Milagro Acustico Poeti Arabi Di Sicilia CD

'This is a gem of a record, one of the best of 2005. For eight centuries of Arab rule in southern Spain, the Arab culture has pervaded the Mediterranean, particularly Sicily. On this record, the 'Italian ensemble of world music, which has previously produced an album based on Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam, the Arab poets of Sicily medieval inspired music often sumptuous and beautiful designs in acoustic all corners of the sea Middle East. 'Alcantara,' for example, breathes with the North African ways, while 'On Schiavu amuri' bewitches a duet with flamenco. But are the voices that shine brighter, full of sensuality, soft, occasionally ethereal, leaping out of their facilities. Even if you do not understand a word because of the dialect, the sensitivity, the 'feeling' you will cross. ' Saudia Aramco World " Now Bob Salmieri is a man you don't meet every day. This is a fellow who dances to his own drummer alright: he is very much "sui generis". This is the third album of Milagro Acustico that I have reviewed. They are a multicultural ensemble who work under the direction of Salmieri. And I use the word "work" advisedly: because although their albums are wonderfully laid-back and easy on the ear, the truth is that Salmieri takes his colleagues down avenues that probably don't come easy to them. This makes the "finished product" all the more commendable. For instance, to work on the content of this album can hardly have been a burning ambition to most of the 15 musicians listed. Why? Well, I refuse to believe that more than a couple of them could have been enthusiasts for the Arabic poetry written in the years of the Moorish domination of Sicily: it really MUST have all been down to the powerful influence of Mr. Salmieri. The poems have been translated into Sicilian by Daniela Gambino and Sharifa Hadj Sadok. And this CD fits the usual Milagro Acustico formula. The music is their usual imaginative and inventive mix. The instruments he has used are all seemingly running the gamut of mainly esoteric (well, "esoteric" to MY British ear, at least!) acoustic instruments like kaval, baglama, darbuka and ney. And the music seems very much in harmony with the poetry. It draws less heavily than usual on Milagro Acustico's avant garde jazz sound, and instead is slightly more redolent of the music of the souk. And the "reason why" is indubitably due to the fact that in order to get the right sound, Salmieri took his group to Istanbul to work with local musicians. In his notes that accompanied my review copy, Bob Salmieri talks of the Crusades as "the wars of religion". He does not draw parallels with today: he does not need to, the parallels are all-too-obvious. We have an Arab nation that was once the cradle of civilisation, a country that invented algebra, home to the hanging gardens of Babylon, ruthlessly invaded by a far more powerful coalition of forces. It is only right that in these days when Brits like me are constantly being told that WE are a civilising influence on a seemingly lesser breed of people, that we stop for a moment and consider the FACTS. A great classic poet like Ibn Hamdis was one of many fine poets writing in Arabic during the Moorish occupation of Sicily. He was forced to leave Sicily in exile, for by the time he lived, the Norman invasion had started to "go wrong". But let it not be thought that the Normans had originally had contempt for Arabic text. Quite the contrary. It is illustrative to realise that the Normans invaded Sicily at almost exactly the same time as they invaded my current homeland, England. But what happened in the two countries was markedly different. In England, the Normans had contempt for the local language, and quickly made Norman French the language of officialdom. Not so in Sicily. Such was their appreciation of Arabic, that they kept it as joint official language. Indeed Roger the Second was fluent in it, and as for his Chief Minister, well, such was his love of the language that he used to pray to his Christian God in the language of the Moors! The Palermo Cathedral of today used to be a mosque, and to this very day has the opening lines of the Koran on one of it's pillars! And many of the buildings that nowadays LOOK Islamic, were actually built in the early 12th Century by NORMANS convinced in the superiority of Moorish architecture. In 1154 Roger died, and with it came a change in attitude to Muslims. The days of tolerant understanding were now numbered. Eventually, Frederick the Second expelled all Muslims from Sicily in 1272. But this album of Milagro Acustico recalls those heady days when the three major religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism could live together in harmony. And it seems to me that such an album is what is needed today and not the "Heavy Metal" belligerent sound that American soldiers are playing in their tanks as they drive into a hell-hole of their Government's making." Dai Woosnam - Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews "Poeti Arabi Di Sicilia is the third recording I have received by composer/musician Bob Salmieri and his ensemble, Milagro Acustico and like the other two recordings, this one is also an enjoyable listen. Salmieri delves into various Mediterranean musical traditions, often dating back to the Middle Ages and incorporating Silk Road traditions as well. Poeti Arabi brings in an array of musicians representing various cultures and performing on acoustic instruments ranging from familiar to exotic. Then all of this is topped of with gorgeous female and male vocals. On their previous recording, Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam, mystic Persian poetry along with a weave of Oriental music was highlighted. This time around, Salmieri focuses on Arabic poetry of Medieval Sicily from a time of the horrific Crusades and a period of uncertainty because one never knew when their homeland would be invaded or when they would be sent off to war. Set amongst a tapestry of baglama, mandolino, tambur, ney, kaval, tambour, darbuka and Western instruments, the poetry represented doesn't speak of the glories of war. It would seem that these Arabic poets had enough of war and conquering. The lyrics to Walls of Silence would support that sentiment. "We are the sons of the frontier Those who smile if war shows a dark face. Our sons feed on milk flowing from the cut throats, reared in the arms of battle." Many of other poems speak of lost love, suffering and sadness. They speak of a Godless place or at least loveless, where battles are fought and people cry for their lost youth. Well, fast forward to the modern age, we know there is a God, and yet, bloody battles rage on in different parts of the world indifferent to love. Salmieri refers to diplomacy in the press notes and this is in fact, a recording sporting diplomacy why else would an Italian musician composer bring out Arab poetry from a time when the Arabs invaded and ruled over Sicily (827-1091) if not for diplomacy? It's not as if poets and musicians support the mass consciousness of their times. Given their sensitivity to suffering of others, it's not an irony that they would express anti-war sentiments in their work (at least I interpret this poetry as such). Often you will find dissension among the ruling society because deep down we do wish to live in harmony with each other. According to Salmieri, "In that period, religion was used as the pretext since any one who was "different" was seen as a "threat" (not much has changed there), was a frontal attack and of course, war. Fortunately for us, people like Federico II di Svevia, demonstrated how powerful diplomacy can be." Numerous Mediterranean musicians appear here and you will hear a bit of Arabic flamenco, some Silk Road sounds and Arabic flute and percussion. Track 5, Schuivu D'Amuri features stunning soprano and alto vocals by Francesca Brilli and Simona Ferriera with additional flamenco vocals by Fabio dell'Armi. It's an exceptional song on an absolutely gorgeous recording that marries

1. Stannu Arrivannu 2. Ianchi Capiddi 3. Figghi Di Aghlab 4. Luci Di Lu Iurnu 5. Schiavu D'amuri 6. Alcantara 7. Anni Su Anni 8. Ddi Mura Ddu Silenzi 9. Lassanu Siracusa (Parte 1) 10. Lassanu Siracusa (Parte 2) 11. Prima Da Battagghia