more familiar in this decade than in many times before, but it never loses its power to surprise and challenge the ear. They carry on the a tenore tradition, steeped in the music of their homeland, from literary inspired boche to ballu songs and muttos. Listen

Ambrogio Sparagna - Ambrogio Sparagna - 17.99
Another great recording from the Italian organetto (accordion) player, with a fine cast of guests including Francesco De Gregori, Teresa De Sio, Rita Marcotulli, Lucilla Galeazzi, Francesco Di Giacomo

Coppola Rosso - Antonello Paliotti - 16.99
The Red Cap is, as the artist puts it, "an autobiographic record which takes its name fron a theatre play with the same title. The play represent the world to which I have been a witness: the world I inherited from my ancestors, the world of war and poverty as experienced at home - unbelievable as it may seem - of those wanting to live and who found the strenght to laugh without second thoughts. Technically, Coppola Rossa is a study of the song as a musical form. It can be interpreted from at least two viewpoints: at first hearing, that of folk tunes, traditional or not. At a second, more in-depht approach, that of the classical processing of material taken from the popular tradition, or at least from my personal tradition: that of somebody in his forties, who grew up with Schoenberg, The Beatles, Debussy, Canfora, Mingus, Berg, Mina, Rota, Chaplin, Satie, Iviani, Brecht.... And so, Coppola Rossa is a tribute to these monuments, which, although intheir death throes, I still feel alive."

Musica Obliqua - Antonello Paliotti - 16.99
As the artist writes, this is "a record that presents the peaceful (and sometimes less peaceful) coexistence of my musical thoughts about ballet, cinema or simply about dreams." Performed by the Orchestra Collegium Philarmonicum directed by Gennaro Cappabianca.

Musica Da Ballo In Sicilia - various - 17.99
A mix of music for dancing performed in the last 80 years in various parts of Sicily. In addition to the performances recorded during recent research, the album presents historic recordings produced by immigrants in America from 1916 to 1939. Contraddanze, quadriglie, tarantelle, scotis, balleti, valzer, polke, and mazurka present an initial inventory of the many ethnic traditions of Sicily.

Balli Popolari In Abruzzo: Vol. 3: Musica tradizionale dalla Majella e dalla Val Pescara - various - 17.99
Folk music from the Majella and the Val Pescara: Abruzzo is a surprising territory which offers many repertories and a lively folk culture. In this central region, a cultural crossroads, there is a rich history of dance music: saltarella, ballarella, quadriglia, tre passi, danzo, scossë, valzer, polka e mazurka. Many of the pieces are performed by older musicians, in a traditional style which makes the recordings irreplaceable today.

Sacro Sud - Enzo Avitabile - 17.99
The Neopolitan reed player returns in 2006 with a powerful new recording of sacred songs from sourthern Italy, performed in sparse, all acoustic settings that evoke wonder and passion. The ensemble is stellar and includes Luigi Lai: Launeddas; Maurizio Martinotti: Ghironda; Mario De Rosa: Mandoloncello; Giancarlo Abbatiello: Chitarra Napoletana; Carlo Avitabile: Tamburi and two vocal ensembles: Cantori Del Miserere Di Sessa and Polifonica Alphonsiana. Highly recommended.

Transumanza - Daniele di Bonaventura and Alfredo Laviano - 17.99
 Daniele di Bonaventura, bandoneon and Alfredo Laviano, percussion

Ballo delle Valli Occitane d'Italia - Silvio Peron and Gabriele Ferrero - 17.99
Traditional folk tunes from various parts of the Occitane valley of Italy, performed in duets by fiddler Ferrero and accordionist Peron, accompanied on three tracks by ghironda, clarinet and another violin.

Vene il sabado e vene il venere... - La Macina - 17.99
A classic piece of Italian roots music from 1981 is reissued on CD in 2006. This was the first recording by this quartet of strong voices, accompanied by guitar, dulcimer, accordion, tamburello and other small percussion.

Adagio - Antonio Paolo Pizzimenti - 17.99
Unlike his previous recordings, which were both sountracks for film or theater works, this is an original work conceived as a multimedia piece (the CD includes a video 'story'). All the music is composed and performed by Pizzimenti, with the voice of Simona Barbero punctuating some of the tracks. It is all stark, moody and cinematic, as Pizzimenti's work always is.

Il Valzer dei Disertori - Baraban - 17.99
The Italian folk group's 1987 recording, reissued.

Apologia Di Un Canovaccio - Neaskene - 17.99
The debut (2006) by a young band from Ravenna, Italy. Fronted by singer Sara Cicognani. Neaskenè work within and without the tradition, mixing jazz, ethnic music, other national idioms and original writing. Tammorre (traditional drums), fretless electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and other local and global instruments are merged to create a distinctively "pop" sound with a real edge and solid roots.

Andamenare - Tarantolati di Tricarico - 17.99
This 1996 recording is from one of the older groups of the new taranta scene in southern Italy. Led by painter, poet, architect, theater director, anthropologist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Antonio Infantino, they merge the raw percussive and male vocal energy of the traditional music with guitars, keyboards and other instruments, without ever losing sight of the main point of the music, to create a mood of social ecstasy. This band has been at the forefront of the taranta and political song movement in southern Italy since the 1960s. They've still got it!

Ricuordi - Massimo Ferrante - 17.99
The twelve-string guitarist and singer is back with another collection of pieces from southern Italy - songs of protest and social themes, stornelli - folk tales, celebrations and dance tunes accompanied by an outstanding group of musicians: Francesco Migliaccio (accordion), Enrico Del Gaudio (drums), Roberto Giangrande (double bass), Francesco Banchini (clarinet), Rino Saggio (flute and sax), Leonardo Massa (cello).

Andrea Sacco suona e canta [book/CD] - Enrico Noviello [author] - 19.99
"The story of the singer and storyteller from Carpino" is a CD and book set that covers the life and music of the great Italian musician and singer, who died in March of 2006. The 128 page soft-cover book, written in Italian (no translations), includes lots of photos along with a detailed history. The accompanying CD is 21 tracks recorded from 1966 through 2002. Forwards by Franco Cassano and Salvatore Villani.

Diomedee - Livio Guardi and Wilson Montuori - 15.99
Guitar and vocal duo from Florence mixes Tuscan roots with many contemporary guitar styles, accompanied on some tracks by percussion, flute, bass, harmonica, mandolin and bouzouki

Thaspos - Riccardo Tesi and Banditaliana - 17.99
Melodeon master Tesi does it again, with a brilliant set of tunes and songs that span the globe for inspiration and then land squarely in Italy for execution. A band of melodeon, guitars saxophones and percussion is ably augmented by guests on bass, strings, reeds, vocals and percussion. Highlights include a tribute to Malagasy valiha player Justin Vali, and a phenomenally moody and beautiful 'Penombre' (That by the way had its debut as a solo piece on last year's Free Reed Festival on RootsWorld!) Order now because these will probably run out fairly quickly.

Verso la Notte - Fortunato Giordano - 10.99
Musica di Sicilia Vol 1: Cantastorie

Zahir - Bizantina - 17.99
In the 1990s singer Anna Granata (of Elianto and some of Riccardo Tesi's recent projects) formed this Italian 'big band' to play a cross-European-mid-eastern mix.

Aquamare - Franca Masu - 17.99
The wonderful singer from the Sardinian region of Alghero (whose inhabitants speak Catalan) returns with a solid new recording of folk songs in a jazzy, contemporary vein, with a equally solid acoustic ensemble of guitars, mandocello, accordion, reeds, acoustic bass and percussion.

Una banda di pezzenti - Daniele Sepe - 18.99
A full-blown modern jazz recording from the Neapolitan saxophonist and musical revolutionary and his ensemble of musicians and singers. There are the usual Arabic, Mediterranean and Italian roots, the requisite Sepe-reggae, but they are sumblimated on this recording, serving the larger goal of making a sometimes terse, sometimes lush contemporary jazz sound with an edge of social/political commentary.

Strumenti Di Pace: Live - Luca Di Volo and Claudia Bombardella - 17.99
A powerful recording of new music composed and performed by Di Volo (saxophones, clarinet and voice) and Bombardella (viola, accordion, voice and tuba), with a small chamber ensemble of percussion, strings, reeds, bombard, cornmuse and more.

Crinali - Riccardo Tesi and Claudio Carboni - 17.99
Riccardo Tesi (accordian) and Claudio Carboni (sax) of Banditaliana reach into the traditional music of Bolognese Apennines for ballads, polkas, mazurkas, tangos, traditional dances, work songs, lullabies and more for this recording of la tradizione musicale dell'Appennino bolognese in cerca di mare...

Paesaggi Lontani - Claudia Bombardella Ensemble - 17.99
An eclectic musician, singer and composer Claudia Bombardella plays various instruments (baritone sax, clarinets, tuba, accordion, steel drum). Joined by her ensemble of voices, violin, cello, bass, accordions, giutar and mandolin, they bring ancient folk songs and new compositions to life through their varied backgrounds of classical, folk and jazz. Complex, creative, rich and beautiful, and all recorded live.

La Valle dei Saraceni - Tendachent - 17.99
Tendachënt returns in 2005 to continue their exploration of the mediterranean traditions that have mixed with their Piemonte history. Founded by Maurizio Martinotti's band (also the founder of the seminal Italian ensemble, La Ciapa Rusa), Tendachent is one of the foremost modern folk ensembles in Italy today, and with this recording, the legend grows. If you like folk-rock and roots-folk in all its stripes, this one is recommended.

Li Turchi Viaggiano - Media Aetas / Roberto De Simone - 18.99
The first new work since 1978 by the founder of Compagnia di Canto Popolare, Roberto De Simone. Italian folk, classical and avant garde all converge in this marvelous new work.

Al Temps de Festa an Occitania - Lou Dalfin - 21.99
A DVD of two hours of music from a concert by this agressive and unique Occitanian band, recorded live in in Torino Italy plus 2 short documentaries on the history, poetry, dances, instruments and music of the Occitanian Valleys in Italy. Texts in Italian, English and French introducing the geo-political aspects of the Valley, the band and its discography.

Diario Mali - Ludovico Einaudi and Ballake Sissoko - 18.99
I am, to be honest, not quite sure what to make of this one. Italian classical-crossover pianist Ludovico Einaudi and Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko seem to have found a uniquely odd collaorative place, one that often borders on the George Winston-ian but just as often finds a smooth, incessant blues groove. It never quite explodes, but in its own gentle way it does probe.

La Santa Notte Dell'oriente - Baraban - 17.99
Christmas songs and melodies by the quintet Barabàn from Milan. From Christmas Eve to Epiphany, eleven tracks show vocal or intrumental tunes, rhymes and sounds: from traditional rites of Northern Italy from the Po Valley, songs usually performed in the cowsheds during the watches of the night, pastorelle played in the foggy nights around Milan, pive from the repertoire of travelling musicians, Christmas carols from Venetia and Friuli, begging songs of Romagna, Gregorian airs, songs performed during a traditional theatrical piece called Gelindo, the Stella repertoire from Lombard mountains, sounds and noises of Befania rite. La Santa Notte dell'Oriente is not, however, a pure nostalgic disc. Far from any ethnic revival, the band plies a contempory musical course mixing bagpipes, fiddles and melodeons with a range of Mediterranean and Eastern percussions.

Vai Facile - Abnoba - 17.99
The debut recording by a marvelous group of Italian musicians - Vincent Boniface (clarinet, bagpipes, flutes), Simone Bottasso (melodeons), Paolo Dall'Ara (bagpipes, flutes, tarota), Pietro Numico (piano), Marco 'Mammo' Inaudi (bass guitar) and Giovanni 'Zap' Delfino (percussion) - brings the roots of Italy into a modern roots fusion that remains true to heritage while incorporating the music of France and many modern touches. .

Danza Libera - Elianto - 17.99
From many different places in Italy, Mino Cavallo (guitar), Claudio Carboni (sax), Anna Granata (vocals), Ettore Bonafè (percussion), Amedeo Ronga (bass) and an impressive guest list including Riccardo Tesi, Maurizio Geri, Alfio Antico, Alessandro Danelli and many others, perform Italian music that spans a lot of genre and geography. Listen

Marinaresca - La Moresca Antica - 17.99
Traditional Italian music from the maritime traditions, performed by one of the most respected revivalist bands in Lombardy. This CD was originally released in 2000, and is reissued in 2006.

Ël giardin dl'amor - Quartetto Tamborini - 17.99
This Italian folk-string quartet is back with their 2006 recording. Already appreciated for their interpretation of music that spans classical and folk traditions, the ensemble dedicates this latest disc to some Piedmontese composers of the XIX and XX Centuries.

Live - i Viulan - 17.99
i Viulàn presents traditional music from the Appennines of Tosca-Emiliano.

La Finestra Dell'Ultimo Piano - Paroplapi - 17.99
Canzoni Popolari Dell'Arco Alpino

La Corsa - Radicanto - 16.99
Now truly a rock band with a Salentine heart, Radicanto's 2005 excursion explores the sound and fury of sourthern Italy with an ear to the global pop music scene.

Da lontano - Eugenio Bennato - 16.99
Taranta power returns on this 2005 release by one of Italy's best-known roots innovators. The band is, as always, stellar: Bennato on vocals, mandola and classical guitar with Erasmo Petringa, cello, lute, mandolincello and guitar; M'barka Bentaleb, vocals and percussions; Zaina Chabane, vocals; Roberto Menonna, guitare battente and vocals.

Canzoni in forma di fiore - Piccola Bottega Baltazar - 16.99
The 2004 recording by this sophisticated ensemble from Padua, Italy features Marco Toffannin on accordion, Giorgio Gobbo on guitar and vocals, Sergio Marchesini on painao and accordion, Antonio De Zanche, aka 'the Mayor' on double bass player and Massimo Aiello on drums and percussion, with some interesting guest coloration like duduk, saxophone and such. The songs are all original this time around, but they maintain a dream-like quality of time passing and the mellowness of a proper aging.

Poco Tempo,Troppa fame - Piccola Bottega Baltazar - 16.99
Subtitled 'Omaggio a Fabrizio de André,' this is the first recording by the band from Veneto, Italy. It's a svelte production of songs by the songwriter de André that quotes French chanson, Italian folk, bits of jazz and even a touch of tango, played out by a small ensemble of voice, two accordions, guitar, bass and percussion, with a little trombone and violin added for color.

In Cerca di Grane - Ariondassa - 17.99
Traditional music and songs of the Piedmont by an ensemble whose musicians have played with some of the most important bands of the region (Tre Martelli, Ombra Gaja, La Kinkerne, La Ciapa Rusa)

Vorrei Ballare - Ambrogio Sparagna and La Bosio Big Band - 17.99
The Italian accordionist explores 'Tarantelle e serenate dagli Appennini' in his own compositions and traditional songs and ballads, joined by a BIG banda organetti (melodeons - I count about 15-20?) with percussion, harp, voices, bass, ciramella and chitarra battente. It's quite a sound!

Truffe and other sturiellett’ vol. 2 - Daniele Sepe - 17.99
(in)complete clasical and films musik by the Neopolitan composer and saxophonist explores a strange cinematic landscape in 34 vignettes for films he was (often) not hired to score. Sepe's 2004 donation to the outside edge fo musical roots. And how can you say 'no' to that cover!?

La Chanson Napolitaine - Roberto Murolo - 33.99
A 2 CD set presents a wide range of Neapolitan popular music, all sung by the great Roberto Murolo. Murolo, who died in 2003 at the age of 91, was responsible for bringing the sounds of Italy to the world through such songs as "O Sole Mio" and "Cu'umme." More importantly, he is credited with influencing many Italian musicians with his brand of Neapolitan song based on traditional Italian folk roots. This 35 song set covers examples from his whole recording career. Includes French and English notes on the life of the artist.

Lesamore - La Banda Improvvisa w/ Sepe and Kokko - 17.99
The remarkable Italian 'municipal orchestra' in a concert that is nothing like you have heard on your town square. Powerful performances by excellent musicians, and joined by two legendary guests, saxophonist is joined by Daniele Sepe and singer Auli Kokko. It's challenging, romantic, funny and great fun.

Pratomagno Social Club - La Banda Improvvisa - 17.99
It may look like it on first glance, but is is not your mother's municipal band. Giampiero Bigazzi's La Banda Improvvissa is a notorious big band with a bad attitude, taking the music of Italy's community orchestra to a new leverl with daring adventure. This time around they have invited violinist Blaine L. Reininger and zingane masters Kocani Orkestar along for the ride and the results of this live concert are surprising and completely original.

Nichil. - Trio Aldo Nichil - 17.99
Music from the film 'Pizzicata' by Eduardo Winspeare. Simple and direct music from Salento performed by guitarist Nichil and a trio of 2 female voices and tamburello.