Municipale Balcanica

• country:
  Italy
• style(s):
  Balkan Klezmer
• label:
  Felmay srl
• type:
  Band
• artist submitted by:
  Red Orange

Municipale Balcanica was born in 2003, and after a substantial live activity, publishes his first album in 2005 with the Italian label Ethnoworld. The debut album is "Foua", in which the MB starts a lively and profound synthesis of Tzigane, Yiddish Klezmer and Eastern Europe sounds and the most radical and warm music from its homeland, Puglia, in southern Italy. The cd has been soon known not only in Italy but also and especially abroad where the reinterpretation of some famous tunes of Yiddish tradition made MB a new reality in the international world music scene. The prestigious journal International Folk World, assessed MB' s 'Hava Nagila' as "one of the best interpretations heard among thousands of last three decades." The approach to the ancient melodies are original and distinctive, because each musician has a very personal and peculiar musical culture. The entire brass section of the MB, for example, started its musical experience in the traditional marching band from the town of origin, which is why its expression is so powerful and vivid in the traditional Europeans tunes, and why it explodes in exciting solos included in the new arrangements. Similarly, the rhythm section gave new strength to the tracks, supporting this involving and incisive way of playing old tunes. The result is surprisingly compact, and gives new expression and new meanings to these songs. So the influences of rock, jazz and more free testing are involved in enchanting melodies now exotic, now frenetic and crazy. In 2006 the MB remains with its final and definitive line up, and continues to increase its credibility mainly thanks to its overwhelming and impressive LIVE performances. So the band has been appreciated and in sophisticated Jazz festival and in crazy Folk gatherings too in Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland. In 2008, evolving its sound without distorting it, Municipale Balcanica publishes ROAD TO DAMASCUS for the label FELMAY, a product made of a few, vital, traditional songs and many other original tunes, some more rooted with a classical taste, others with the courage of the experimentation.



DISCOGRAPHY:

- "Contra-dizione" (2004)
- "Foua" (2005)
- "Gypsy Beat and Balkan Bangers vol.2" (2007)
- "Road to Damascus" (2008)



LINE UP:

Armando Giusti aka Lillo: alto sax
Michele de Lucia aka Delux: clarinet
Nico Marziale aka Prez: percussion
Raffaele Piccolomini aka Tatta: tenor sax
Giorgio Rutigliano aka Jojoku: electric bass
Paolo Scagliola aka Paolo: trumpet
Luigi Sgaramella aka Miccetta: drums
Raffaele Tedeschi aka Raffawow: electric guitar



REVIEWS:

"Even though the band has played together for only three years and released only one record, it is already considered one of the emerging giants of the world-fusion. Early inspirations of Municiple Balcanica focused around Balkan music traditions, including elements of bohemian and klezmer music and being a synthesis of the Eastern European sound and warmer tones of Southern Italy. However, the young musicians very quickly began experimenting, reinterpreting and modernising, in order to add new flavour to traditional tones and achieve a unique sound. In their music exotic melodies are subtly interlaced with jazz, rock and experimental elements, sometimes turning into crazy, atonal sounds." The Baltic Sea Cultural Centre

"If you have read my other reviews of klezmer and brass cd's, you might have noticed that it's not easy to record a cd in this style that gets above the average. This Municipale Balcanica band from Italy is one of the few that goes much further than the standard middle of the road brass music. The band was formed in 2003 and they describe themselves as a band that collects the sounds from the east, the music of happiness and sorrow and melt them with the harmonies of their homeland. This Foua (Macedonian for thanks) is, and again I quote, a fairytale and a cry. And somehow that is exactly what it is. The cd is fascinating and sounds like a magical story told in music and words. It is a mixture of hardcore brass music with both emotional and happy twists. I love Dio E zingaro which starts with a women telling a story which ends in a chaotic mixture of brass and screaming. From the first song Arclecchino the band surprises me with weird twishts, brilliant arrangements and most of all, energetic and beating brass music. It has female vocals in Bulgarian style, down to earth male vocals, swinging French melodies and intense Hebrew songs. Hebrew song? Yes, this band did have the courage to record Hava nagila in such a way that it gets high above all the thousands of other versions I heard during the past 35 years. Foua is a must have cd for all these people who are into brass and like chaotic, inventive and powerful music. Highly recommended" (FolkWorld)

"With a strong Balkanic sound, the Italian band Municipale Balcanica is made up of 10 talented musicians (along with frequent guests) who each bring their own unique experiences and traditions to their music. Their high-energy performances are legendary and the band tours extensively. "Foua" is the title track from their album and it will give you an idea of the joy and beautiful music created from a combination of passion and tradition." (BeatPick - UK)

"They are particularly at home in Romania and in the bordering regions of the former Republic of Yugoslavia.With the films of the director Emir Kusturica, brass bands like the Kocani Orkestar or Fanfare Ciociarlia became fashionable and trendy. And the members of Municipale Balcanica race through their musical scores at a similarity neck-breaking and breath-taking pace as the musicians in these bands.However Municipale Balcanica comes from the other side of the Adriatic or, to be more exact, from Puglia in southern Italy. Following some very successful performances at home, orchestra came to Germany for the first time to Stuttgart in summer of 2005 and further performances followed. And everywere they go, their audiences are filled with pure delight and sheer exuberance, and perhaps for the very reason of wood and brass instrumentalists are capable of arousing so infinitely much mure pleasure and enthusiasm than is usually the case here in Germany with its very traditional brass music. German audiences are never presented with such furious fireworks of weird rythms and mixed harmonies as there - in the Balkans or, well, in Italy too." (Jazz Ahead - Germany)

"Municipale Balcanica are an off-the-wall Southern Italian Klezmer band. If you like klezmer then you are sure to like them. Hava Nagila is a traditional Jewish wedding song and you might just have heard it before...." (CCHITS)

"They mix Balkan, klezmer, and Italian styles and come up with a fairly distinctive sound (at least, I've never heard anything quite like it). Their first album, Foua, has a nice recording of Hava Nagila." (Teruah-JewishMusic USA)

"Hot rhytms from the Balkans mixed in...Italy with Gipsy, Mediteranean and Klezmer themes in the most surprising and fresh way by a band of 14 energetic musicians lead by "Il Maestro" Livio Minafra. Goran Bregovic fans will like it" (Jazz World Quest - Usa)

"Italian band Municipale Balcanica draws its inspiration from Eastern European Gypsy and Klezmer music. Their sound is unconventional, zany at times. The group combines clarinet and brass with a powerful rhythm section and electric instruments." (World Music Central - USA)

"..Municipale Balcanica, which published recommendable CD on the Italian label with Foua a straight Ethnoworld." (jazzthetik.de)