Review Milagro Acustico 2002- -2008

SIQILIAH, terra d’Islam (CNI Music 2007)

Sing Out! (USA)

Of all cultural fusions, the merging of Arabs and Italians may be one of the more intriguing. Sicily has long been a melting pot, with Greek and Romans first visiting, followed by a wave of Arabs and Normans, the latter taking hold of various cities in the 9th century before moving into the capital. The Normans booted them from power in the middle of the 11th century, though that does not mean Arab culture left no traces, or people. Milagro Acustico is one consequence of this merging, exploring classical Arabian music in the context of their homeland. Hence you find the Italian organetto, an accordion-type instrument used in religious procession, as well as the lira calabra, which looks something like the Indian sarangi, merging effortlessly with the more traditional Middle Eastern ney, daf, riqq and duduk. As a whole it's impossible to discern where Italy ends and Arabia begins, which is the point --this is a fusion over a millennia in the making, and sounds right at home. The playing of these instruments, not to mention the exquisite vocals that occasionally appear, is first-rate. Upon first listen it appears to be a percussive- and woodwind-based collection of Arabian music, but the subtle shades of the aforementioned instruments, as well as the clarinet and viola, add a different dimension. A truly unique disc with an impressive roster of players.DB

JAM (Italy)

"Si precisa e affina la ricerca musicale dei Milagro Acustico, dopo le delicate avventure sonore dei Poeti Arabi di Sicilia. Il nucleo generatore, qui, sono poesie, racconti, resoconti di viaggio degli arabi che si trovarono nell'Isola di Federico tra l'827 ed il 1091, in pratica una sorta di "secondo capitolo" dei Poeti , a ribadire l'urgenza storica e culturale di un "recupero della memoria" fondamentale in epoca di grandi e mirate operazioni di oblio sul portato culturale "dell'altro". Al solito Bob Salmieri (impegnato in baglama, tambur, sax soprano, e diverse altre ance etniche, soprattutto di origine araba) lavora per sottrazione, mai saturando la polpa sonora di questa delicatissima sottrazione.' la danza di un ragno sulla sua ragnatela, Siqiliah , un intarsio strumentale e vocale che lascia suonare anche il silenzio: "Quanti poeti, letterati, matematici, quanti Ibn Hamdis saranno finiti nelle reti dei pescatori di Lampedusa o di Mazara?"

Discos Argentinos (Argentina)

El trabajo de calidad de Milagro Acustico, de la mano de Bob Salmieri, ha sido el de inspirarse en versos y cuentos de peregrinos de origen árabe que transitaron Sicilia entre el 800 y el 1000 de la era cristiana, rescatando así del frágil papel de pergamino a poetas y matemáticos de Medio Oriente. Esos pensadores vuelven hoy para esparcir el perfume de sus lejanos jardines sobre la arena de nuestro desierto cultural, a través de la refinada musicalidad de un acústico milagro!. Este tipo de trabajo sólo puede llevarse a cabo a través de una extensa investigación histórica, apoyada en una firme intuición musical, y con una mirada sobre los pueblos más enfocada en su riqueza permeable que como identidades cerradas. Para Bob Salmieri ir a fuentes tan profundas significó honrar la memoria: la de su padre tunisino, y la de un historiador que muchos reconocen como “unico e un po’ folle” (“único, y un poco loco”), Michele Amari (1806-1889), luchador de la causa de la independencia de Sicilia y de la confederación de los estados italianos. Para algunos de nosotros “bucear tan hondo” es reabrir ese periodo del siglo 19 llamado Il Risorgimento, que para muchos otros, en realidad, nunca se cerró. Es La Causa del Sur de Italia, la causa meridionale. Con su música cuenta la irreconciliable diversidad histórica representada por un Sur atrapado entre tradición, pobreza y religiosidad. El ayer y el hoy son una sola historia musical en Milagro Acustico, que captura en “I Storie ó Café Di Lu Furestiero”, las voces de la migración que llegó hace un milenio a las playas sicilianas Este grupo le pone musicalidad de lamento y celebración a la diaria conciencia de hombres, mujeres, jóvenes, viejos, cristianos y musulmanes, maleantes, exiliados o mendigos que se sientan en un café al paso, llevando en las dunas de sus oscuros ojos, la sed de vivir en justicia, y el horror de morir sin lograrla. Milagro Acústico intenta abrir también nuestros oídos y ojos a las voces náufragas, que en nuestro milenio provienen de África del Norte y del litoral Balcánico,. Sicilia, tierra de “infinitos éxodos”, como dice Bob. Su último trabajo, “SIQILIAH, terra d'Islam", está nuevamente inspirado en aquellos poemas y cuentos de viaje de nobles y mercantes árabes, que comenzaron a cruzar la Sicilia medieval durante la dominación Islámica en el Mediterráneo. Versos que languidecen en la lejanía del ser amado, paisajes desolados que queman el alma del que llega, vidas que arden en las calles ansiando las frescas paredes de otros, vidas aprisionadas detrás de las sombras de una ventana ansiando la luz . A través de la voz de Patrizia Nasini y de excelentes músicos, representantes de la instrumentación de Oriente y Occidente, esa multitud de voces vuelven hoy a cantar sus deseos de siempre. CLAUDIA T. ACUÑA

The Whole Music Experience (USA)I believe that this is the fourth Milagro Acustico recording that I have listened to and reviewed in the past few years. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Bob Salmieri, Milagro Acustico Ensemble delves into the music of medieval Mediterranean, along with Arabic poetry of that same era. The poetry represents many emotions and views ranging from the secular to the sacred.I am reminded of the Sufi mystic poet, Rumi at times.I do not know enough about the history of the Islamic rule of the Italian island of Sicily that took place between 827 and 1091 to go into details. Salmieri certainly has a fascination with the Sicilian-Arabic poetry of that era, as well as, knowing his way around Oriental instruments that include, ney baglama, tambur, udu, daf, darbuka, kanun, santur and other. The Arabic-Mediterranean percussion, exotic strings, the Armenian duduk, clarinet and other wind

instruments create a tapestry that backs Patrizia Nasini's dramatic vocals. Mesmerizing would be one word to describe the beautiful sounds here. Captivating also works.I am not sure if I would call this music relaxing, because it feels too compelling. I find that active listening works best when exploring to these multi-layered tracks. Bob provided me with English translation of the lyrics which adds to the listening pleasure. As always, Salmieri has worked with an ensemble of passionate musicians who seem up to the task of providing thought-provoking music. Certainly fans of Oriental music (Silk Road, Persian, Arabic, North African, Middle Eastern, Turkish, etc), will feel at home with this recording.Patty-Linne Erlevi

LA REPUBBLICA (Italy)

"Appena arrivato a Favignana, isola del quale è originario, pare che Bob Salmieri si sia rivolto all' ufficio anagrafe e richiesto l' atto di nascita del padre. Voleva conservarlo. Ha trovato anche quello del nonno. «Perché le radici sono infinite - mi dice - e il viaggio al contrario riserva sorprese». Bob Salmieri, sassofonista romano, è il testimone di un miracolo molto terreno, compone musica e testi dei "Milagro acustico", un' ensemble che traspone in musica delle poesie dei poeti arabi vissuti in Sicilia durante la dominazione Islamica e usa la strumentazione acustica tipica della tradizione mediterranea. Bob e i Milagro contano su un passato di autoproduzione e di prodigiose scoperte da parte della critica statunitense, e soprattutto sulla continua ricerca nel periodo più fiorente della Sicilia medievale, tanto che sul medesimo argomento hanno già pubblicato con l' etichetta Compagnia Nuove Indye i cd "Poeti arabi di Sicilia" e "I Storie O Cafè' di lu Furestiero Novo". Con l' ultimo lavoro, "Siqiliah, terra d' Islam" (sempre per Compagnia Nuove Indye) - che è stato ufficialmente presentato al pubblico a Roma durante il ConTesti Festival al Teatro Orangerie - si intrecciano i racconti di viaggio dei mercanti arabi che attraversarono la Sicilia durante la dominazione Normanna. I Milagro Acustico riportano alla luce le pagine meno note della Sicilia islamica, alla ricerca delle radici comuni che hanno reso nei secoli l' Isola esempio di tolleranza e convivenza tra diverse culture e religioni. Lirismo, musica e racconti di viaggio dell' epoca, si mescolano in s uggestive sonorità dal forte sapore orientale, Fanno da eco le poesie dei poeti arabi vissuti in Sicilia durante la dominazione islamica che ne raccontano lo splendore, il tutto supportato dalla vasta pletora di strumenti musicali della tradizione Mediterranea usati dai musicisti come Baglama, Ney, Tambur, Daf, Darbuka, Chitarra. «Fonte delle nostre ricerche è stato in primo luogo Michele Amari che ha dedicato tutta la vita alla compilazione della "Storia dei Musulmani in Sicilia" e della "Biblioteca Arabo-Sicula", che ci ha introdotto nel mondo prezioso dei poeti arabi come Ibn-Hamdis, Al Qatta, Abd Al Rahman di Trapani e dei viaggiatori come Ibn Hawaqal, Ibn Gubayr, destinato all' oblio senza la sua dedizione», dice Bob, che insieme ai Milagro è promotore del progetto in itinere "Sicilia mediterranea project", un collettivo artistico che raccoglie intorno a sé le varie anime della nuova scuola siciliana attiva sul territorio nazionale e del panorama musicale e culturale del bacino mediterraneo. Nasce con l a finalità di diffondere la cultura mediterranea in tutte le sue forme. Monitorare le nuove realtà artistiche, e promuoverle."Daniela Gambino

La Voce di tutti

Il periodo di massimo splendore dell’espansione araba in Europa si ebbe nei secoli IX-XI, Al-Andalus, la Spagna, con i fasti del califfato di Cordova, e la Sicilia, con Balarm (Palermo), “la più vasta ed eccelsa metropoli del mondo”, come la definiva Edrisi, geografo arabo. Soprattutto in Trinacria, sotto la dinastia fatimida, si ebbe un lungo periodo di saggia amministrazione, dove alla razionale ristrutturazione del territorio (piante urbane, opere idrauliche, nonché il famoso “giardino arabo”), faceva da controcanto una generale tolleranza religiosa. L’Islam, pur avendo un ruolo dominante, non opprimeva cristiani ed ebrei ed i tre monoteismi convivevano in pace, quali manifestazioni del comune ceppo abramitico. Poi ci fu la conquista normanna, le comunità arabe si dispersero, parte emigrò in Africa, parte venne deportata da Federico II a Lucera, ed iniziò la diaspora, la nostalgia di un’età dell’oro isolana cantata da poeti come Ibn-Hamdis ed altri.Ed è proprio a questa nostalgia che si ispira il gruppo Milagro Acustico, che da anni compie una raffinata ricerca sul campo, avendo come punto di riferimento Michele Amari, con i suoi fondamentali Storia dei Musulmani di Sicilia e soprattutto Biblioteca Arabo-Sicula. Qui, nella sterminata raccolta di testi e documenti, i Milagro hanno fatto preziose scoperte, musicandole poi in modo del tutto particolare, con una suggestiva fusione di sonorità arabe e più propriamente occidentali. Il risultato è un robusto e brillante “sound” mediterraneo che ha entusiasmato il pubblico de La Palma, al Portonaccio, locale ben noto agli amanti di musica di qualità, con frequenti escursioni nella musica etnica. E questa dei Milagro lo è, ma con un sapore in più, come si può dedurre da alcuni loro lavori quali Rubaiyyat (le famose “quartine” di Omar Khayyam), Poeti arabi di Sicilia, o Siqiliah, cd di prossima pubblicazione del quale sono stati eseguiti alcuni brani. E il sapore in più è quel gusto di indagine filologica, ritrovare il sentimento di un’epoca e reinterpretarlo con una sensibilità certamente diversa ma molto attenta, poiché si tratta di una cosa preziosa. Ed ecco i vari brani, dove l’incedere fra lento e solenne, tipico delle melopee arabe, stempera in sonorità più solari, così che ne scaturisce un misto di sensazioni. Le immagini del muezzin e del caravanserraglio si alternano e si fondono con quelle di paesaggi urbani a noi più familiari, in virtù anche della strumentazione, dove trovi insieme sax e darbuka, contrabbasso e ney, violino e tar ed altro ancora in un suono di fusione che dà poi il senso ultimo dello spettacolo. L’incontro, lo scambio e il dialogo fra culture, importante in questa confusa fase storica segnata dai fondamentalismi (non solo islamici), un messaggio che traspare chiaramente dal vigore melodico dei Milagro. E voglio nominarli tutti perché lo meritano.Patrizia Nasini, voce (i testi originali arabi tradotti in un siciliano un po’ arcaico, grazie anche ad Antonio Vignera), Bob Salmieri, baglama, sax soprano, clarinetto, percussioni, Andrea Pullone, baglama, chitarra classica, Andrea Piccioni, daf, darbuka, riqq, tamburello, canto armonico, Maurizio Perrone, contrabbasso, Carlo Cossu, viola, violino, canto armonico, Gabriele Gagliarini, percussioni, Naima, danza orientale, più, in qualità di ospiti, Volkan Gucer, kaval, clarinetto, Abdalla Mohamed, ney, darbuka, Pejman Tadayon, tar, setar, Raffaele Mallozzi, lira calabrese, organetto, Antonio Vignera, voce, Diane, danza orientale tribale. Locale stracolmo, successo meritato.Antonio Mazza

I STORIE O CAFE’ DI LU FURESTIERO NOVO (CNI Music 2006)

World Music MagazineIl titolo discende da un bel libro di Bob Salmieri, cuore e mente del Progetto Milagro Acustico di cui a suo tempo segnalammo il notevole Poeti Arabi di Sicilia. “Le storie del caffè del nuovo forestiero” di cui si parla, sono una sorte di luogo dell’anima con epicentro a Favignana, crocevia ideale di esperienze, possibilità, sogni e disillusioni di si imbarca dalle coste del Mediterraneo facendo rotta sulla Sicilia. L’album e una versione riveduta, corretta e integrata con inediti di una prima edizione pubblicata da una etichetta nordamericana nel 2002. Venti musicisti titolari, un ventaglio strumentale vasto come gli ambiti culturali toccati dai racconti e molte le lingue cantate, cui si devono aggiungere tre musicisti turchi protagonisti di un’ulteriore session a Istanbul. Lavoro prezioso e intenso.GF.

www.bielle.orgSi sono formati a Roma nel 1995 ed hanno alle spalle, un autoprodotto ("Onirico del '98), due album "americani" (tra cui la prima edizione di questo) e ora due album per la Compagnia Nuove Indye. Quarto album ufficiale, prende lo spunto da un libro di Bob Salmieri, anima del gruppo, su un viaggio a Tunisi, città in cui è nato suo padre, da una famiglia di Favignana. Il tema è sempre quello, a me caro, della convivenza e compenetrazioni tra popoli e culture, il tema del viaggio, il caffé come luogo centrale in cui si mescolano le esistenze degli autoctoni e dei forestieri. E' un disco sulla lunga scia delle opere che hanno come lontanissimo progentitore "Creuza de ma" ed è disco di ammaliante magia e sentori arabi, miscelati con venti balcanici e solo mediterraneo, grazie anche all'azione della trentina di strumenti adoperati da questo ensemble numerosissimo a cui si aggiungono quattro musicisti turchi, registrati in apposite session a Istanbul, oltre a voci della strada che vengono da Egitto, Colombia, Bangladesh e Filippine. Ottimo lavoro.

Fuori dal Mucchio"Bob Salmieri affida alle note le memorie di un viaggio di formazione. Quello che fece da bambino a Tunisi, città in cui suo padre era nato nel 1920 da una famiglia di Favignana. Il disco, tratto dal volume omonimo di racconti dello stesso Salmieri, racconta del muoversi e dello stare. Se il viaggio è il cuore dell’idea di Mediterraneo come ponte che collega la Turchia alla Sicilia e i Balcani all’Africa, centrale è l’avamposto di Favignana, con la sua pigra sosta al Café, ritrovo di forestieri, viandanti, isolani, pellegrini. È lì che si ascoltano le storie, è li che ognuno può aggiungere la propria narrazione.Come indicato già dal precedente percorso dei Milagro, è l’afro-siciliano il dominio culturale di Bob Salmieri, senza disdegnare escursioni turche ("Salvate Hasankeyf"). Genti che trasmigrano per riti da celebrare in "U spusaliziu", processioni senza un alito di vento in "Sanghe meu", mentre in "Dioulo" Pape Kanouté descrive con la kora i mercanti mentre tornano a casa in un tramonto di fuoco e sabbia. Affidandosi alla ricchezza di una vasta varietà timbrica portata dall’ensemble - djembe, trombe, tabla, Steinwey - Salmieri alterna kaval, sax, baglama, clarinetto. Il ney e il violino di Jamal Oussini piangono in "Profughi"; è rilassata dolcezza la voce di Daniela Barra in "Duci velenu".Il Milagro disegna atmosfere di fatica e sogno allucinate in un dormiveglia crepuscolare, con un lavoro robusto, di scavo sulla tradizione senza calligrafie, che non cede alle mode"Gianluca Veltri

Cronaca di CremonaLa Compagnia Nuove Indye produce in due anni due cd dei Milagro Acustico: l’anno scorso “Poeti Arabi di Sicilia” e ora “I Storie o Cafè di lu Forestiero Novo”. Scelta importante e del tutto condivisibile, volta a sottolineare l’importanza di un ensemble musicale di grande qualità tecnica e di notevole spessore culturale.Il cd del 2005 è centrato, come indicato dal titolo, su alcuni testi dei poeti arabi nati e vissuti in Sicilia durante la dominazione islamica, tra l’827 e il 1091, anno in cui il controllo politico passa a ai normanni. Le poesie sono state tradotte direttamente in siciliano con la collaborazione di Daniela Gambino e di Sharifa Hadj Sadok. Il nuovo cd è centrato su una analoga idea di fondo di dialogo interculturale tra la Sicilia e i paesi del Mediterraneo, che ha come riferimento ideale questa volta, un cafè di Favignana dove stranieri, emigranti, immigrati, pellegrini e viaggiatori si incontrano e si raccontano le loro storie, magari accompagnandosi con la musica. In entrambi i dischi prende vita un progetto aperto che vede incrociarsi tradizioni siciliane, arabe, balcaniche, turche e di altre parti del mondo, in un impasto tra i più riusciti negli ultimi anni. Impasto di voci e di suoni acustico ( ad eccezione di un basso elettrico) che vedono un gruppo numeroso con un nucleo costituito da Bob Salmieri (baglama, percussioni, fiati), Gianfranco Dezi (tromba e flicorno), Piero Piciucco (contrabbasso e mandolino), Andrea Pullone (chitarra), Francesco Con saga (fiati), Dario Esposito (batteria), Andrea Alberti (piano) e arricchito da varie collaborazioni come Abballa Mohamed (Ney, darbuka), Pachi Kalipada Adhikary (tabla), Nour Ed dine (percussioni), Jamal Ouassini (violino), Volkan Gucer (kaval) e tanti altri che non citiamo per questioni di spazio. E ovviamente la bravissima Daniela Barra, la cui voce entra nel cuore e costituisce il filo rosso di questo ricco e variegato progetto. “I Storie o Cafè” è la riedizione modificata e ampliata di un omonimo cd pubblicato nel 2002 negli Stati Uniti e si ispira all’omonimo libro di Bob Salmieri. Un viaggio musicale da cui non si vorrebbe più tornare.Gianluca Barbieri

http://maximum.vox.com In 2002, when Tinder records released the album “I Storie O Café Di Lu Furestiero,” it immediately became one of my favorite World Fusion albums. Four years later a new version of this album was released by the Italian CNI Music label, this time around marketed as “I Storie O Café Di Lu Furestiero Novo.” It is not just a simple re-release of the album, but rather a new take on the same material featuring two new tracks in addition to slightly updated favorites from the 2002 release. Ultimately, this is the same 2002 vintage, but this time around it is a little more complex, a little more mature, and with a few nuances that make the album more complete than its predecessor.The concept behind this album is the sound of an imaginary Sicilian café where immigrants from across the Mediterranean gather to converse, sing, have a cup of espresso, or maybe even a glass or two of wine. Track after track Milagro Acustico invites us to eavesdrop on various visitors of the café, providing us with bits of foreign speech and intermixed sounds of instruments from various Mediterranean cultures, poised against the backdrop of Daniela Barra's beautiful vocals, which provide a surreal dream-like atmosphere for the whole album.The music of “I Storie O Café Di Lu Furestiero” is the ultimate immigrant music – though it’s impossible to pin point the exact

origin of each individual song, some particular elements can be easily traced to Turkey, Morocco, Andalusia, Persia, and of course Sicily. For many centuries Sicily has been the crossroads of the Mediterranean. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and even Vikings called this land home at some point of its turbulent history. Taking that into consideration, it’s hard to imagine a place that could provide a better locale for the “Foreigner Café.”“I Storie O Café Di Lu Furestiero Novo” is filled with seemingly nostalgic lamentations, so typical for immigrant music in general, interjected with happy memories of various homelands, ethnic instrumentals and otherworldly vocals, all of which create a truly beautiful setting for an occasional jazzy note or foreign spoken word monologue. The overall mood created by Milagro Acustico's godfather Bob Salmieri, could be described as dreamlike. Though I definitely would not call this meditation music, I find it extremely difficult whilst listening to this album to not close my eyes and imagine myself amidst the Café di lu Furestiero, letting the music be my guide through the melting pot of sounds, smells, and visuals, through the dreamscape created by Milagro Acustico and so skillfully captured in “I Storie O Café Di Lu Furestiero Novo.” Maximum Warp

Agrituristi"Un Cafè immaginario, su una piccola isola della Sicilia, accoglie le storie dei viandanti che qui si fermano il tempo di riprendere fiato prima di proseguire il viaggio. Questo il tema del disco dei Milagro Acustico. Il disco ospita numerosi musicisti italiani e internazionali che hanno collaborato alla realizzazione del disco che è stato registrato a Roma e a Istanbul con alcuni musicisti locali. Il Caffè è il luogo dove le culture in viaggio si incontrano e si confrontano. Così avviene per la musica di questo disco. Sonorità in viaggio quelle proposte, che trovano gli aromi, le contaminazioni, i sapori delle diverse terre che si affacciano sul Mediterraneo."Gaetano Menna

POETI ARABI DI SICILIA 2005

FOLKER! (Germany)"Mille anni fa gli Arabi regnavano sulla Sicilia – fino alla riconquista cristiana per mano dei Normanni. In una notte il loro leader, il conte Ruggero D’Altavilla distrusse 200 moschee solo a Palermo. Ma come sempre in questi casi, il dominatore non riuscì a farepiazza pulita della alta cultura dei sottomessi e dei loro scritti.Il quarto album dell’ensemble “Milagro Acustico” guarda indietro alla poesia dei poeti arabi, che vissero in Sicilia a quel tempo.“Poeti arabi di Sicilia” è fin'ora l’album più maturo del gruppo. Dove prima veniva talvolta orchestrato in maniera opulenta, vengono qui impiegati strumenti (Kanun, Ney, e altri flauti, sassofono e percussioni) in maniera dosata ma potente. Il canto poi, unito al dialetto siciliano e alla lingua araba riporta in vita la magia del testo.Il modo in cui le voci femminili e Fabio dell’Armi interpretano il brano di flamenco “Schiavu d’amuri” , è ineguagliabile e vale da solo l’acquisto del CD. Chi ama i suoni arabo andalusi in stile “Abed Azrié” o “Radio Tariffa” rimarrà stregato da questo gioiello arabo- siciliano.” Martin Steiner

FOLKER! (Germany)Vor tausend Jahren herrschten die Araber über Sizilien - bis zur christlichen Rückeroberung durch die Normannen. In einer Nacht soll ihr Anführer, Graf Ruggero d’Altavilla, allein in Palermo über zweihundert Moscheen geschleift haben. Wie immer bei solchen Übergriffen schafften es die Angreifer nicht, die Hochkultur der Unterlegenen mit all ihren Schriften vollständig aus dem Weg zu räumen. Das vierte Album des Musikerkollektivs Milagro Acustico greift auf die Poesie arabischer Poeten zurück, die zu jener Zeit in Sizilien lebten. Poeti Arabi Di Sicilia ist das bislang reifste Werk der Gruppe. Wurde früher zuweilen opulent orchestriert, werden hier die Instrumente (Saiteninstrumente, Ney und andere Flöten, Saxophon und Percussion) sparsam und kraftvoll eingesetzt. Einmalig ist der in sizilianischem Italienisch und Arabisch gehaltene Gesang, der mühelos die Magie der Texte zum Ausdruck bringt. Wie etwa die Frauenstimmen im Stück „Schiavu d’Amuri“ sich in den Flamencogesang von Fabio dell’Armi einweben, ist unvergleichlich und lohnt schon die Anschaffung der CD. Wer araboandalusische Klänge im Stile eines Abed Azrié oder Radio Tarifa mag, wird von diesem arabosizilianischen Kleinod begeistert sein.Martin Steiner

L'ISOLA CHE NON C'ERAAll'esordio in Italia con questo lavoro, ma già battezzati discograficamente negli Stati Uniti (per uno di quei perversi meccanismi che vedono spesso le nostre band apprezzate per il loro valore più all'estero che a casa propria) Milagro Acustico ci piacciono prima di tutto per due aspetti introduttivi: la lunga lista di strumenti (e quindi di musicisti) partecipi al disco e il cospicuo elenco di testi saggistici cui le liriche dei brani devono ispirazione. Entrambi gli ambiti risaltano poi di onesta coerenza alla prova pratica: là dove gli strumenti acustici ed etnici, occidentali ed esotici, si intrecciano attraverso sessioni d'incisioni nostrane ed internazionali (Istanbul); in distillazione nelle liriche ispirate all'opera dei poeti arabi nella Sicilia medievale. Terminato l'ascolto, due cose ci sono piaciute di più: un vago sapore brass band (tra Banda Ionica e Goran Bregovic) che rendono più inedito e interessante il suono world di qualità e la volontà di non cedere a più facili e commerciali tendenze fusion, mantenendo il più possibile intatto il fascino di una musica altra che ci fa tanto bene gustare al naturale.G.P.Scazzola

Saudiaramcoworld.com This is a gem of a record, one of the best of 2005. For the eight centuries of Arab rule in southern Spain, Arab culture permeated the Mediterranean, notably in Sicily. On this disc, the Italian world-music ensemble that also produced an album based on The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam sets words by the island’s medieval Arab poets to often lushly beautiful music that draws both acoustically and electronically from all corners of the Middle Sea. “Alcantara,” for example, breathes with North African modes, while “Schiavu d’Amuri” sizzles with the duende of flamenco. But it’s the voices that shine brightest, richly sensual, smooth, occasionally ethereal, springing out of their frames. Even if you don’t understand a word, the feelings come through. (MA06)

SAUDIA ARAMCO WORLD (USA)Questa è una gemma di disco, uno dei migliori del 2005. Per gli otto secoli della dominazione araba in Spagna del sud, la cultura araba ha pervaso il Mediterraneo, particolarmente la Sicilia. Su questo disco, l' ensemble italiano di world music, che precedentemente ha prodotto un album basato sulle Rubaiyyat di Omar Khayyam, i Poeti Arabi di Sicilia di epoca medioevale ispirano una musica spesso sontuosa e bella che disegna in chiave acustica tutti gli angoli del mare Mediorientale. "Alcantara," per esempio, respira con i modi africani del nord, mentre "Schiavu D’amuri" ammalia con un duetto flamenco. Ma sono le voci che brillano più luminose, piene di sensualità, morbide, occasionalmente eteree, balzando fuori dalle loro strutture. Anche se non capite una parola a causa del dialetto, le sensibilità, il “feeling” vi attraverserà. (MA06)

FOLK BULLETIN"Per circa duecentosessanta anni è durato il dominio arabo sulla Sicilia. Un periodo forse non lungo in confronto alla pluri millenaria storia dell'isola, ma sufficiente a caratterizzare fortemente la cultura siciliana. Ed è all'opera di alcuni dei poeti di lingua araba che vissero nell'isola è dedicato il cd, raffinata operazione, coordinata da Bob Salmieri, riproposta di loro liriche in forma di canzone. Raffinata, ma anche affascinante, per la grande forza espressiva di questi versi (tradotti in siciliano dalla scrittrice Daniela Gambino e da Sharifa Hadj Sadok), da cui si comprende i caratteri che sono passati nel canto e nella poesia siciliana: l'uso della metafora, il mondo, la natura e la stessa vita, sintetizzati da immagini minime, particolari che rimandano al tutto, come gli arabeschi e le trame di un tappeto nascondono- o svelano, per chi voglia o sappia leggerli - significati universali. Lo stesso è per la musica, ricca di suggestioni e rimandi, con i suoni a costruire una trama i cui fili legano la Sicilia da una parte all'oriente (e ben oltre l'Arabia, giungendo forse fino in India) e dall'altra alla Spagna dei moriscos, in un corto-circuito culturale che si esplicita compiutamente attraverso gli accenti flamenchi di alcuni brani, in cui la voce (di Fabio Dell'Armi) segue i moduli tipici del canto hondo. Non mancano peraltro riferimenti a strutture musicali "altre", in primis il jazz, grazie alla voce solista di Francesca Brilli e ad alcuni passaggi pianistici. Registrato a Roma e Istanbul, il cd contiene undici pezzi, di cui quattro strumentali. Ricco l'organico, che vede insieme musicisti italiani e di lingua araba, e multietnico lo "strumentario": chitarre, baglama,, contrabbasso, nay, mandolino, zarb, tromba, flicorno, sax, clarinetto, flauti, udu, pianoforte e percussioni. Da citare infine la bella veste grafica di copertina e libretto, ricca di motivi arabi. Disco che richiede un ascolto attento per apprezzare appieno il binomio musica-testo, Poeti arabi di sicilia ha il pregio, una volta assimilato, di poter essere ascoltato a vari livelli di attenzione, fino anche a fungere ottimamente da sottofondo, senza per questo mai cadere nell'indistinto e nel banale."Giacomo Arval

MUSICBOOM.ITTerzo album per i Milagro Acustico, ensamble multiculturale e multietnica, con base in sicilia ma che ha registrato questo cd a Istambul, jammando con gli artisti locali per rendere il proprio sound ancora più meticcio (come se non bastassero chitarre, tamburi, mandolini, darkuba per creare il sound caldo del sud del Mediterraneo!). Terzo album che porta il gruppo (formato più o meno da quindici persone) ad un'ulteriore evoluzione nella propria consapevolezza dei propri mezzi, questa volta messi a disposizione delle traduzioni meticce delle poesie arabe in siciliano. Il sound che ne risulta è attraente, coinvolgente, anche per chi non capisce il dialetto stretto con cui vengono recitati i versi (probabilmente già ostici per i siciliani stessi, visto che le poesie risalgono alla fine del primo millennio). Una sorta di concept-album legato all'amore per la propria terra, sia essa araba o siciliana, e che maliziosamente strizza l'occhio al presente, con le proprie storie di moschee bruciate per ordine del cristianesimo, di esodi forzati nella speranza di una vita migliore, di guerre insensate e di alti tradimenti. La storia si ripete ciclicamente, purtroppo, ma lo stesso accade per la musica, che ora viene non modernizzata, quando piuttosto resa capace di diffondersi anche nella comodità di casa nostra, senza dover inventare macchine del tempo o acquistare biglietti per trovarsi in qualche sperduto paese arabo dove si suona ancora secondo la tradizione. Se un album di questo calibro è riuscito ad emozionare un metallaro fatto e finito cme me, vorrà pur dire qualcosa. Luci di lu iurnu, con le sue parti vocali femminili, è veramente coinvolgente, e alla fine dell'ascolto del cd vi troverete probabilmente sudati, come se aveste passato la notte nel deserto a danzare. Non male come risultato, per un freddo pezzo di plastica da infilare in uno strumento che proietta un raggio laser sulla sua superficie.Menzione d'onore anche per la confezione, un lussuoso digipack a tinte "desertiche", molto evocativo e corredato di note per meglio comprendere il progetto. Un ottimo regalo, per voi o per chi vi sta vicino. Paolo Bianco

SING OUT! (USA) winter 2006 vol. 49In their previous work, Italy’s Milagro Acustico have hoffered a more generalized Mediterranean sound. This time, however the focus is much sharper concentrating (as the title says) on the works of Sicilian Arab poets from 827-1091 A.D. Only speakers of Arabic or Italian will know how good the lyrics are, but they’re beautifully framed in acoustic arrangiaments that make use of plenty of voices, along with horns, flutes, guitar, percussion, and oud-like baglama. Musically the band sets out its stall on the opener, “Stannu Arrivannu”, where everythings works together in a culture blend rather than a clash. It’s a mix that feels perfectly natural, informed by the short distance between North Africa and Sicily, and continues throughout the disc, even on the instrumental “Alcantara”. Vocals – both sung and recited – become another instrument in the arsenal, weaving gorgeous, sinuous lines like the saxophone. More than anything, it’s a place where Europe and North Africa come together – one of many really – and a glipse into history, when the flower of Islam was at its peak, in both the arts and the sciences. Interestingly, many of the names of the poets appear lost in time, but that doesn’t diminish the beauty of the sound of their poetry. It inspires – and certainly inspired Bob Salmieri, the group leader, who put music to these words. History comes alive again. – CN

BELL’ITALIA – musiche d’Italia ottobre 2005Milagro Acustico: suoni tra Palermo e IstanbulRomani, in attività da un decennio, i Milagro Acustico setacciano sonorità radicate nel bacino del Mediterraneo, scoprono poesie medievali da trasformare in testi per le loro canzoni, suonano strumenti acustico come chitarra, mandolino, darbuka, tamburi a cornice e baglama. La loro ultima avventura di matrice filologica, intrapresa a Palermo e a Istanbul, si concentra sulle poesie dei letterati arabi nati e vissuti in Sicilia durante la dominazione islamica che si concretizzò nell’827 con la presa di Ma zara del Vallo, per concludersi nel 1091 con l’arrivo dei Normanni. Il CD Poeti Arabi di Sicilia (Compagnia Nuove Indye) uscito lo scorso giugno, racconta l’immenso amore

per l’isola, la sua gente e la sua natura da parte di nobili cesellatori della parola. Veicola un sentimento appassionato, colmo di dolore e di rimpianto (si dice che Palermo contasse più di 200 moschee, fatte distruggere in una notte dal conte Ruggero d’Altavilla per riaffermare la leadership del Cristianesimo) che non può lasciare indifferenti: soprattutto se a manifestarlo sono i versi di poeti quali Ibn Hamdis, che visse proprio durante il periodo della riconquista normanna e fu costretto a lasciare la Sicilia per l’esilio, o il più nevrite e passionale Muhammad Ibn-al-Qatta. I Milagro Acustico hanno voluto che le poesie fossero tradotte dall’arabo al siciliano, e dopo averle affidate alle amorevoli cure della scrittrice isolana Daniela Gambino le hanno impreziosite di musiche evocative dal forte impatto ritmico ( il brano Ianchi capiddi), sospese su insinuanti melodie (Luci di lu iurnu), intrecciate ad atmosfere etniche (Ddi mura ddu silenzi), pervase di drammatico pathos (Prima da battagghia).Stefano Bianchi

ROCKIT (ITALY)Il progetto nasce con l'intenzione di recuperare e coniugare in musica le opere dei principali poeti arabi vissuti in Sicilia tra il IX e l'XI secolo. Quasi come dissotterrare uno scrigno segreto e prezioso, sommerso dagli anni e dimenticato sotto la polvere, nascosto dalla paura di termini incomprensibili come "scontro di civiltà" e "guerra di religione". Un'operazione che si può immaginare non facile, che i Milagro acustico hanno deciso di edificare incoraggiati dall'amore per la propria terra, le sue tradizioni, la sua gente. "Poeti arabi di Sicilia" è un omaggio all'ammeticciamento di culture e suoni, un gesto per non dimenticare una civiltà che oggi guardiamo con sospetto. Le poesie, tradotte in siciliano dall'arabo, sono inserite all'interno di sonorità acustiche costruite attorno l'uso di una strumentazione tipicamente mediterranea, come testimonia l'impiego del mandolino, del kaval o del darbuka. Il collettivo siciliano, per la realizzazione del cd, ha sentito la necessità di compiere un viaggio a Istanbul, dove il confronto con i musicisti locali ha restituito un suono fortemente influenzato dall'oriente: un contatto che non ha impedito a un certo addentellato di origine jazz di interferire e dare vita a melodie di forte impatto emotivo. Lontane da litanie e tentazioni ieratiche, le undici tracce presenti all'interno di "Poeti arabi di Sicilia" brillano per coraggio e per aver dato dignità a un filone lontano dalla massificazione culturale del giorno d'oggi. L'impressione è che i Milagro acustico abbiano centrato in pieno l'obiettivo.G. Catani

IL MUCCHIO SELVAGGIO (ITALY)Ai tempi della conquista normanna, nel 1091, la Sicilia era una fiorente isola araba. Così splendida che i Normanni e poi gli Svevi non seppero allontanarsi dal gusto moresco, e, pur prevalendo militarmente e politicamente sugli Arabi, ne furono soggiogati dal punto di vista culturale. Quasi tre secoli arabi avevano prodotto, a cavallo dell’anno Mille, arte, musica, architettura, poesia. A quest’ultima espressione - la poesia - attinge Milagro Acustico, che riscopre il repertorio lirico arabo siciliano, per adattarlo alla lingua di Trinacria e musicarlo con buongusto e sensibilità. Per la trasposizione il Milagro si è avvalso della collaborazione di Sharifa Hadj Sadok e della scrittrice siciliana Daniela Gambino. Perché riscoprire quell’incrocio virtuoso, oggi? Troppo facile la risposta, sballottati come siamo in queste nuove orribili guerre di religione, armate con armi, persone e parole odiose e intolleranti. Al suo quarto lavoro, il gruppo di Bob Salmieri - autore di tutte le musiche - si affida alle malìe del ney di Turker Dinletir, che veste d’un sole mattutino desiderato “Luci di lu iurnu”, al kaval di Volkan Gucer, che spruzza melodie struggenti su “Stanno arrivannu”. Ben quattro poesie sono del poeta Ibn Hamdis, vissuto nella fase finale del periodo arabo-siciliano, le cui liriche contagiano la musica di nostalgia per l’esilio forzato e per la perdita di un paradiso pieno di luce e grazia. Le voci femminili, i canti arabi, le percussioni registrate sul campo, gli strumenti tradizionali del Mediterraneo, tutto fa di “Poeti arabi di Sicilia” un progetto meritevole e serio. Gianluca Veltri

UK VIBES (GB)Music inspired by the poetry of the Arabic poets who were born and raised in Sicily during the Muslim domination. Beautiful words from classic poets laced into beautiful music to produce another exquisite release from this superb Italian band.

WORLD MUSIC MAGAZINE (Italy)Bob Salmieri, sassofonista e clarinettista di questo nuovo ensemble (che però raccoglie molti musicisti di provata esperienza) ha indagato a lungo sulle fonti letterarie, la straordinaria fioritura poetica lasciata dai letterati arabi nel corso di trecento anni di dominazione tutt’altro che rozza sull’isola di Sicilia. Fonti ora reperibili con una certa facilità. Ha accostato poi ai testi (affrontati in siciliano ed in arabo con bella alternanza come già sperimentato da altri gruppi) musiche pensose e dal passo quieto, fondamentali gli apporti di kaval, ney e oud, ben adatte ad incorniciare il contenuto lirico. Sedici musicisti e cantanti, con prevalenza di voci femminili, intervengono in questo ottimo lavoro, registrato in parte a Roma ed in parte a Istanbul, con la collaborazione di Volkan Gucer, qui al kaval.G. Fe.

ALIAS SUPPLEMENTO AL MANIFESTO (Italy)Sedici musicisti e vocalist (siciliano e arabo le lingue usate) concorrono alla realizzazione di questo bel disco, inciso a Roma e Istanbul. Trecento anni di dominazione araba hanno lasciato nell’isola una scia scintillante di tracce di civiltà nell’isola: nella cultura materiale, nella cultura che si ritrova solo nei libri e nei manoscritti. Se siete alla ricerca di un antidoto salutare ai veleni razzisti <<fallaci>> qui ne avete una buona scorta: in un gioco prezioso di flauti ney e corde ronzanti, tocchi di percussione scanditi con solennità ma senza sfarzo, voci che sono di oggi, ma potrebbero essere di mille anni fa o di domani (Schiavu d’amuri). Il futuro, come diceva Joe Strummer, è ancora da scrivere.Guido Festinese

ICOGITATE.COM (England)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 its 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 Woosman

JAM (ITALY)"Milagro Acustico è un ensemble siciliano di una quindicina di musicisti che per l'occasione si impegna in un lavoro quasi filologico di riscoperta musicale e letteraria. Poeti arabi di Sicilia è la riappropriazione di una cultura siciliana sopravvissuta a un millennio di restaurazione occidentale, quella relativa alla dominazione araba che aveva regalato all'isola splendide architetture e liriche di grande sensibilità. Milagro Acustico rivisitano le poesie di alcuni poeti arabi, nati e vissuti in Sicilia, in particolare Ibn hamdis, sorprendente per mla sua modernità, ad esempio in Ianchi capiddi che parla del tempo che passa e porta con sé la giovinezza delle persone, o in Schiavu d'amuri in cui si esprime con un'emotività commovente. ma c'è anche Muhammad Ibn Al-Qatta, forse più duro, quasi guerriero in Figli di Aghlab e Anni su anni. Musicalmente il gruppo si raccoglie intorno a sonorità mediterranee di grande respiro, ma sono le voci la vera sorpresa: voci recitanti, voci soprano, voci arabe che ci regalano deliziosi chiaroscuri sostenuti da fiati, corde e percussioni che disegnano quadretti quasi impressionisti."Roberto Caselli - JAM

ROCKSTAR (ITALY)"Milagro Acustico è un settetto formatosi a Roma dieci anni fa. Questa è la loro quarta produzione che si avvale di una bella impaginazione e di un'ottima confezione e che punta l'obiettivo sulla poesia nata in Sicilia, circa mille anni fa, durante la dominazione araba. Uno splendido lavoro di ricerca letteraria e strumentale che è partito da Palermo e si è spinto sino ad Istanbul con l'incontro di strumenti e musicisti turchi (Volkan Gucer e Turker Dinletir). Ottima l'interpretazione dei protagonisti su strumenti originali e delle voci di Simona Ferriera e Francesca Brilli e davvero magnifica l'intera produzione curata da Bob Salmieri".Paolo De Bernardin

SONICBANDS.IT (italy)“Poeti Arabi di Sicilia” risveglia fatti, misfatti ed antiche tradizioni del periodo di dominazione Araba della Sicilia dopo oltre un millennio dalla sua avvenuta. È sorprendente quanto ancora si riesca ad evocare musiche ed atmosfere così anticamente orientaleggianti con l’utilizzo di stumenti tradizionali e moderni e senza l’utilizzo di programmazione. Il Milagro Acustico è al terzo album ufficiale, dopo un’autoproduzione datata 1998 e precedenti release timbrate USA da etichette quali Tinder Records e World Class, questo per confermare, sammai ce ne fosse bisogno, la bontà stilistica ed espressiva di questo affollato progetto. Quello che colpisce sono le atmosfere rese in modo tremendamente efficiente dalla maestria della band capace di trasportare il pensiero a remoti paesaggi. Le poesie tradotte in siciliano, il viaggio ad Istambul (dove è stato in parte registrato il cd), l’incontro con artisti locali e soprattutto l’amore per la propria terra creano un surreale viaggio indietro nel tempo dove storie d’incertezza e sofferenza dominano la scena, sfociando in brani splendidi quali “Standu Arrivannu” che apre il disco, “Schiavu d’Amuri”, “Anni Su Anni” e soprattutto “Prima da battaglia” tagliente e davvero efficace attesa prima di una guerra. Indiscutibile il valore artistico di quest’opera che vedo più come forma di libro/reperto storico che come cd musicale. In ogni modo un affresco riscoperto da bravi archeologi che completa ed amplifica una storia passata.Fabio Igor Tosi

CORRIERE DELLA SERA (ITALY)World insolita e curiosa la proposta dell’Ensemble Milagro Acustico con questo notevole Poeti Arabi di Sicilia (CNI): far rivivere i versi scritti tra l’827 e il 1091 prima che gli Arabi venissero cacciati dai Normanni. Testi tradotti in siciliano, strumenti della tradizione Mediterranea. Affascinante.

Rivistaonline (Italy)

E' probabile che il nome Ibn Hamdis non risvegli memoria alcuna nelle menti dei più. Non un indizio che lo possa ricollegare a un ambito od evento di cui a scuola si sia distrattamente sentito parlare. Ma ha il sapore, questo nome, dell'importanza scontata, dell'originalità resa tale dal suo stesso carattere ricercato e ignorato: una nozione che si ha la sensazione di dover conoscere pur non avendone mai saputo nulla. Eppure svelare subito l'identità di questo personaggio sarebbe alquanto banale e a dir poco offensivo. Meglio farla emergere dalla sua stessa natura, dal suo nome. Ibn è musulmano e ha un grande dono: riesce ad esprimere i tormenti del suo tempo e dell'intera società che di quel tempo è figlia. Osserva il disordine politico che stravolge gli equilibri storici ed umani, intrecciandosi con uno scontro di religioni che forse non ha ancora eguali in questo mondo. Racconta della sua terra e di come sia stato costretto ad abbandonarla, narrando il contatto delle culture attraverso semplici scorci di vita quotidiana.Sembra sia un uomo del nostro mondo, della nostra storia, della nostra cultura ormai multietnica: tutte cose che di certo Ibn condividrebbe se non fosse per la loro errata collocazione nel tempo. Un tempo che si aggira intorno all'anno Mille, in una Sicilia islamica ormai sotto il giogo normanno, cristallizzato nei versi di un poeta di Allah. E sono proprio le poesie di Hamdis a scandire questi ricorsi storici, a ricordarci che le contaminazioni in Italia ci sono sempre state e non sono una novità del nostro secolo.Quale modo migliore per riscoprirlo se non rileggendo i versi del siciliano Ibn? E se invece di rileggerli li ascoltassimo per la prima volta? E' quello che i Milagro Acustico, gruppo dalle sonorità mediterranee uso all'adattamento di poesie medievali come testi per arrangiamenti, hanno proposto nel loro ultimo album Poeti Arabi di Sicilia. Un esperimento all'insegna della contaminazione non solo culturale ma soprattutto storica e temporale che affascina per lo stile e il gusto antico ed è testimonianza di un'acuta attenzione per le radici non solo della Sicilia ma dell'Europa intera. Così si scopre che le sonorità islamiche, legate dall'immaginario collettivo per lo più al Corano, sono in realtà tessuto vivo della nostra stessa produzione musicale, elementi sostanziali di quello che oggi appare così distante e distorto e che invece è il prodotto di una storia già scritta, compiuta.Tracce nascoste, insomma, eppure forti. Messaggi sempre validi che ben si attagliano al notro mondo, al nostro tempo, alla nostra cultura.Barbara D’Amico

Cranky Crow World Music (USA)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 contemporary with Medieval music, features Arab poetry and acoustic instruments.  It is European world music at its best with lots of heart, soul and passion.  A truly meaningful experiencePatty-Lynne Herlevi

FUNPROX (GB)The latest album of Milagro Acustico a multicultural ensemble from Italy around Bob Salmieri. Over fifteen musicians are involved in this colourful piece of work, with various male and female singers and a variety of only acoustic instruments, like guitar, baglama, mandolino, tambur, ney, kaval, tamburi a cornice and darbuka. Inspiration was found in the poetic legacy of the Poeti Arabi di Sicilia (827-1091). The poems refer to their love for Sicily, its people, nature and the earth. These ancient texts, from classic poets like Ibn Hamdis, are given a musical treatment which combines traditional and more contemporary influences. Arabic, mediterranean and medieval music play an important role, but there are also jazzy and poppy elements. The songs make an organic, spontaneous impression, as if the musicans are jamming on a village square untill the sun goes down. I especially like the pieces with female vocals, like 'Luci di lu iurnu'. It's a pleasant summer album with a warm atmosphere.

KINDAMUZIK (Olanda)Aan het einde van het eerste millennium na Christus was Sicilië in handen van de moslims. Destijds verwoordden de Arabische poëten die er verbleven het wel en wee van land en bevolking. Zo was er een zekere Ibn Hamdis, die ten tijde van de invallen van de Noormannen verbannen werd en deze gebeurtenis met de nodige hartstocht aan het papier toevertrouwde. Deze gedichten vormen de basis voor Milagro Acustico, een Italiaanse band die de muzikale tradities van het Middellandse Zeegebied in ere wil herstellen. Ze gebruiken daarvoor een hele resem authentieke akoestische instrumenten waarmee ze de muziek in hun historische kader evoceren.

Interessant toch? Ja, maar er is ook een andere kant. Muzikaal klinkt het allemaal tamelijk klassiek en weet Poeti Arabi Di Sicilia zelden te boeien. Om niet te zeggen dat het bij momenten slaapverwekkend is. De etnische muziek is perfect uitgevoerd, maar daar is alles mee gezegd. Milagro Acustico is bijgevolg in haar opzet geslaagd. Helaas heb je daar als luisteraar niet veel aan. Hans van der Linden

Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam 2004

CITY PRESS (GRECIA)Aυτή την εβδομάδα κυριεύτηκα εκ νέου από το ήδη μεγάλο μου πάθος για την ποίηση του Kαγιάμ, για την εξύμνηση της μέθης, του εφήμερου, της αίσθησης ότι μόνος δυνάστης μας είναι ο Aδυσώπητος Xρόνος. Mια θαυμάσια δεκατετραμελής μπάντα, οι Milagro Acustico, με προεξάρχουσα μορφή τον άλτο σαξοφωνίστα, κλαρινετίστα, φλαουτίστα, κιμπορντίστα και κρουστό Bob Salmieri, με ταξίδεψε στο σύμπαν του Oμάρ Kαγιάμ, σε ένα ηδύτατο μεταίχμιο ανάμεσα στην πραγματικότητα και στο όνειρο, σε μια περιπλάνηση στην αχλή των πραγμάτων, σε μια μουσική άρση του Xρόνου, σε μια τόσο ευπρόσδεκτη επιμήκυνση των δευτερολέπτων. Aκούω ξανά και ξανά το cd των Milagro Acustico Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam (Hearts of Space/A&N) και απολαμβάνω ξανά και ξανά τους ρυθμούς των τετράστιχων όπως μας τους δώρισε πριν από κάμποσες δεκαετίες ο ποιητής Παύλος Γνευτός (1861-1956) και μας τους δωρίζουν και πάλι οι κομψές εκδόσεις Eρατώ. «Tότε το χείλι μου έφερα στο χωμάτινο τάσι/ Aπ' της ζωής τα μυστικά να πιει και να χορτάσει/ Kι εκείνο μου 'λεγε σιγά χείλι με χείλι, "Πίνε./ Δεν ξαναβρίσκει τη ζωή εκείνος που τη χάσει". Kι ακόμα: «Kι όταν στις ακροποταμιές τα βήματά σου σέρνεις/ Kαι σ' ανταμώσει ο Xάροντας κι εσύ αρχινάς να γέρνεις/ Kαι σου καλέσει την ψυχή προσφέροντας ποτήρι/ Πάρ' το και πιες το, αδελφέ, μην τρέμεις σαν το παίρνεις».Tίποτε, λοιπόν, πιο αναστάσιμο, τίποτε πιο λυτρωτικό απ' το να κάνεις σλάλομ ανάμεσα στα στερεότυπα με οδηγό το πάθος για όσα μπόρεσες να λατρέψεις. Kαι δεν είναι, άραγε, πολύ ευγενικό μ' ευγνωμοσύνη για όσα αγαπάς να σπεύδεις να μιλάς;

POPMATTERS.COM (USA)"I find my creativity in the moment I try to keep in touch with the two parts of my essence; when I try to detach "me" from the earth and approach "me" to the sky. So, the Arts for me are only the tools and not the goal, they are the tools to evoke the other part of "us". — Bob Salmieri, musician, composer, poet, and leader of Milagro Acustico Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyam is the third CD by the Rome-based group Milagro Acustico. Like their second CD I Storie Ò Cafè Di Lu Furestiero, Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyam is a "concept" recording, developing a theme, with each composition flowing naturally into the next -- somewhat like a symphony. The group's leader, Bob Salmieri, became inspired to compose music for Omar Khayyam's quatrain when he encountered the book at a newsstand. He picked it up, read the first few pages, and was immediately inspired to create music for this work. Bob Salmieri is a composer who when working on one musical project is always looking ahead to the next one as well. In I Storie Ò Cafè Di Lu Furestiero, we are given a hint to the group's next release with a track simply titled " Rubáiyyát". ( Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyam continues this tradition; the instrumental piece "The Wine" is subtitled "Omar meets the 'Arabian Poets of Sicily'", preparing us for Salmieri's next work). While both releases could fit under the category of "New Age" music, they are really much more interesting than that. The music could as easily be described as jazz, yet it actually falls somewhere in between the cracks of the usual marketing terms and becomes a unique blend of what has become known as world music. On Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyam, Milagro Acustico have expanded their palette of instruments and sounds. Not only have they added such instruments as the Persian santur and the Armenian duduk (Salmieri learned to play the duduk for this recording, not a big stretch since he already plays both saxophone and clarinet), but guest artists such as Maryam Borhani and Javad Ghaffari add Persian vocals and Fabio Dell'armi adds outstanding flamenco vocals and guitar. Even though the musicians of Milagro Acustico live in Rome, they are all of Sicilian descent. This heritage is apparent in their musical viewpoint. Sicily is a country situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea, and thus takes its musical influences from the surrounding areas. Milagro Acustico making a CD that includes so-called "outside" sounds is logical and even relevant when thinking of modern Sicilian music. Omar Khayyam was born in 1040 in Persia during one of the highest periods for Islamic culture. He was not only a fine poet, but also a mathematician and astronomer. Although his famous quatrain's meaning may still be under debate, this does not distract from the beauty of the words or their melodic quality. This beauty and lyrical quality is what inspired Salmieri to set Khayyam's famous work to music. Salmieri's lyrics are not just a mere translation of Khayyam's poetry, though. They are instead "inspired" by Khayyam's quatrain. He has composed most of songs in his own Sicilian dialect and had others translated into the Persian language. Fortunately the liner notes offer the poems in both the original written language and translated into English. The liner-note photographs taken by Bob Salmieri are also worthy of note. He has traveled often in the Middle East and has the artist's eye needed to capture the inherent beauty of the people and places he has seen. Last year, I chose Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyam, then still a self-produced demo, as one of my 10 favorite recordings for 2003, and noted that the cover design had to be my favorite for the year. That holds true for this year as well, as World Class/Hearts of Space has kept the original design. Now that Milagro Acustico has two recordings released on major labels, I hope their work will not fall into obscurity. It is exciting to know that they are hard at work on their next project, and I, for one, am looking forward to its completion. I highly recommend their releases, and recommend keeping a steady eye (and ear) out for future ones. Gypsy Flores

FOLKWORLD (Germany)This is another concept album by Milagro Acustico, following their project "I storie o Café di lu Furestiero" (reviewed in FolkWorld). The band has translated poems from a 12th century Persian poet and scientist, Omar Khayyam, directly from the Persian texts into Sicilian. For the recording, they use a combination of instruments from Mediterranean regions (e.g.

Mandolin, Marranzano, Daf, Darbouka, Piano) and from Persia (Santur, Duduk, Chords instruments). The Italian lead singer Fransesca Suriano Brilli has a lovely voice and sings mostly in a melancholic style, beautifully reflecting the background of the music. The Near Eastern music styles prevail on the album, most distinctive through melancholic chants and Eastern percussion. Music that might not be that accessible to friends of European music, but undoubtedly impressive and moving. Michael Moll

NEWAGEREPORT.com (USA)It is a dark, tumultuous time. The skies are gloomy and the people live in fear. There is a war of religion that has torn the countryside and the continent asunder. There are terrorists and assassins around every street corner. Another war, among scholars and scientists, splits the society like a cold, falling scimitar. The year however is not 2004, but 1100 A.D. The country is ancient Persia,Present present day Iran, and it is the time of Omar Khayyam. Omar Khayyam, born in 1048, was a Renaissance man of his time, a mathematician, scientist, astronomer, philosopher, and of course poet. His contributions include an accurate calendar, algebraic theories, and the Rubaiyyat. This epic poem is made up of hundreds of quatrains and has been translated into as many languages as the bible. The highly talented musical group Milagro Acustico of Sicily, Italy uses traditional instruments and adds a new dimension to their interpretation of the renowned poetry of the Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam. And it is world class.The opening track Vinni comu l’acqua (I came like water) immediately casts us into the ancient and mystic Eastern world. Saxophone, keyboards, clarinet and popping percussion set the stage for our journey into history. Francesca Brilli’s sultry vocals are clear and passionate as she sings of an earthly birth and departure via water and wind, two of the natural elements of olden times.Comacam Con sung by gifted Persian vocalist Maryam Borhani is a fervent appeal for help. “Help me, for I fade here, Help me so that I might stay.” Frankly, the song is not long enough, but it segues into The Road of Nishapur Suite in three parts. Nishapur, located in northeastern Iran is the birthplace of Omar Khayyam. Located on the Silk Road, it was the center for trade as well as the target of Genghis Khan. The music in this suite which ranges from World jazz to a kind of ethnic fusion uses voice, percussion, udu and tribal wind instruments. There is an excellent lead in on the santur by Robert Caravella. The musical trilogy is the nexus of the album that expands into different types of music, bringing about emotional changes. Blending the old with the new, the song The Silent Poet is a mixture of neo-classical tones and Old World flamenco voice. Andrea Alberti’s contemplative piano piece is a rest, a breathing space on our journey though history. It is another track that I wished was longer. The final cut, Trance Dance is the culmination of the entire work. It has that edgy, modern Italian Opera feel that you sometimes hear on Cirque du Soleil soundtracks. Once again the santur takes center stage as well as lively percussion. The voice of Fabio Dell’Armi and Francesca Brilli’s sweet voice makes it a very memorable song. The music of Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam is the remarkable creation of World music composer Bob Salmieri. Combining the Sicilian and Persian cultures, he has made an album of unique beauty that defies description into a common genre. Along with thirteen other musicians and vocalists the music entertains as well as reminds us that not everything that comes from the Middle East is, was, or will be evil. I truly enjoyed listening to this music.RJLannan

WORLDMUSICCENTRAL (USA) Italian composer Bob Salmieri (Milagro Acustico) explored the poetry of Omar Khayyam (11th century Persian poet) on the CD, Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam (Hearts of Space Records). Again we have an ethereal tapestry of silk road sounds married to European instruments. I especially enjoyed vocals by Francesca Suriano Brilli, Simona Ferreira and others. Salmieri is one of my favorite modern composers mixing world music with other genres. He possesses a vast imagination and I enjoy the spiritual overtones of his compositions.Patty-Lynne Herlevi

MUNDOVIBES (USA)With its daily violence it is hard to image a time of tranquility, poeticism and peace in the Middle East. But anyone who has ever read the poetry of Rami or heard its classical music knows there is another side to the region’s culture (and that’s an understatement). Sicily’s Milagro Acustico, fronted by musician Bob Salmieri, has taken inspiration from Persian culture and the 12th century poet Omar Khayyam on its second recording “The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam”. With Khayyam’s words as inspiration, Milagro Acustico fuse the music of Middle Eastern, the Mediterranean, Indonesian and Magrebin cultures. An impressive cast of musicians play an assortment of instruments, with the middle eastern santur and duduk bridging the divide. Khayyam’s words are translated into Sicilian, with the exception of two which remain in his native Persian. Milagro Acustico delicately balances acoustic, percussive and vocal elements with lead vocalist Francesca Suriano Brilli’s haunting and expressive voice guiding the way. The pace of the recording flows like an ancient river, revealing new moods and textures around each slowly unwinding bend. Though it leans more to the “new age” than classical, this is a recording that avoids the traps (i.e. cheesey synths, fake exoticism) of so many world fusion recordings. Its subtle mix of instrumentation and composition are a canvas of textures and mood. Songs like ‘Vinni Comu L’acqua’ (‘I came like water and like wind I go’) ‘Viristi U Munnu’ (‘You Saw the World’) speak of the temporality of life in their lyrics and flowing composition. ‘U Tavernaru’ (the landlord) is a stunning piano-led composition accompanied by Brilli’s vocals and subtle percussion. “The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam” is a meditative, dreamlike journey to a mythical place where cultures merge in peace. Perhaps a dream of what is possible? JC Tripp

Zzaj Productions (USA)Music that transcends cultures (effectively) is rare.  A simple, yet beautiful, mix of musical stylings from Italy, the Middle East, Indonesian & Magrebin musical heritage, this comes as close to "world music" as possible, without getting rutted in rhythms that are dead & over-used.  While the purist improv listener will hesitate, if the album is given a fair listen, your ears will be rewarded with the magic of ancient/timeless quatrains from Omar Khayyam (translated to Sicilian dialects, except for two of them).  A very relaxing, yet inspirational journey through music that reaches out across the ages & grasps the soul ever so gently - a definite keeper!  I would recommend headphones, at least for the first round, but no matter how you choose to listen to it, be sure to establish an environment that provides no interruptions.  This gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, & we hope to hear more from the group in the near future.    

RotcodZzaj

POPMATTERS(USA)The Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyám is the third recording by the Italian group Milagro Acustico. When the leader of the group, Bob Salmieri, first read Omar Khayyám's quatrain, he knew he had to compose music for it. He translated Khayyám's words from the original Persian into the Sicilian dialect and then created music and lyrics that evoke Khayyám's experiences of one mystical night. The mood is dreamy and meditative and combines sounds and instruments from many parts of the world. The recording effectively blends Bob's Sicilian background with his interest in the music of the Middle and Far East, plus adding elements of jazz and even a bit of flamenco.Gypsy Flores

AllMusicGuideFor their second album, Milagro Acustico take on something big, and with a massive reputation -- The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, one of the great literary masterpieces. Translating it, or at least some of it, into a musical setting offers a fascinating challenge, but their pan-Mediterranean approach is uniquely suited to the task. At times the group sounds like a chamber orchestra (as on "The Road of Nishapur, Pt. 3," with its Persian vocals), at times the folk element is so pure, such as with the solo voice on "Komakam Kon." With a full 13 members, the band can offer a range of tonal colors, from brass to strings and piano, and even the Indian santur, but in the main they aim for -- and achieve -- a hanging delicacy, typified by "Viristi U Munnu." This is a stunningly beautiful record at times, as befits the poetry, one which doesn't put any performer above any other, but utilizes the qualities and talents of the whole ensemble to create jewel-like settings. It's a reminder, not only of how lovely the words of the text are, but also that the music of the Mediterranean can contain crystalline melancholy as well as sunny vibrancy. Chris Nickson

Blow Up (Italy)Un esperimento piuttosto riuscito quello di tradurre in siciliano le liriche del tuttologo persiano Omar Khayyam, vissuto poco oltre l’anno Mille. Regista dell’operazione è Bob Salmieri, fiatista e multistrumentista di buon livello che, in compagnia di una dozzina di musicisti, si ingegna di edificare intorno alla voce soffusa e arcaica di Francesca Suriano Brilli una camera sonora evocante un Medio Oriente a metà tra il mistico e il carovaniero. I suoni ondeggiano perciò tra una calma quasi trance e decise aperture in odore di etnojazz. L’equilibrio tra le parti non viene però mai meno e Milagro Acustico dimostra di superare la prova.(An experiment rather succeeded that to translate in Sicilian the lyric of the persian poet and scientist Omar Khayyam, lived a little further the year Thousand. Director of the operation is Bob Salmieri, multi strumentist of good level that, in company of a dozen of musicians, he is striven of to build around the voice soffused and archaic of Francesca Suriano Brilli a room sonorous evocative a Middle East between the mystical and the caravan style. The sounds ripple therefore between a calm almost trance and definite openings in odor of etnojazz. The equilibrium between the parts never less and Milagro Acustico shows of to overcome the test.)

Cranky Crow World Music (USA)The silk road featured on Milagro Acustico's latest recording, Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam acts more like a magic carpet ride than the famous trade route.  The music on this CD can also be compared to an oriental rug that weaves strands of musical stories, in this case, Milagro Acustico founder and composer, Bob Salmieri's interpretation of ancient Persian poet, Omar Khayyam vibrant words.  Salmieri brings us exotic music performed by sultry vocalists and soulful musicians.  I have heard and enjoyed a variety of Silk Road CDs, many of which have felt archival or historical.  Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayyam however, carries a timeless quality that is rooted in the past and still resides in the present moment.  You will not find re-mixes, but you will find modern interpretation of Silk Road music inspired by Medieval Islamic poetry (quatrains).  Bob Salmieri is an imaginative Italian composer and one of the most intriguing musicians working within the world music genre of which there are several.  Previously I reviewed I Storie o cafe de lu fure Stiero for this site, a recording based on a fictional cafe where people from various nations meet, tell their stories and then continue their journeys.  The two CDs have similar things in common.  Both recordings feature musical collages that bring together musical instruments and styles from varying cultures.  Both recordings could be called beguiling with a flourish of orchestral and Oriental instruments.  The basic story behind this CD is that Salmeiri discovered Omar Khayyam's poetry while browsing through a book stand.  In order to produce the project he translated the verses into Sicilian dialect.  Then he enlisted Italian musicians and Persian vocalists (for the 2 songs that are sung in Persian dialect) to record the songs. Salmieri writes in the liner notes, "The grace and humanity of the rhymes of poets such as Khayyam, Rumi, Hafiz or Al-Hallaj show us a world in stark contrast to the one the media is broadcasting today.  The messages and ideas of these poets strongly resemble those of some of the greatest poets or our spiritual traditions."  And yes, this album is intensely spiritual and certainly transcendental, starting with the mesmerizing Vinni comu l'acqua which opens the CD and ending with tantalizing Trance Dance.  Salmieri integrates Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indonesian and Magrebin cultures, (hence the Silk Road) in style dubbed "World Chamber Music."   And the music here lives up to its intriguing description. It's truly cutting edge and acoustic.  www.valley-entertainment.com Patty-Lynne Herlevi

Zook Beat (USA)Another fantastic release by the adventurous group Milagro Acustico. This CD is set to poetry by Omar Khayyam - a Persian poet from the 11th century. The music weaves beautifully the various moods set by the poems. An enchanting release!

CDRoots (USA)Sicilian producer Bob Salmieri and his ensemble of Mediterranean instrumentalists and guest musicians created a concept album that contemplates a verses from the 11th century Persian poet Omar Khayyam. Melancholy in mood the music reveals influences from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Santur, udu, flutes, keyboards,

percussion, mandolin and vocals all come into play, lending the music an early music or chamber-folk character. The vocals are predominately in Sicilian, translated from the original Persian text.

FolkWorld (UK)I have had some rum albums to review in my time, but this one perhaps is the most unusual to date. When I heard I was about to get an album inspired by the quatrains of Omar Khayyam, I immediately got excited. For when I was about 15, I got my hands on a copy of Edward Fitzgerald’s famous translation. And I just LOVED it. However my eagerness to receive the CD abated somewhat, when I learned that the verses were being translated into Sicilian dialect! And since my grasp of Sicilian would not be enough to engage even the most passionate conversationalist in Palermo, I wondered if it was for me. But I should have known better. Bob Salmieri (the driving force behind Milagro Acustico) has the great gift of “inclusiveness”. On his last album, Bob introduced African ethnic instruments and musicians into his ensemble. Here amongst the Sicilian dialect we have the surprising but welcome introduction of Omar Khayyam in Spanish, sung by the flamenco musician Fabio dell’ Armi. Plus some Persian vocal too from Iranian performers.As I said, this is not an album one gets for review every day: and it must be stated from the outset that it is much more an album for the EARS than for the typewriter. That is to say that whilst one can indeed write on it, it lends itself more to reverie and contemplation rather than something as CONCRETE as “words”. Still, that said, it is of no consolation to the reader of this review: he/she wants to READ my thoughts on the album. It is not sufficient for them just to know that the CD had got me into an occasionally blissful state of contemplation! So, let’s get down to the hard job of articulating my reactions. I confess to switching off from the words as soon as I saw the English translation in the liner notes. (By the way, most handsomely produced liner notes. Congratulations are due to Bob for a first class job here. But not for his English translation.)Look, I grew up on the Fitzgerald. I feel sorry for the poor benighted souls who will read the followingin the notes:“Coming and going all the time…what’s it get you?/Which path is designed for us?/All burning souls become earth, where is the smoke?/I came like water and like wind I go”.Now, compare that to the magisterial command of Fitzgerald. There is just no comparison:“Myself when young did eagerly frequent. Doctor and Saint, and heard great ArgumentAbout it and about: but evermore. Came out by the same Door as in I went.With them the Seed of Wisdom did I sow, And with my own hand labour'd it to grow:And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd---I came like Water, and like Wind I go."The first, whilst an honest attempt at translation, has leaden feet. The second is the “real thing” and takes flight. So, as I say, I “checked out” when it came to the lyrics. I just got out my Fitzgerald and read that instead, whilst Salmieri’s music and lyrics provided the background for my musing.And I have to say that I salute Bob for producing 21st Century music that is strangely totally “simpatico” with the thoughts of this great man of the 11th Century. The instruments run the gamut, and the sound is (loosely) perhaps best described as “avant garde jazz”.Methinks it will be a year or two before I get such an unusual album for review again.Dai Woosman

Netrhythms (UK)Milagro Acustico was formed in 1995 by Bob Salmieri, a Sicilian musician, this beautiful release is follow up to another concept project ‘I Storie O Cafe Di Lu Furestiero’. Here he takes Omar Khayyam's poetry which he then translated, with the aid of Iranian vocalists Maryam Borhani and Javad Ghaffari, into Sicilian (apart from two sung in the original Persian). He then gathered together 14 musicians including Maryan and Javad to record the songs, here the Mediterranean pools its musical influences and heritage to provide an enchanting setting for these graceful poems. Gorgeous.Graham Radley 

Omarkhayyamnederland.comEen nieuwe cd met muziek geïnspireerd door de kwatrijnen van Khayyám, vertaald uit het Perzisch in Siciliaans dialect door Bob Salmieri. De cd wordt in juli 2004 uitgebracht op het label Hearts of Space. Milagro Acustico omschrijft zichzelf als 'Mediterranean Ensemble Music' en maakt gebruikt van traditionele instrumenten uit het Middellandse Zeegebied en uit Perzië.De teksten zijn opgenomen in het Sicilliaans, Perzisch en Spaans. Hieronder de Sicilliaanse versie van "I came like water and like wind I go".

Insideworldmusic.comThe Italian group, Milagro Acustico, explores the poetry of Omar Khayyam. Omar was a Persian poet, born in 1040. Rubaiyyat Of Omar Khayyam is the musical equivalent of Omar’s spoken poetry. Some tracks are sung in Sicilian; while others are wholly instrumental. A plethora of instruments including guitar, piano, trumpet, santoor, bass, sax, flute, mandolin, udu, and various other percussion instruments. The overall music contains Mediterranean and Middle Eastern infusions. A very accessible album for the world music listener!P.E.Kirman

www.newageretailer.comBased on the quatrains of 12th-century scientist and poet Omar Khayyám, the songs on Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyám evoke the mystical, ecstatic Persia of Jallaludin Rumi’s time. Headed by Sicilian musician and artist Bob Salmieri, Mílagro Acustíco uses vocals and Middle Eastern and Persian instruments, including the mandolin, marranzano, daf, darbouka, santur, and duduk, to convey Khayyám’s eternal messages. One of my favorite tracks is “Komakam Kon,” an a cappella piece in the traditional Persian language. Maryam Borhani’s clear voice relays an anguish with which many can identify; translated, the song begins, “Help me, for I fade here. Help me, so that I might stay. Help me keep the kiss of death from my lips.” Salmieri’s efforts are listeners’ rewards. Rubáiyyát of Omar Khayyám is seductive and compelling.

KINDAMUZIK (Holland)

Ik kan heel goed luisteren naar authentieke wereldmuziek. Het Ensemble Al-Kindi bijvoorbeeld, of Mohammad Reza Shajarian. Echt schitterend. Waar ik minder goed tegen kan zijn de hybrides tussen oost en west, die zogenaamde eclectische samensmeltingen waar oosterse sferen vermengd worden met westerse instrumenten en dance-ritmes. Milagro Acustico valt in deze laatste categorie. Het Romeinse zestal neemt kwatrijnen van Omar Khayyam - een renaissanceman uit het Perzië van de elfde eeuw - en vertaalt die vervolgens in het oud-Siciliaans. Waarom dat gedaan is wordt nergens duidelijk. Vervolgens worden er wat oosters en mediterraans aandoende melodieën gebruikt, die behalve door tradionele instrumenten als ud en darbouka ook door synths en saxofoons worden vertolkt. Het resultaat is kitscherig en soms ronduit lelijk. Conclusie: vult u hier maar dat spreekwoord in met de woorden "grote boog" en "omheen lopen". Bas Ickenroth

FUNPROX.COM (The Netherlands)Milagro Acustico, the band of driving force Bob Salmieri, is back with a new cd that you takes you to ancient Persia. This album is based around the poetic work of Omar Khayyam, born in 1040, for a long time mostly known as a scientist. He wrote verses during the heyday of Islamic culture, but also a time of the first religious extremism and violence. His texts of the Rubaiyyat are translated into Sicilian and set to music. In the booklet you can see various photos from the Persian world and English translations of the texts. The music of Milagro Acustico on this album is rather moody and melancholic. It's varied, accessible melodic world music, with of course the necessary ancient Arabic influences mixed with more contemporary and western elements. Quite a few musicians and vocalists have been involved in this album with a warm Mediterranean atmosphere. Male and female voices, diverse instruments like percussion, piano, clarinet, flute and madolin create a very enjoyable flowing mixture. I think this album will be appreciated by people who like the work of Francesco Banchini or the dreamy folk/world music of the Prikosnovénie label.

I STORIE O CAFÉ’ DI LU FURESTIERO 2002

SING OUT! Vol.47 n. 1 Spring 2003 (USA)The premise for “I storie o Cafè di lu furestiero” is familiar mytology. It’s the saloon scene from Stars Wars, a place where those on the road, far from home, come together, in this case, somewhere is a small Sicilian island cafè. A place where foreigners emigrants, pilgrims and travellers of all sorts come to sit, eat, drink, rest and enjoy playng and listening music. Still, even on the vast soundscape of world music, there is something unusual and special going on here. The musical idea is that the imaginary journeys prompted by over the overhead stories told in the languages and dialects that converge at a crossroads.Milagro Acustico is a world music group based in Rome and features the music and text composed by the Sicilia saxophonist Bob Salmieri. Think of how Mediterranean sound sfuse with the medioriental melodies and rhythms and how they in turn would complement progressive jazz, carrying along some deep roots music. Clever, fiery, moody and highly appealing. “The stories of the Strangers Coffeee” offers an exceptionally cohesive and seductive atmosphere that demands attentions. I’ll often listen to a hundred or so albums before catching one such as this. It’s well worth the wait.Richard Dorsett

ROOTSWORLD.COM (USA)It's a short boat trip from the Balkan coast or North Africa to southern Italy, and many desperate, mostly younger people have made the perilous voyage as a means to survive and, perhaps somehow, to assist those they leave behind. The immigrant tragedy has become a significant source of socioeconomic and political controversy in Italy, a land like any other whose entrepreneurs are only too ready to exploit their vulnerability, further impoverishing already marginalized native workers in the process. When it comes to displacement by the "invisible hand" of transnational capitalism, someone has to pay. Too often, that payment's relentless extraction remains inaudible, but Rome-based Milagro Acustico recuperates the immigrant saga. Sicilian-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Bob Salmieri (alto sax, clarinet, flute, keyboards, percussion) leads a septet covering vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, guitars, mandolin, bass, bongos, congas, darbuka, drums, hand percussion and electronic effects. And in the spirit of the overall project, they enlist several immigrant artists to render the message in its true international measure: Moroccans Nour Eddine (percussion, ghayta or North African shawm) and Jamal Ouassini (violin), plus Senegalese kora player Papa Kanoutè and Pape Yery Samb (djembe). "I Storie ò Cafè" The organizing conception of I Storie ò Cafè di lu Furestiero, Milagro Acustico’s second release, is that of an imaginary Sicilian café where immigrant strangers congregate to relax and share their stories in conversation, verse and song. Historically, Sicily is an ancient Mediterranean crossroads, a place of multiple and enduring cultural encounters. Hence the project, which took two years to research and record. Salmieri himself penned the compositions, save one, ranging from the Balkan-Turkish flavorings of "Tesekkur Arkadas," to the Persian insinuations of "Rubaiyyat," and the slack Andalusian allusions of "Signori, Si Chiude." The album presents a coherent narrative (a world-jazz suite, one could say) that unveils the human face of the migrant epic, conveyed in part by the principals themselves, in their own tongues, against the band's musical and spoken commentary - the latter in Sicilian dialects that signal the region's own historically subordinate status within the Italian national project. Fittingly, the album begins with "Ricorda o Me Nomi" (Remember My Name), an Eastern-tinged lamentation voicing the anxiety that every emigrant feels, the knowledge - but hope to the contrary - that he or she may well never return home. Pape Kanoutè's kora lays out a delicate counterpoint to singer Danide's ethereal vocals, calliope-like piping and undulating percussion. Kanoutè takes a bridging kora solo with his own "Dioulo," which fades into the dark, mournful strains of "Sanghe Meu," an interlayering of alto sax, ghayta, muted trumpet, piano, percussion and wordless vocal chanting, against which a dull, gravely male voice offers a weary spoken deposition. "Terra Umilissima" (Most Humble Land) opens with the terse commentary of a succession of immigrants from Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, and Colombia, in their own voices, in flat reflection upon their experience as strangers in Italy. As a young woman murmurs in Spanish, "I cook meals that aren't destined for my own table. I don't understand what they say on the radio, nor... on the street." The same could be said of the host

country's prevailing indifference toward these essential, accidental strangers. Indeed, that is one of the project's core assertions, really, along with a sure demonstration that a panoply of voices from many different lands can combine accents in an infinitely textured polyphonic statement whose penetrating effect beckons, testifies, saddens, provokes and lingers. Michael Stone

CRANKY CROW WORLD MUSIC (USA)The Italian ensemble Milagro Acustico invites listeners into an imaginative Cafe/pub in a border village on a Sicilian island where strangers meet on their CD, The Stories of a Stranger's Coffee.  The strangers represent travelers, immigrants and pilgrims who drop into the cafe to drink coffee, exchange culture and stories before embarking on the last leg of their journey.  Milagro Acustico embellishes this fictitious cafe with a blend of classical and world music.  Similar to the Africans, Asians and Europeans who rendezvous at the cafe, various musical instruments such as the African kora, bongos, congas, darbuka, violin, pianoforte, trumpet, flugelhorn, sax, flute and clarinet mingle with one another thus creating an ethereal environment. Milagro Acustico features compositions by multi-instrumentalist Bob Salmieri (clarinet, flute, keyboards, percussion and flute).  Danide (vocals), Gianfranco Dezi (trumpet, flugelhorn), Piero Piciucco (bass, mandolin), Carlo Colombo (percussion), Andrea Pullone (guitars) and Alfredo Romeo (drums) round off the innovative ensemble.  And since no international recording would be complete without prestigious collaborators, Nour Eddine (percussion, ghanta), Pape Kanoute (kora), Jamal Ovassini (violin), Papa Yery Samb (djambe) and Andrea Alberti (pianoforte) along with a collection of other musical guests drop in and contribute their talents. As anyone can imagine from the above list of instruments, anything is possible musically speaking and similar to Abdelli's Among Brothers, Milagro Acustico also creates a rich tapestry of exoticism and stunning music. Narrated stories told by the various immigrants drift in and out of the songs and are mostly spoken or sung in Sicilian with the one exception of Tesekkur Arkadas which is sung in the Turkish language.  The overall effect presents a dream-like quality that conjures up gypsies and other nomads sharing slices of their lives and then moving on to the next adventure.  The cafe acts as a depot before reaching a final musical or personal destination.  It's a place where mediterranean music converses with Senegalese, kecah, Gamelan, Far East and kodo music and where European instruments engage in a tete a tete with their exotic cousins.  This ambitious Italian CD embellishes a collection of music that includes jazz, classical and world.  For more information contact www.tinderrecords.com or www.milagroacustico.com  PLH

POPMATTERS.COM (USA) Shelter is important -- shelter from a coming storm, shelter to hide in from the world, or shelter to seek out those of like-mind and share perhaps a few moments of familiarity, comfort, and conversation. We all seek out these places -- whether to be alone and quiet in a crowd of strangers who somehow feel like friends or to commune with people sitting nearby. Perhaps in our dreams, we create such a place that feels somehow like a home for alienated souls. We go there and sit with others who are also far from home and their life-long friends. Here is the sanctuary where we can sit, eat, drink, rest, and tell our stories. I Storie ò Cafè Di Lu Furestiero or The Story of the Foreigner's Cafè is a mystical/musical journey to a cafè on a small Sicilian island where travelers have found such a refuge. Because Sicily is located where it is -- in the middle of the Mediterranean and very close to Tunisia, very close to the Balkans, and southern Europe -- one finds in this imaginary cafè foreigners from places near and very far. Milagro Acustico helps us to experience this in their recording by effectively encompassing a wide variety of sounds that span genres, traveling somewhere between traditional music and jazz. The combination of instruments from the many cultures reflected in their music creates a richly textured sound that is added to by guest musicians such as: Moroccan percussionist and ghayta player Nour Eddine; violinist Jamal Ouassini; Senegalese kora player, Papa Kanoutè; and Pape Yery Samb on djembé. Milagro Acustico is a "world" music group from Italy (many of whom are also of Sicilian descent) who formed in 1995 and has recorded two albums together. (Their first recording Onirico, is self-produced).The leader and composer for the group, Bob Salmieri grew up in an area of Rome that was built to shelter immigrants who came from southern Italy and Africa. Although Bob's father was Sicilian, he was born in Tunisia and spoke both Sicilian and Arabic; thus, there was a mixture of many cultures in Bob's home as he grew up. On holidays when everyone came together for parties and gatherings, instruments were brought out and everyone shared music as well as stories. Bob feels that he has always played music. When he was six, he and his father traveled to Tunisia where Bob was given his first darbouka (goblet drum) by his father. "This is when I, too. began to tell my stories." From darbouka, he went on to learn to play guitar then later keyboards. Early on, he was influenced by the music of Miles Davis and Italian saxophonist Massimo Urbani. From this, his love for jazz grew together with his love for the music he had of course heard all his life. I Storie ò Cafè Di Lu Furestiero brings together these elements and becomes a source of reconciliation for Bob and his Sicilian background. He felt that somewhere there needed to be a "shelter" for the many immigrants and displaced people of this world, where they could go and find a temporary home or harbor from their troubles and be accepted for who they are no matter what their past. So, the cafè sprung into existence and we can visit whenever we need to find a little consolation too. "Ricorda O Me Nomi" (or Remember My Name), the first track on the CD is the story of someone who returns home to his little island after his death. He had left his little island in a hurry and now he finds he misses it. His ghost runs through the streets hoping to find some signs of his past, that someone remembers him; that someone even is possibly speaking about him at that moment. Finding few signs (except a grave stone with his name on it and a photograph of when he was a child) and no one that really remembers him, he enters the "cafè" and finds hospitality. The music starts with a rather languorous piano but builds to a rapid pace when the other instruments come in with almost an explosive quality. In the singing, one hears the desperation of the "ghost" as he rushes around his village trying to find traces of his former existence. The song segues into a lovely little kora (African harp) piece written and played by Pape Kanoutè titled "Dioulo". Although "Sanghe Meu" literally translates as "My Blood", in this particular song/poem the sense is really more like "my heart" or "my love". Bob's grandfather survived the earthquake in Messina in 1908 when he was a small boy. He had returned to Sicily from Tunis for the first time and after the earthquake he was buried for three days under the debris. He stayed alive for two reasons, he related. One: because there was a small stream that ran next to him where he lie and two: because he had a vision of a beautiful Oriental dancer who helped him. This story is not only the inspiration for "Sanghe Meu" but for

the gorgeous painting on the CD's cover. The music has an "oriental" feel and the narrator tells the story rather than sings it with the horns, percussion, and chorus setting the mood."A Storia I Me Patri" (My Father's Story) was written for Bob's father. In this song/story, Bob imagines his father, who was born in Tunis, returning by boat to the island of his family (Favignana) for the first time. The music reflects the feeling of being on a calm sea with the boat bobbing up and down and over the waves; yet there is an underlying tension in the chorus, perhaps because of the work of sailing the boat or perhaps because Bob's father felt nervous anticipation as he approached the island of his family. These stories will also be written as a book of tales one day by Bob Salmieri in Italian, his Sicilian dialect and in English. "Rubayyat" the next to last song on the recording gives us a hint to Bob and Milagro Acustico's next project -- a work inspired by the writing of Persian poet Omar Khayyam.I Storie ò Cafè Di Lu Furestiero is a cohesive work that flows from beginning to end. We follow the musical stories the same way we would follow a great conversation or be captivated by a good book -- with interest, a little surprise, and with enough intrigue that we hope that this "good read" won't end too soon so that we can savor each tale.Gypsy Flores

Zzaj PRODUCTIONS (USA)

If you enjoy sittin' 'round a fine coffeehouse staring at th' in/out wanderers & making up stories in your imagination about them... the music on this CD will make th' PERFECT accompaniement!  World-music artists from (where else) the world over have joined forces to perform exciting pieces that will help you (easily) become caught up in a tangled web of gypsy dances, acoustic folk tunes & dreams that couldn't be topped by th' finest/richest Lebanese red.  Shades of the mid-east influence the musical style(s), as you might expect.  This would make a genuinely nice gift for someone wanting to re-enact Ali Baba's adventures.   There are some great sections on trak 3 that sound (something) like an Egyptian version of Orson Welles... It gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from us.    

Rotcod Zzaj

GLOBALVILLAGEIDIOT.NETInteresting concept, based around the tales of travelers in an imaginairy Sicilian cafe. The music, a mix of Mediterranean cultures, works well, with some light touches of jazz here and there. Leader Bob Salmieri has plenty of talent as a composer, although this seems more like a beginning than an end in itself.

AFRICAMUSIC.COM

The premise of the recording is that each composition is in effect a setting for the telling of a story, presented as a ballad and in the language of a Sicilian dialect (except for one track in Turkish). The seductive atmosphere is infused with the contributions of guests Pape Kanoute, Jamal Ouassini and Nour-Eddine, among others. Milagro Acustico, based in Rome, uses a variety of traditional and ethnic instruments, as well as electronic media, to create a sound that epitomizes the characteristic Tinder blending of cultures and influences.

WIDR WORLD (USA)I've recently received a copy of a CD which was sent to me back in 2001 - "I Storie O Cafe Di Lu Furestiero" (Stories of the Stranger's Coffee) is a concept album by the band Milagro Acustico. The idea is that on an Italian island, at the crossroads of Europe and Africa and beyond, there sits a café where travellers stop. What we hear on the CD is a representation of some of the conversations overheard. This CD is delightful to me now as it was when I heard it over two years ago. Sung mostly in Italian, this CD is a stew of sounds with spices from all over the world... and the great news is that it is now available to all the world!Jason J. Hall

WIND AND WIRE.COM (USA)I received this promotional CD in the mail and loved the colorful exotic artwork on the cover and was not quite sure what to expect. I inserted the CD into my computer and Real Player's genre category defined it as generally unclassifiable. Definitely an appropriate response as this group wanders the genres like a meandering gypsy. The eclectic nature includes influences of jazz, Greek, Mediterranean, Middle East and new age that makes for a melting pot of assorted songs and stories. This is without a doubt the most interesting project I have heard so far this year.The disc opens with the rather odd but exotic "Ricardo o me nomi" that has a strange use of minor chords with a mix of pulsating percussion work combined with an almost off-key flute arrangements. The occasional vocal chants add to this perplexing yet moving mix. Speaking of oddities, skip forward to the stirring alto sax on "Sanghe meu" which is integrated with additional stirring percussion work. This song is very moving and daring. It even includes a narrative storyteller. Unfortunately, the latter while a courageous move, seems to distract from the composition and its musical success.In fact, there is continual sporadic narrative on other tracks that creates a lack of cohesiveness and focus. This is why "Duci Velenu" is much more attractive which limits the lyrical content to chants and vocalization versus spoken word. Or for that matter the sultry moody "Lu munnu brucia" that features chief composer and musical anchor Bob Salmieri on clarinet. Purists of instrumentalist music should be aware that the vocal work on this track is prominent here. The most conservative track is left until last courtesy of the mystical jazzy "Signori, si chiude," which includes some masterful clarinet work from Bob Salmieri. And it is no hidden secret that I tend to venture very little in musical exploration when it comes to contemporary instrumental music thus this track is without a doubt my favorite on the album. Though this album has some fine moments, it never quite hits on all four cylinders and really does not suit my fancy. However, the work spearheaded by Italian composer and sax player Bob Salmieri is a bold exploration that places me into his brave new world of creative and artistic freedom. And that alone deserves kudos.

Michael Debbage

AMBIENTRANCE.COM (USA)Led by Bob Salmieri, the musical travelers of Milagro Acustico take a magical rest stop in a fantasy cafe; I Storie ò Cafè DI lu Furestiero retells the stories of its global patrons in lush songforms from around the world. Ricorda o me nomi immediately captures the ears with a vibrant mix of Mediterranean strings, rich feminine vocals (in both leads and choruses), tweedling flute gusts and steadily pattering ethnodrums. Dioulo's trickling strings resonate into a thrumming expanse which becomes an entryway to Sanghe meu, a flavorful ear-vision of bittersweet instrumentation, overlain softly by an old man's murmurs, assorted chants and jazzy sax licks. Somber symphonics spread into travel-evoking Duci Velenu, enlivened by sparkling strings, temptress' wails, and a woodwind surge interlude. Soulful leads wrap Profughi! in their sinuous strands while elegantly smoky Lu munnu brucia plays up a torchy lounge angle.A rising tide of accordion tones, strings and rhythms opens lively Tesekkur Arkadas (7:57) soon to be overtaken by multiple brassy flows, sinuous lows and elaborately fluttering femme vocals (and male as well). Welling flute vapors swirl briefly through Rubayyat (1:06) before Signori, si chiude closes the show with its melancholy finale.The cool exoticism of I Storie ò Cafè DI lu Furestiero is painted on the airwaves with voice, trumpet, mandolin, conga, darbuka, sax, kora, violin, djambe and more! I find Milagro Acustico's rootsy-yet-artsy brand of world music is invigorating, expertly-performed and just plain lovely. A zesty balance of sophistication and fun! A-

LOS ANGELES TIMES 13 dec 2002Milagro Acustico, "I Storie o café di lu Furestiero" (Tinder). The Roman group, led by Sicilian saxophonist Bob Salmieri, is joined by African musicians Pape Kanouté, Nour-Eddine and others in an imagined evening in a Sicilian cafe. And for once, the fusion of genres actually works, with Italian melodies, African rhythms, Middle Eastern modes and a touch of Miles Davis-like trumpet blending into a compelling tapestry of boundary-less music.Don Heckman

ALLMUSICGUIDE(USA)”It's a concept record of sorts, really -- the idea of a cafe in Sicily where foreigners and natives come together to talk, and where music of several Mediterranean (and beyond) cultures exist. And it could easily fall on its face, but it doesn't. Instead the core seven-piece group provides continuity, while the many guests provide color and texture to the songs and instrumentals. By keeping the music relatively firmly based in the Mediterranean (although "Signori, Si Chuide" veers off into fairly lightweight jazz), bandleader and composer Bob Salmieri provides a root for it all, with some gorgeous vocals from DanyB. There's a dreaminess to "Ricorda o Me Nomi" and a sense of both traveling and rest exemplified by "Dioulo," a kora solo from Pape Kanoute. All in all, there's a languid beauty to this, and given its overall sense of being an oasis, it obviously succeeds in what it was trying to do. It will be interesting to see what Milagro Acustico will come up with next time and how well they might work outside a concept.”Chris Nickson

AMBIENT MUSIC (England)“The music is set in an imaginary border cafe in Sicily where immigrants, emigrants, travellers and pilgrims pass through on their journeys. With guest musicians Nour Eddine, Pape Kanoute and others, the music generates an amazing 'sense of place' and visual imagery.” Nick Webb

THE WORLDLYMAG.COMSomewhere on an island of Sicily, there lies a small coffee shop where many strangers from many different cultures and backgrounds come together to have a drink, maybe to listen to music, maybe to play a little music themselves, but always to tell their stories. Whether this place of cultural exchange exists or not, it is the premise of Milagro Acustico's new album "I Storie ò Cafè di lu Furestiero", which translates in English to "The Stories of the Strangers' Coffee".The overall style of the album is very smooth, jazz lounge-y. There are muted trumpets, jazz harmonies, and a variety of world instruments that pull off the café feeling very well. The voices of the Italian mandolin (a small, guitar-like instrument with a plucky, elegant,banjo-like sound), the African djambe (a percussion instrument with a rich, deep sound), the middle eastern darbuka (also a deep percussion instrument which produces a more fluid beat), and the cora (a west african harp) interweave with the sounds of the more traditional instruments to form a musical texture of the deepest richness. Think of it like a smooth blend of coffee, tasty and rich with several flavors swirled together to form a taste beyond satisfying.The album is a project that took over two years to complete because of the talent that had to be gathered from around the globe. Milagro Acoustico is a world music group based in Rome. Their head writer/composer Bob Salmieri is Sicilian himself, but travels extensively, recruiting talent from among those skilled at playing traditional instruments from all corners of the world. Just as the strangers in the story come from varied backgrounds, so do the songs. Each of the songs is an expression of a tale from someone from a different cultural heritage, and the instruments and the style reflect that. For example, "Lu Munnu Brucia" (The World is Burning) is the story of a man from the Philippines who has seen the people of his little home island give up their traditions and take up Western ways instead. The song combines an Italian foundation with a Filipino style of singing (in Sicilian) and ends with a somber or even sad tone, but never harsh to the ear or even depressing. Yet another track, "The Merchant" has a sound that evokes that classic Moroccan marketplace feel. The "merchant" of this story has seen a lot of things in his time, and the music which blends the influences of Sicily, Italy, Morocco, and various miscellaneous others explain the myriad tales that would take words ages to accomplish. Another very unique track on Milagro consists of a collection of voices of people praying at a temple. You can hear the desires, the woes, and the praises of people who have come from all around to gather at this altar and lift their voices to a higher power -- and even though it is in Sicilian, the raw emotion in the voices of the people makes the point of their supplication quite clear. As is often the case with Jazz, the songs are not very happy in sound, but the album is not all gloom and doom. Although there are no songs about bunny rabbits or happy, dancing flowers, none of the songs are testaments to despair either. There are no songs that make you want to get up and dance, but none so emotionally intense that

they bring you to tears either. It is the kind of mood music that you put on when all that you want to do is curl up in a blanket, sit down in a cozy chair, sip a hot drink, and just relax.Peter Way

DJAMBE REVIEW N. 37 (Danmark)I Storie o cafè di lu Furestiero. Historien om de fremmedes cafè, tager udgangspunkt i de mange rejsende, som kommer forbi denne sicilianske cafe. Cafè di lu furestiero pa deres gennemrejse mod alverdes destinationer mellem Europa og Africa, mellem Osten og Vesten. Den lille cafè pà middelhavsoen strakker sine musikalske udtrik. Vi horer nordafrikanske rytmer, som smelter sammen med den lokale sang af europaeisk tilsnit, flojter gor rytmerne folge og mandolinen og forskellige afrikanske strengeinstrumenter tilsutter musikalske udtryk, samtidig met ad der opstar et meget personligt, meget lokalt musikalsk udtryk. Man sidder med en meget staerk fornemmelse af, at denne musik virkelig fremmaner en stemning som er meget karakteristisk for Cafè di lu furestiero. Sa staerkt patraengendeer stemningen i denne enestàende musik, at man fàar den tanke, at man pà grundlag heraf burde kunne genkende stedet,hvis man kom der for forste gang. Skulle man parallelisere dette musikalske mode med samtalen, er det virkelig den sjaeldent opbyggelige samtaleSom undertiden kann opstà spontant sàdanne steder.Musikken er hovedsagelig baseret pà akkustike instrumenter. Heraf er mange karakteristike repraesentater for de forskellinge musikalske udtryk, der indgàr som elementerne i denne gode musikalske samtale. Musikken vinder med tiden, ligesom risultaten af en god samtale forst viser sig efterfolgende i handling.Omar Ingerslev

MUSIC DISC.COM

“This explains the dark shadows and captivating spirits that arise within this 51 minute cd. Indeed, the tracks are as individual as individuals, as nations, walking musically, often instrumentally, as only specific personalities can develop. This is only the 2nd release from Milagro Acustico, a world music group that began in 1995. Based in Rome, MA have managed to gather together an impressive array of helpers from around the globe: That sort of cast, plus solid songwriting (all by Bob Salmieri, with the exception of 'Dioulo') casts an incredible Far East and spiritual sound into events that are just glistening for the unreal Café. A heavy, heady mixture of jazz pervades the climate as well. While this is expected in a club setting, it's nonetheless filled with the smoke of a den of circulating strangers speaking in Sicilian dialects and occasional novelties like Turkish. This cd can't be recommended enough. It fills a void, a gap that is impossible to describe, but which has always been there in the World.”

Ben Ohmart

BILLBOARD.COM (USA)“Milagro Acustico is the creation of multi-instrumentalist/composer Bob Salmieri, a Sicilian with a yen for exotic music and the imagination to bring that music to life. The album title—"The story of the stranger's coffee"—alludes to the premise of this concept album. Salmieri and Milagro Acustico invite us to a Sicilian café where emigrants, pilgrims, and immigrants share their stories, mainly in Sicilian dialects (which are translated into English in the liner notes). The stories are fascinating; the music is seductive. An array of instruments from clarinet to darbuka, kora, and grand piano animate tunes that draw on Mediterranean music both ancient and recent, from Ceuta to Istanbul and beyond. Let Milagro Acustico put you through some stylistic changes with "Tessekkur Arkadas," then sample the sensual atmosphere of "A Storia i mi Patri." A concept album that works.— PVV

RHYTHMIC FUSION…An unusual recording as it gathers many musical flavors of the world set to Sicilian lyrics. From the Philippines, Egypt, Senegal, Colombia, Morocco, and Bangladesh many artists gathered to produce this eclectic release that has some very interesting mixes.

KUSP RADIO SANTA CRUZ (USA)“Because Sicily is located where it is--in the middle of the Mediterranean--very close to Tunisia, very close to the Balkans, and southern Europe, one finds in this imaginery café foreigners from places near and very far. Milagro Acustico helps us toexperience this in their recording by effectively encompassing a wide variety of sounds that span genres traveling somewherebetween traditional music and jazz. The combination of instruments from the many cultures reflected in their music creates a richly textured sound that is added to by guest musicians such as: Moroccan percussionist and ghayta player Nour Eddine; violinist Jamal Ouassini; Senegalese kora player, Papa Kanoutè; and Pape Yery Samb on djembe. Milagro Acoustico is a world music group based in Rome and this is their second recording. The music and text are composed by saxophonist Bob Salmieri. Bob, himself, is of Sicilian descent, lives in Rome, but travels extensively. He has utilized his passion for travel and his interest in a wide variety of traditional instruments to create a cohesive work that flows frombeginning to end. We follow the musical stories the same way we would follow a great conversation or be captivated by a good book--with interest, a little surprise, and with enough intrigue to hope that it won't end too soon so that we can savor each tale.”Gypsy Flores

INSIDE WORLD MUSIC.COM

Milagro Acustico is based in Rome, but performs music in Sicilian dialects. Mediterranean, Balkan, African and European musical elements are present in the music of Milagro Acustico. Sung and spoken words by male and female vocalists are used sparingly in the instrumentation. The purpose of I Storie o Café di lu Furestiero is to capture and pass along stories often heard around cafes by all sorts of people. However, this cannot be

accomplished successfully without the skillful musicianship of some big names in world music today, including Nour-Eddine, Papa Kanoute, Jamal Ouassini, Pap Yeri Samb and Andrea Alberti. Fans of Mediterranean folk, jazz and classical music should acquire the latest effort from Milagro Acustico.Matthew J. Forss

POP MATTERS.COM 31 Dec 2002 (USA)The premise of Il Storie Ò Cafè Di Lu Furestíero is an imaginary cafè on a small Sicilian island where foreigners come to drink, eat, play music, listen to music and to tell their stories. The leader of Milagro Acustico, Bob Salmieri, is a musician, composer, poet, storyteller, and world traveler. He composed all the pieces on this CD except for Dioulo, which was written by Papa Kanouté, kora player and guest musician on this recording. The tracks segue together as one long story with 11 very compelling chapters. Like a good book that is hard to put down, Il Storie Ò Cafè Di Lu Furestíero will live in your CD player for quite some time as you linger over each tale. I also believe that this CD would win the most beautiful "Cover for a CD for 2002" award.G. Flores

INK19.COMis the brainchild of one Bob Salmieri, who has assembled a diverse and insanely talented cast of Mediterranean and Eastern musicians to help bring this concept album of life in a Sicilian café to life. It's a surprisingly well-crafted and intriguingly narrated affair, which constantly pushes the envelope of atmospheric crossover World Music.A few of the tracks do fall uncomfortably close to poor-taste new-age sounds, such as the trippy "Duci Velenu," and ruin some of the otherwise elegant flow of this album. But thankfully, those moments are few and far between and don't seriously detract from this richly textured and daring set, one that moves carefully and unassumingly along, with superb performances and brave songwriting.Salmieri succeeds in capturing the lush and comforting feel of a quiet night out with friends, in some faraway place, and in making it matter. I Storie ó Café di lu Furestiero is an album of background music that's actually worth stopping up and listening to -- a grand and impressive feat.Stein Haukland

KINDAMUZIK.COM (NETHERLANDS)De recensie over het album van Luigi Cinque, een tijdje geleden besproken, zou net zo goed op deze plaats kunnen staan. Een zelfde uitgangspunt, namelijk een cafeetje aan de zee waar bezoekers uit het gehele meditterane gebied hun geld uitgeven en ze hun verhalen kwijt kunnen. En net als bij het album van Luigi Cinque reflecteert zich deze multiculturele (afschuwelijk woord, maar hier is het toepasselijk) aanpak ook in de muziek. Een jazzy aanpak met zang, trompet, gitaar, kora, drums, viool, djembe en piano. Belangrijker als de keuze van instrumenten is echter de wijze waarop met deze verschillende instrumenten wordt omgegaan. Op beide albums is er sprake van vloeiende overgangen en mixvormen van ‘traditionele’ stukken. De reis-metafoor en de daarmee gepaard gaande identiteiten ‘tussen’ culturen, staan hier duidelijk centraal. Dat deze albums met enige regelmaat vanuit Italië tot ons komen is veelzeggend. In de ideale wereld van een Berlusconi spelen geografische grenzen misschien niet zozeer een rol, maar voert zijn machtswellust wel degelijk tot een situatie, waarin aan maar weinige personen een stem wordt toegekend die ook in de media te horen is. Dat er musici zijn die zich hier tegen verzetten is goed en kan dan ook alleen maar aangemoedigd worden. Bas van Heur

ALLEGRO MUSIC (USA)A wide range of artists lent their talents to the making of this disc—and the variety of their backgrounds and musical influences makes for a unique and exciting compilation! With guest musicians Nour Eddine, Pape Kanoute and more, the music generates an amazing sense of place and triggers luscious visual imagery. The combination of instruments from many cultures creates a richly textured sound; the instruments include the flugelhorn, mandolin, bongos and wood flutes.

SIXMOON.COMAfter two years of research, the Italian formation "Milagro Acustico" follows up their Onirico acoustical album with this year's The Story of the Stranger's Café, an imaginary Silician bistro tavern at the crossroads between Tunisia to the South, the Balkans to the East, Portugal and Spain to the West, and Italy to the North. Thus in the very center of Middle Earth (the Mediterranean), it becomes the story-telling meeting ground for globetrotters, vagabonds, pilgrims and refugees.With this conceptual map emblazoned across their hearts, the core ensemble of Sicilian saxophonist/composer Bob Salmieri, vocalist Danyb, trumpeter Gianfranco Dezi, bassist Piero Pipiulucco, percussionist Carlo Colomo, guitarist Andrea Pullone and drummer Alfredo Romeo invited numerous guests for additional exotic colors. Amongst them are Pape Kanoute on the African kora harp; Jamal Ouassini on violin; Francesco Consaga on flutes and tenor sax; Andrea Alberti on grand piano, Papa Yery Samb on djembe and Andrea Rosatelli on electric bass. Add impromptu voice tracks culled from street immigrants of Bangladesh, Egypt, Colombia and the Philippines for "Terra Umlissimia" ("The Poorest Land", with the voices recounting the dreams and prayers of certain clandestines in the belly of cosmopolitan Rome) and the ingredients -- to the soundtrack of a movie that never was but in this group's fertile imagination -- line up to dance.Sung in a mixture of Sicilian dialects and Turkish on "Tesekkur Arkadas", with the unusual juxtaposition of instruments and associated styles listed above, I Storie exudes visual elements of a road movie, with the same fluid progression of continuous welcomes and good-byes as a nomadic lifestyle would engender. Not structured like regular songs, the compositions turn into a hybrid kind of mood music. They become many-layered collages invoking settings and locales. Far more melodic than classic ambient, it's a nouveau sort of chamber music without the latter's associated formal structure. It's seemingly spontaneous enough to be improvised yet too complex and sure-footed to not be meticulously planned.On "Ricarda O Me Nomi", Kanoute's kora is given room to solo freely, as though jiving about home surrounded by instruments occasionally commenting. From behind a prayer invocation, Bob Salmieri's sax then imitates a reedy Turkish zurna, a muted trumpets delivers dry Jazz riffs, a male Silician voice reminisces over better rural times while a percolating, sinuously snake-charming rhythm weaves it all together. "Profughi" is a jazzy slow waltz, with a smoky sax/trumpet unison motif accompanied by piano, wistful female vocals interspersed with melancholy flute

calls. Impressions shift between late-hour bar moods to North African outdoor scenes, acoustic instruments combine with subtle electronic keyboards. On "Thank you, friend", a Macedonian Gipsy brass motif morphs into breathy song with a first faintly Moroccan, then Middle-Eastern flavor. That is mirrored in the following "Rubaiyyat" with its Sufi flutes, wind shakers, hand percussion, bells and nasal clarinet before, with the entrance of a bluesy piano over darbuka trills, the tune turns into a very sophisticated, minimalist modern Jazz hybrid. In short, I Storie à Café di lu Furestiero isn't so much music to be listened to as music to go daydreaming by. It's suggestive, amorphously open-ended - different stories and viewpoints meeting in the span of an hour in a fictitious place "somewhere in Europe". You image the sounds of clanking silverware, the gurgling of emptying bottles, the smells of spices while total strangers become momentary friends. Not at all a bad recipe to spend a relaxing hour with!

CUBASE MAGAZINE N. 54 (Italy)…Abbiamo ascoltato con tantissimo interesse l’album dei Milagro Acustico, un interesse che ci ha immediatamente catturato sin dalle prime note e che pian piano, come per incanto, ci ha fatto viaggiare trasportandoci in luoghi dal calore mediterraneo. Le atmosfere quasi oniriche di ognuno degli 11 brani presenti in questo album sono caratterizzati da uno squisito sapore orientale miscelato al gusto tribale e contornato da una sonorità globale del tutto moderna e cristallina. Davvero un’ottima ricetta per un prodotto musicale che coinvolge diverse culture e che ha il potere di regalare all’ascoltatore una calda sensazione di benessere riempiendo l’anima di calma e serenità. Tutto merito oltre che della composizione in se, del sapiente uso di strumenti etnico-acustici come Darbouka, Kora, Djambe, Ghayta, Violini, Mandolino e così via., i quali sono stati ben dosati nella costruzione degli arrangiamenti. I brani sono per lo più musicali lma di certo non mancano i testi sia cantati che recitati, scritti in dialetto siciliano (fatta eccezione per Tessekur Arkadas” cantato in lingua turca) che raccontano storie raccolte al “Cafè di lu forestiero”, un bar immaginario costruito nei sogni di Bob Salmieri, dove emigranti, immigrati, pellegrini e viandanti d’ogni genere fanno sosta in una minuscola isola della Sicilia prima di proseguire il loro cammino verso nuove mete. In questo ambizioso progetto firmato Milagro Acustico e durato circa due anni, hanno dato il proprio contributo alcuni dei nomi di rilievo nell’ambito della World music come…..….Abbiamo ritenuto molto originale l’idea di base, le composizioni, e gli arrangiamenti i quali sono caratterizzati, tra l’altro, da ottime performances eseguite dai tanti musicisti che hanno partecipato alla realizzazione di questo interessante progetto. Degni di nota sono tutti i disegni ritmici eseguiti dalle percussioni, l’uso ponderato degli strumenti a fiato suonati in stile estremo-orientale e quei pochi interventi di pianoforteche mischiati al sound orientaleregalano sensazioni musicali tutte da gustare ad occhi chiusi. I Milagro Acustico raggiungono pienamente lo scopo di portare l’ascoltatore nell’atmosfera onirica di quel “Cafè” ed inoltre trasportano lo spirito dello stesso ascoltatore in una dimensione quasi mistica e priva di tempo, molto vicina a quella dei sogni, i bei sogni. L’album merita a pieno titolo la coccarda V.I.P. (very important production) di CM i il sottoscritto, insieme a tutta la redazione, è felice di congratularsi col gruppo per l’ottimo lavoro svolto!Michele Antoniou

GLOBAL RHYTHM (USA)This sort of thing used to (often disdainfully) be called a "concept" album. The theme here is a fictitious café on a small Mediterranean island near Sicily. It is a place happened upon by visitors near and far, travelers with stories and wisdom to impart. With Rome-based band Milagro Acustico (plus an array of guest players) presenting these imaginary tales as songs, the concept works. Skilled musicianship and a seamless blending of European, Arabic and African flavors give these tuneful tales a feel generally hovering between world-weary and wistfully celebratory. The disc is nicely atmospheric, with just the sort of carrying-away effect many global music listeners are no doubt searching for. This journey is one of rich instrumental passages, sensual vocals and occasional spoken word interludes, and by the time you reach the concluding track (which signifies the closing of the café for the evening), thoughts of how enjoyable the visit has been are at the forefront of your mind.Tom Orr

MUSICSTACK.COM (CANADA) The title of this second album from Milagro Acustico translates as: The Stories of the Strangers Cafè. Somewhere on a small Sicilian island there exists a café where foriegners, emigrants, immigrants, pilgrims and travellers of all sorts come to sit, eat, drink, listen to and play music. That is the premise of this mythical musical journey. It's a concept record of sorts, really — the idea of a cafe in Sicily where foreigners and natives come together to talk, and where music of several Mediterranean (and beyond) cultures exist. And it could easily fall on its face, but it doesn't. Instead the core seven-piece group provides continuity, while the many guests provide color and texture to the songs and instrumentals. By keeping the music relatively firmly based in the Mediterranean (although "Signori, Si Chuide" veers off into fairly lightweight jazz), bandleader and composer Bob Salmieri provides a root for it all, with some gorgeous vocals from DanyB. There's a dreaminess to "Ricorda o Me Nomi" and a sense of both traveling and rest exemplified by "Dioulo," a kora solo from Pape Kanoute. All in all, there's a languid beauty to this, and given its overall sense of being an oasis, it obviously succeeds in what it was trying to do...

FOLKWORLD (England)Gosh, this proved a difficult album to review. So difficult I almost returned it to the Editors with a request that they re-assign it. And no doubt by the time they finish reading this, the artistes involved in the making of this CD will wish I had! But I did not because I figured that anything less than an honest review from me would be a dereliction of duty on my part. So here goes: This is a very unusual album. Bob Salmieri whose "baby" it is (and who wrote the music and lyrics on all the tracks, bar one) took two years to gather the guest artistes for this album. And they include some big names from the World Music scene. The idea is (and I quote) " to tell some of the numerous stories listened to in the Café di lu Furestiero, a small imaginary pub in a border village on a small Sicilian island where emigrants, immigrants, pilgrims and travellers of all sorts stop before going their way towards other destinations. Sort of imaginary journey through the suggestions of the stories they hear. The stories are presented as ballads". I should say at the outset that I have a penchant for stories told in ballad form with background conversation also interjecting. I was brought up on Ewan MacColl's famous and brilliant "Radio Ballads", made for the BBC nearly 50 years ago.

And, you really do have to applaud Bob Salmieri for at least trying something DIFFERENT. But that said, being "different", per se, is not enough. The question is, does it succeed as a work of art? I have to tell you that I do not think it does. I have listened to the album six times all the way through: which is twice as long as I normally listen to albums I review. I deliberately gave it extra plays because I felt a lot of work had gone into the album and it was not for me to dismiss it lightly. But the fact is that it never "grabbed" me. I don't think that I ever really BELIEVED in the "island". Okay, so I did not understand the mixture of Sicilian dialects that one mainly hears, but there are English translations in the liner booklet. And I have to say that to be honest, were I in this café, I would ask for the bill and head for the door pronto.

But that's a cheap shot. A lot of work has gone into the album and I cannot dismiss it with a glib remark like that. So let's look for "positives". Well, it's an incontrovertible fact that the musicianship is top-drawer. An impressive command of conventional "Western" instruments as well as more esoteric ones such as kora, djambe, darbuka etc. Melodically it is an always-interesting fusion of North Mediterranean and African melodies and rhythms. But somehow it is not enough. All of the ballads seem to forego memorability. And it all seems a bit PRETENTIOUS.

Now, it could be that this is really a masterpiece that has passed completely over my head. It will not be the first - nor the last - time when works of art have bemused the critics. Who knows, this might well be another Stravinsky's "Rites of Spring", or some such? But if I were Bob Salmieri, I wouldn't hold my breath on the prospect materialising.Day Woosnam

FUNPROX.COM (Netherlands)Somewhere on a small Sicilian island there exists a café where people of all sorts come to sit, eat, drink, rest, listen and play music... When they are gathered there the open environment encourages them to tell their stories. This is the premise of "I Storie ò café di lu Furestiero" (The Stories of Strangers Coffee), a musical journey to this café and the stories told there by the emigrants, immigrants, pilgrims, travellers...One of the nicest things about reviewing music is that you sometimes receive fine music from circles you were not familiar with, music which you wouldn't have bought otherwise. A good example is this cd from Milagro acuStico. This Italian formation makes 'world music', I never heard of them, though they were formed in 1995, but their music appeals to me a lot. This surprised me, because the description did not sound like music I normally lend my ears to. The album fuses a wide variety of musical styles from all over the globe. Sicily lies at a crossroad between Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, Tunisia, the Balkans. All these influences are reflected here. Traditional folk music, a little jazz, exotic influences...Milagro acustico is an 'open formation', with many guest musicians joining them and without being bound to rigid musical genres. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences are important characteristics. The group is led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Bob Salmieri (alto sax, clarinet, flute, keyboards, percussion). Some of the many exotic guest musicians on this album are Nour Eddine (percussion, ghayta or North African shawm) and Jamal Ouassini (violin), both from Morrocco, Papa Kanoutè (kora, a Senegalese harp) and Pape Yery Samb (djembe). The result is a very rich album, with a variety of musical styles which make me forget the cold climate in which I am living. Most songs are ballads, sung in Sicilian dialects. There are some nicely flowing cafe songs with accordion or jazzy sax or clarinet. A wide variety of acoustic instruments is being used, many of which I've never heard of. Various songs have lovely female vocals. The percussion is at times a little ritual or tribal. The album also contains nice acoustic instrumental work and the tempting sounds of trumpet, mandolin, sax, kora, violin, djembe, conga, darbuka... There is so much atmosphere surrounding you, the music makes me imagine the café and the people in it very vividly. Although I can't understand the lyrics, the songs still have a great emotional feeling. "I Storie ò Cafè DI lu Furestiero" has a very warm and vibrating effect.An album which is absolutely recommended! Try it if you have an interest in world music or exotic sounds, but also if you can appreciate the more eastern sounding work of Dead Can Dance, Sarband, GOR or Ataraxia. I hope to be in the neighbourhood of the cafe one day, I will certainly pay a visit, though I'm not sure if my own tales are as colourful.HD.

MUNDOVIBES (USA)A cafe in a small village on a Sicilian island is the imaginary setting of Italian troupe Milagro Acustico's enchanting "I Storie ò cafe di lu furestiero" (the stories of the stranger's coffee). On this dreamy and telling recording the cafe's patrons—immigrants, pilgrims and travellers alike—tell stories of their travels and travails in Sicilian and Turkish, accompanied by Rome-based Milagro Acustico's atmospheric, other-worldly instrumentals. Milagro Acustico's Sicilian-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Bob Salmieri is the septet's leader, covering a broad sweep of duties, handling both writing, vocals and instrumentation.The door of "I Storie" opens to a musical journey that transgresses musical boundaries, fusing the mediterranean South, the Far East and Africa. With an array of story tellers and musicians at their disposal, and in the spirit of cross-cultural expression, Milagro Acustico weave a delicate, multi-hued tapestry. Adding to the mix are its guests: Moroccans Nour Eddine (percussion, ghayta or North African shawm) and Jamal Ouassini (violin), plus Senegalese kora player Papa Kanoutè and Pape Yery Samb (djembe). It's an intricate weaving of story-telling, acoustic instrumentation, rhythm and song. With much of "I Storie" sounds and themes pass by like so many strangers, lingering and then gone. It's world music in the sense of a world without borders, or these days, place.The Eastern-tinged 'Ricorda o Me Nomi' (Remember My Name) begins the tale, voicing the sentiments of all immigrants of the knowledge that home is now just a memory. Pape Kanoutè's kora lays out a delicate counterpoint to singer Danide's vocals. On 'Dioulo' Kanoute's lilting kora fades into the Turkish 'Sanghe meu', with a deep male voice narrating. 'Dulci Velenu' features a dulcimer, flute and vocalist Danide's sanguine refrain of the song's title. Danide's ethereal voice, a highlight of the recording, is heard again on the jazz sombre 'Lu munnu brucia'. "Terra Umilissima" (Most Humble Land) opens with commentary from a pool of immigrants from Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, and Colombia, reflecting in their own voices upon their existence as strangers in Italy. A Spanish woman says, "I cook food that isn't for my own table. I don't understand what they say on the radio, on the

street." Through the narrative voices heard on "I Storie ò cafe di lu furestiero" and its multifarious instrumentation one gets a sense of what it's like to live on the margins, where nothing is defined. It's a story that's revealed in as many layers as there are immigrant experiences.—JC Tripp

FOLKER! (Germany)Im imaginaren sizilianeschen Cafè treffen sich Auslander aus Afrika, Asien, der Turkey und arabischen Welt und tragen so zur Vielfalt der sizilianesken kultur bei. Auf diesen Uberlegungen basierend entstand eine meist inspirierte, ausschlieBlich mit akustischen instrumenten gespielte Weltmusim-fusion.