Album Notes

In the realm of "world music," Carlo Vutera has become a force to be reckoned with, having embarked on an entirely original undertaking with his album Ammore. Boleri Napoletani: Neapolitan love songs arranged in the manner of Cuban boleros. A professional tenor, he succeeds in adapting his operatic background to the service of the many types of music he has chosen to perform. And Naples has never seemed so close to Havana, thanks to the arrangements of three remarkable musicians: the groundbreaking pianist Roberto Carcasses; the alto saxophonist Yosvany Terry-Cabrera (best known for his contribution to !Cubanismo!); and the phenomenal drummer Dafnis Prieto. Here, the strings emphasize the romanticism of the original songs without ostentation, and on every track the sense of detail and nuance prevails, particularly in the playing of guest soloists such as Irakere trumpeter Julio Padron and exeptional voice of Anais Abreu. The brass arrangements by Yosvany lend a suggestive Afro-Cuban color to the tunes without overwhelming their Italian roots. One track, "Torna a Surriento," sings the praises of Sorrento and evokes the sirens, to whom myth attributes the founding of Naples: according to the story, one of the sirens perished at the exact future location of the city after throwing herself into the sea to evade the ruse of Ulysses. The song says that you can't leave the Sorrento coast « because of the mermaids, calling you, loving you. ». Music should always be like this: like his compatriots Gianmaria Testa and Romano Zanotti, Carlo Vutera is a singer of many charms.

Damien Bonelli
(Translation: Brent Hayes Edwards)