BEPPE GAMBETTA presents the new CD “TERRA MADRE”
(From official Press Release)
Terra Madre (Mother Earth) is a project written, played and sung (in several languages)
by Beppe Gambetta: a musical key to open a world of tales and dreams related to the motherlands of infinite possible itineraries, and to the cries of pain and hope that rise from them.
This sonic opus draws its energy from new journeys and explorations within the vast creative territory encompassed by acoustic guitar mastery, musical composition and songwriting, and by conscious choice relies foremost on the intensity of expression and emotion, rather than pure virtuosity.
Terra Madre offers a positive message at a moment in history when the political leaders on the planet are mainly indulging in greed and self-preservation, and when words of hope must instead
come from more free-thinking vocations: philosophers, theologians, historians and scientists, among whom it is essential to count artists, especially those less tied to mere market dynamics. The record weaves together the experience and wisdoms of a fifty-year career, and the work
is further enriched by the participation of internationally-renowned guests from different musical genres. "Fathers" of acoustic music such as American mandolin icon David Grisman,
acoustic guitar pioneer Dan Crary, and celebrated bluegrass
and Americana singer-songwriter Tim O'Brien lend their talents to the project.
Different dimensions are added by the presence of New York avant-garde drummer/percussionist Joe Bonadio, the versatile acoustic jazz harmonica player Howard Levy,
and from the world of "Newgrass” Jam Bands, the hugely popular bassist, Travis Book.
A core concept of the new CD is to assert the "right to dream," to seek consolation and refuge from a hostile and sometimes brutal reality; not as pure escape, but as a source of hope
that helps us to survive and find positive motivation to move forward.
The album, track by track
The dream of a better life propels the fleeing couple in Terra Madre (title track of the album) as they jump a border wall and plunge into the darkness beyond.
The precise setting is intentionally undefined, to symbolize situations of despair
that are sadly ubiquitous in the world today.
A dream of forgiveness is fulfilled in Dark Yellow Thread, set in the Great Plains of Colorado, south of the Sand Creek dunes.
A typical murder ballad scenario unfolds, but the inevitable gory ending is unexpectedly avoided, thanks to the remembered teaching of an old Native American sage.
The dream that inspires the song Sit and Pick with You, composed in vintage country style, is that artistic spark ignited among musicians who were and are the fathers of this music, and who have left their indelible mark on time, and a legacy for all of us that follow.
Un Panino presents an emotional dream, where the listener can imagine hearing
Fabrizio De André's voice as it might sound today, with his fascinating ability to read and interpret society from the viewpoint of its most fragile.
A barrage of verbs comprises the lyric to Per Poco o Per Niente,
as it evolves a dream of concord and peace, contrasting the meager returns from violent
and oppressive actions against the enduring good that results from positive, empathetic action. Dreams of a peaceful end motivate the lyric of Saint James Hospital,
a melancholy tune on the theme of repentance. The tune was notably recorded by Doc Watson and is included here to commemorate the centenary of Doc’s birth.
Mis Amour (a medieval Provençal ballad about thwarted love)
originates from a tiny linguistic minority of the Italian Occitan valleys and summons the mood of Beppe’s Genoese Acoustic Nights concert for which it was originally arranged.
The album closes with the sanguine dream of Season of Suspension,
an instrumental composition whose voluptuous melodic arcs
serve to end our journey on a note, or notes, of sweetness and optimism.
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BEPPE GAMBETTA presents the new CD “TERRA MADRE”
Terra Madre: the sources and the future
All the songs draw strong inspiration from ideas born and developed on the guitar
and from popular acoustic sounds that Beppe Gambetta has loved, studied,
and researched throughout his artistic journey.
These timeless musical forms constitute a gift from which we can derive an underlying creativity that is always renewed and renewable: whether they are gentle or tight rhythms,
pressing and perhaps isolated riffs, or melodic profiles that recall others already embedded in the collective consciousness, without being mere copies.
The instruments used by Beppe all belong to the "guitar family" in its many different forms. In addition to the traditional acoustic guitar we find the baritone guitar, 12-string guitar, slide guitar and dobro, bouzouki guitar, two types of Cuban tres, banjo guitar,
and some "prepared" guitars designed to achieve particular sounds.
The record is sustained by timeless emotions evoked from the reasoned succession of songs, like the successive chapters of a book.
An approach deliberately in "stubborn and contrary direction" - to echo the words of De André once again - to the logic of "singles" created to become radio hits, to be part of Spotify playlists or to be promoted exclusively on social media.
Each track is an irreplaceable piece of a mosaic; a set of stories that gains value when served and enjoyed in succession, as the set was conceived and crafted, for the pleasure
of those who still enjoy this kind of art, and, it is hoped, for younger generations
that may discover a different approach, neither frantic nor superficial, to music.
With the release of Terra Madre, Beppe Gambetta has decided to bow out of a system
that no longer represents him and return to a less constrained form of independent self-production. This closes a circle with the beginning of his career when, in the 1980s,
he struggled to produce his first international projects on his own.
Those who love his music, he is sure, will continue to follow and support him in this new adventure: retracing the great circle of "mother earth".
Produced by Beppe Gambetta
Executive Producer: Federica Calvino Prina
Recorded at Red House Studio, Stockton, NJ; Sweet Creek Studio, Ottsville, PA
Editing by Nicola Bruno, John Sonntag
Additional editing by Rob Griffin at AcousTech Music Productions in Panama City, Panama Mixed by Bruno Costa at Tabasco Studio, Sori (GE), Italy
Mastered by Mario Bertodo at SMC Records, Ivrea (TO), Italy
Cover Art and design by Sergio Bianco
Photography by Giovanna Cavallo
Booking: Federica Calvino Prina, SL Promotion, fedcalv@gmail.com
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