Over the years I get called upon to write reviews of new releases, publications and concerts - I thought it might be interesting to assemble them all in one place. Some of the reviews appeared in radio broadcasts (mostly ABC) and others in magazines like Trad & Now.

PROGJET FRIUL
Village Songs & Poems from Friul.
Sandro Donati & La Bande de Sandro

Newmarket Music. 2010
www.myspace.com/labandedisandro
 
Listening to Sandro Donati and La Bande Di Sandro is as unpredictable as driving along the Amalfi coastline of Italy: it twists and turns moving from music that sounds like it has seen a good few years and then turns into something reminiscent of an Italian wedding band (which isn’t all bad). Sandro’s singing style is relaxed, slightly ‘croon-meets-jazz’ (is that a genre?) and totally believable. What does come as a bigger surprise is that the music has touches of calypso and New Orleans jazz – and was recorded in Melbourne.

Since Sandro is married to noted jazz vocalist Judy Jacques the jazz connection is probably understandable. The music is from the region of Friul in the very north of Italy that borders on Slovenia and Austria. The songs deal with the usual agenda of regional music: village life, strife, love and leaving. The musical arrangements reflect the various dances that such an area offers: polka, waltz, mazurka and march times. Sandro plays cornet and trumpet and his band, including some special guests like Doug de Vries, Stephen Grant and, of course, Judy Jacques, have immersed themselves in the Friulian tradition and, just as importantly, seem to be having fun. There’s an Italian film music feel to the album, complete with haunting church bells and some spoken word segments that add to the listening experience.

Artwork for this album is quite beautiful capturing Sandro’s own family history. Recommended.