Nico Morelli

• country:Italy
• style(s):Ethnic, Jazz
• label:Cristal Records
• type:Band, Composer/Songwriter
• gender:male
• instrumentation:instrumental
• artist posted by:MoVingMusic

Line up

• Alessandra Mariano (dance)
• Bruno Ziarelli (drums)
• Mathias Duplessy (guitar, flute, berimbao & percussion, voice)
• Nico Morelli (piano)
• Stéphane Kerecki (double bass)
• Tonino Cavallo (tambourine, Italian rhythm guitar, mandolin, casta)

Links

• official website

"Un[folk]ettable - Pizzica&Jazz Project"

"Un(folk)ettable" containing the word "folk" and a reference to one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of jazz: the unforgettable standard, "Unforgettable" composed by Irving Gordon and made famous by the timeless crooner-pianist Nat King Cole.
Un(folk)ettable" is a title that defines the goal of this musical project: to blend the traditional "Pizzica Salentina" (the best-known ancestor of the southern Italian "Tarantella") with the American sounds of jazz.
Both musical styles and cultures, though seemingly worlds apart, actually have a lot in common: popular origins, rhythm, improvisation and a close link to their people's history. One came from the cotton fields, the other from the farmlands of southern Italy; both included workers suffering from exploitation and abuse, and told of real characters who were often exploited by the "bosses" of the period. Across the Atlantic, there was also the obvious issue of Black slavery, but nevertheless many similarities can be found.
The pizzica ritual historically accompanied a frenzied dance to cure people (especially women) who were believed to suffer from tarantula bites. These dances lasted from 4 days up to two weeks without stopping, driving the victims into trances and total exhaustion not unlike voodoo rites. Pizzica is more than just a musical style or legend; it's a popular world apart, developing throughout history with a surprising symbolic focus on the tarantula.