Traversata: Italian Music in America [Live][Original recording remastered] Review

While I can't claim to be any sort of an expert on Italian music, I must say that this is a fantastic cd. Being a fan of old movies, there are quite a few times while listening to this cd that all I can picture in my head is Sophia Loren circa 1958 strolling along a beach. Yeah it's THAT good.

Aside from Puccini, Cipolla, Eddie Lang, and the Godfather music, I wasn't really familiar with any of this music or its composers but now I wonder why this music has seemingly been forgotten. It's really gorgeous music and I am extremely grateful to David Grisman for "introducing" me not only to these Italian styles, but also to the two specific Italian musicians on this cd, Carlo Aonzo (mandolin) and Beppe Gambetta (14-string harp-guitar). The harp-guitar is usually in a supporting role here so it's never the lead instrument but it has wondeful, rich tone. I was suprised at times that it is a wooden guitar because it has a low-end more reminiscent of a National.

Carlo is the leader here, from playing to arranging. He is "the mandolin find" of the year for me this year, a truly great player. I initially had my doubts as to whether these guys would sound good next to Grisman but it turns out that they steal the show. Carlo also plays one of the single best moments of the cd when he takes a turn on mandocello for track #4 (Manzanillo).

Acoustic Disc has released many great cd's over the last decade and this is one of the best. The only other "ethnic" cd Grisman has released that can compare to this one is the masterpiece, Songs Of Our Fathers, but this one has better, richer sound than does that one.

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