Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
The Alta California group is as close to ballo liscio as you'll get in terms of the more 'roots' music dating back to at least the interregnum era and the Bear Flag Republic etc. The Missions like to present their style of music--a fusion of the traditional European dances with some jalapeno spices for good measure. "Fandango at Sonoma" with Los Californios is the CD I bought many years ago. Recorded 1996 for the Institute for Tradtional Studies [dot] org. Check 'em out. They'be got the samba, contradanza, tarantella etc and diatonic accordion. Hey David, I just noticed you as an orchestra musician. I never knew that so I'm glad we were led astray by this discussion. It simply reinforces how influential these dances have been.
It is one of my favorite CDs. I am always drawn back to it. original songs traced back to their origin. Just my kind of music! Authentic Old California music with a twist of lime! yep, see you at the Flamingo!
Mercy!
Disc still available on Amazon.
I just bagged one.
Thanks Sheri and David!
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Yep, that's it! you won't be disappointed. Did Dirty Linen review it a while back? I wonder.
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
Great news! This Monday my new book goes to the printer. Then i will be uploading 43, count 'em, 43 titles from the Ninth series of Pietro Tesio's mandolin catalog! In my chapter on Tesio in "italian Mandolin Heroes in America", i discuss how Tesio was trying to reach out to a more international audience and so he sold titles to Century Publishing in Toronto and Manhattan. Identical in every way with Tesio. They even used his publishing frame on the cover sheet and the identical numbering system. These titles in their original box were found in Los Angeles. I'll try to post photos of all this soon!
I'm going to have to temper my enthusiasm. The 43 titles are from Century (which Tesio used to distribute his titles) but they are all in the ASP tradition and not relevant to the Italian dance tradition. I may go ahead and scan. When that's done, I will create a new publisher folder under CENTURY. None of the titles are to my taste (even if several derive from Tesio's original publication). It's obvious to me these were written for an American audience in the fading post-Victorian decade.
Sorry to disappoint, I was really hoping there were more Tesio's in the bunch. After I go through them, I might find some arranged by Tesio but right now, it's a bust.
ITALIAN AUDIO FILE UPDATE where you can download mp3s. The Index is located in this folder as well. Happy Thanksgiving! we are so grateful that someone even bothered to record these priceless examples of the passions for love and for war!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9zhxeekpy...Zb9lDzWUa?dl=0
Two new recordings…and more on the way. Descriptions provided by Norman Giorno-Calapristi. Index updated--see attached. Both titles appeared in the Di Bella music catalog.
“Al Campo”
It is Joseph Gioč's March--"Al Campo"---( which we--here in Philadelphia and in NYC translated as "To the Battlefield"---it was recorded in 1935 here in Germantown at the "Risveglio"--Lodge--(No 15)---another Irredentist Lodge--meaning ""Reawakening"---!!!!!! What a name for an Italian Club.......Read between the lines.........!!!!!
The performers are the usual suspects....
"I Vagabondi Di Germantown"-----
Luigi Giorno M1
Joe Grosso---(Peppinnuccio)--M2
and Tony Colangelo--Guitar...
“Giardin D’Amore” Luigi Canoro
As above 1935
Who: same
"Giardin D'Amore"--Waltz. Was the B- Side--- of the same 78rpm disc recorded in 1935 here in Germantown at the same function---- at the same Club----"Risveglio"----honoring Italy's conquest of Ethiopia-(Abbissinia in Italian).
just uploaded two more NEW audio recordings into this folder:
"Italia Mia" recorded in July 1960 and Frank Trombetta performing on "Speranze Perdute" c. 1930.
I will update the Index once I get the details on these reordings.
Added a recording made in Di Bella's store on E. 116th Street in May 1956. It is only an excerpt (the trio) and an adlibbed section that was not published by Di Bella. Players are unknown at this point. "Gentil Pensiero" (Di Bella's #1 dance in his mandolin catalog)
and you can also download "Africa polka" performed from a manuscript (unknown assigned personnel, place, composer, publisher). Uploaded updated Index, too.
Again, anyone can access the link I published in post #488. You don't need a Drop Box to download from my Drop Box. It's helpful but not mandatory.
just added two new titles and an updated index to the Italian Audio files
1. Un Pensiero di Notturno De Stefano in De Stefano folder if you're looking for sheet music
2. Pensiero d'Amore --by Persico in the Tesio folder--if you're looking for sheet music.
CORRECTION:
1. Un Pensiero di Notturno by Persico is in Tesio folder if you're looking for sheet music
2. Il Pensiero d'Amore --is in De Stefano folder--if you're looking for sheet music.
I haven't been online here for a while but wanted to share a couple of mazurkas I attempted from the drop box. They're rough, but you have to start somewhere, right?
Also, I hadn't fully appreciated the challenges of multitrack recording before this project so I'm trying to figure that out as well.
Appreciate any tips or other resources for this style. I hope to start another tune after the holidays.
https://soundcloud.com/user-12772997...alian-mazurkas
Great job on both of these numbers! "Complimenti"!-- For a beginner as you claim, you truly render these pieces with a lot of feeling and that Italian feeling and spirit definitely comes through !! Your respect for the dynamics and musical indications is commendable.!!!!
These seemingly musically "simple" compositions are by no means easy to play ---they "trick" many musicians--beginners as well as some so-called veterans.
I grew up here in Philly hearing these pieces played almost 24/7 day in day out in my own house by my grandfather Maestro Luigi Giorno and his group and in many of the houses in my Italian neighborhood of Germantown.
Please keep up the good work---I hope to hear many more of your recordings. And yes I know that track recording is difficult but yours are in perfect synch !!!
The Gioč and Canoro compositions are indeed a good place to start with. They are among the most beautiful and most Southern italian sounding--- of almost all of the composers --as well as those composed by Maestro DiBella and therefore the very best!!!!!!
I also recommend visiting the Audio File Collection on the "ballo liscio" thread. There is even an accompanying list of the performers, composers, publishers ( when known)--and year if each if these vintage historic recordings. There are many vintage recordings of these beautiful mazurkas, waltzes, polka, and marches recorded during from the 20s thru the late 70s here in Philly, NYC, and elsewhere. You can get a true feeling for the rythym, flow and overall spirit of this music by actually listening to the actual original musicians and composer's recordings.
A guitar added to your beautiful m1 and m2 parts would complete your beautiful delivery and render them exactly as the composers intended them to be delivered--in trio form.!
A piano following the actual guitar music as written could serve as a great accompaniment (as I have done on many of the recordings )also if one chooses. But the guitar is the best accompaniment.
Again, Bravissimo e Mille Grazie for these 2 gems you have recorded !!!!!!
Sincerely,
Normani Giorno-Calapristi
Philadelphia PA.
PS--If this musical tradition is to continue it is up to musicians in your age group and musical calibre to adopt it and to continue it. Not every musician is capable of eliciting the refined nuanced subtleties--that this seemingly simple music demands! You have it!!!
PS---The faulty cellular device that I originally listened to these impeccably rendered pieces on m, did not pick-up the beautiful subtle and expressive guitar accompaniment, just the beautiful mandolins---
I just listened to them on my PC with it's great speaker system and the beautiful expressive guitar accompaniment was heard loud and clear ! You are also a great guitarist -capable of doing justice to these beautiful compositions.!!!
My compliments again!
Normanno Giorno--Calapristi
Gioč's Sicilian roots come through with both these dances. I was pleased that you played from the guitar part and ignored the chord symbols in the mandolin 1 part. Often these chord symbols were sloppily applied--a short cut--but they're often just plain wrong. In "Flavia" the third measure is voiced as "Bb major" with "D" (the third) in the root. When that measure is correctly executed, the beauty of that progression from minor, to major, and back to minor yields a lovely surprise to the ear. Exquisite harmonic progressions must be adhered to achieve the complexity and nuance of these dances and I'm happy to say that you've achieved that in both dances. The layered chromaticism of the "Stella" mazurka reinforces my belief that these dances are more on the cusp of classical than folk. The subtle, textured Arabic flavors enhance the melody. Napochan, BRAVO! and thank you for posting these two quintessential Sicilian village dances.
Thank you so much! Your comments are encouraging. First though, I suspect from your PS comment that my soundcloud profile pic may be, er… a bit misleading. That was taken a long, long time ago, whereas now I have significantly less hair and half of what's left is gray.. Still, the music should live on!
My grandparents came from Sicily, so I'm not surprised I chose a composer representative of that region! My uncles and cousins would bring out the mandolins and guitars at many family gatherings when I was growing up so rediscovering this music has been a joy for me. While the recordings were me playing all parts, I found another mandolin player and a guitarist from a local guitar club who joined me on both these songs at recent meetings. Their last comment to me was "What's next?", so now to find another gem in the collection. I will check out the Canoro pieces as suggested.
One other clarification, my primary instrument is the acoustic guitar. I played mandolin briefly many years ago and only recently picked it up again with renewed interest in the music of my heritage.
Thanks again for the references. I will check things out.
---Tom Napoli
Rochester, NY
...Tom
Plays: Gibson A40 ('56), Breedlove American KF ('11), Weber Yellowstone Mandola ('12)
Says: So many instruments out there, and so little time!
Mandophile, I so appreciate this group sharing their knowledge of this instrument and genre. It makes the whole experience more enriching. BTW, I couldn't find a recording of "Stella" to guide me but I'm glad I chose it. Besides, it was my mother's name so I really couldn't pass it up!
...Tom
Plays: Gibson A40 ('56), Breedlove American KF ('11), Weber Yellowstone Mandola ('12)
Says: So many instruments out there, and so little time!
Who knows! I'd have to investigate the provenance. Never trust chord symbols--they just can't reflect the voicing intended
by the composer (and especially those composers who excelled as pianists and teachers of the piano). Both Maestros Gioč and Canoro were wonderful pianists.
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