Tarantelle e Canti d'Amore

I Giullari di Piazza

Fronni d'Alia: make your braids; your father wants to marry you off.
Ah father, who do you want to give me to?
The Count of Maggio you shall marry.
The first night I will run away with the man that I love and betray him.

– Fronni d'Alia, traditional woman's chant from Basilicata
Alessandra Belloni, Tarantelle e canti d'amore, 2003

It's funny how things work out sometimes. A long-time fan of Alessandra Belloni and I Giullari di Piazza's music, I've been unable (for various reasons) to see them in concert over the years; then, presto, I see them four times over the past several months. The first performance was The Voyage of the Black Madonna in Harlem. The second was La Cantata dei Pastori, a classic Neapolitan Epiphany story at the Church of Most Precious Blood in Little Italy. Next was their "Tarantella! Spider Dance" at the Theatre for the New City, located in Manhattan. 

This time I had the pleasure to see their Tarantelle e canti d'amore at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar in New York City's Lower East Side. Ironically, it was in this casual milieu, rather than the more "prestigious" settings of their previous shows, that I enjoyed them the most. For me, it seemed more authentic that they played in a tavern than in a theater or church; if only because it allowed the audience the freedom to dance along with the band and partake in the experience as it was meant to be, rather than just watch from afar.

"The Tarantati"

And dance they did. Falling under the spell of the hypnotic rhythms of the tarantella and pizzica, the tarantati (i.e. the audience) danced the night away. Through the beautiful, melancholic love songs and laments of the Mezzogiorno and devotional odes to the Black Madonna we were taken on a enthralling musical journey to Southern Italy. 

Joining the ensemble on stage for a few songs was the accomplished Neapolitan folk-singer Giuseppe de Falco. To our pleasure, the virtuoso performed heart-felt renditions of the tammurriata, traditional folk songs from Campania accompanied by the large frame drum called the tammorra.

Overall, it was a strong show. The troupe, I Giullari di Piazza are extremely talented and versatile, and their passion for what they do is clearly apparent. It was a rare opportunity to enjoy live Southern Italian folk music in the city and I'm glad I went. I had a wonderful time and I anxiously await their next performance.