ODISSEA (transl. “Odyssey”) is the title of the band’s new recording project that explores the sounds of North African music that the band has been practicing for some time. The original inspiration, born from the collaboration with the many artists met along the way in concerts and festivals, has been enriched by extensive research and targeted listening, and has led to a combination of the sounds of wind section and ” organetto” (which recalls south Italy and the Balkans) with the gnawa rhythms and a sinuous ‘Saharan’- inspired electric guitar.

The original lyrics, a combination of myth and current events, tell the stories of migrants (as in Odissea and Migrante), sometimes with irony (L’idea), other times in a poetic language (Stella della notte). The Odyssey of Ulysses is trapped in the figure of the migrant, who plows the seas to find himself or to improve his life conditions. The Mediterranean has always been the sea of returns, this fully reflects in the stylistic elements found in BandAdriatica’s work: sounds coming from apparently distant countries mix together and unveil their common origin; the music travels simultaneously forward, driven by the experimentation, and back in time, in search of its identity.

BandAdriatica is the only Italian band selected for the showcase at Babel Med Music Marseille 2017 (France). It has also appeared in other important international festivals such as: Ethonopolis (Slovenia); Kulturforum Amthof (Austria); Festivali i Këngës 48 (Albania); Festival Italiana Kulturbrücke am Rhein (Germany); Zomer van Antwerpen (Belgium); Vidor Fesztivál (Hungary); Fira Mediterranea de Manresa (Spain), International Gipsy Festival (Holland); Babel Sound Fesztivál (Hungary); Malta World Music Festival; Rialto World Music Festival (Cyprus); Demanda Folk Festival (Spain); Zürcher Theater Spektakel (Switzerland); Le Bal Rital (France and Belgium); Labadoux Festival (Belgium); Semaine Italienne (France); Openair Wipkingen (Switzerland); Folk Holydays (Czech Republic).

Line-up:

Claudio Prima organetto, vocals
Emanuele Coluccia alto sax
Andrea Perrone trumpet
Vincenzo Grasso clarinet
Gaetano Carrozzo trombone
Morris Pellizzari guitars
Giuseppe Spedicato bass
Ovidio Venturoso drums