tilietulum

Solo.

Acoustic but with unexpected sounds, without unnecessary virtuosity but full of surprises. Characterized by cowbells which, however, instead of being played, in the course of the concert are hung from the body and allowed to resonate. Soft, not aggressive. Melodic and full of noise. Dirty; and the dirt is the interesting part of it. An unshouted cry. A rustic in search of Shibumi.

LINER NOTES

Tilietulum, little lime tree grove or small lime tree, is one possible term from which the name of Taleggio Valley, my paternal grandparents’ homeland, is derived. The linden tree is a long-lived tree with deep roots and fragrant flowers from which a characteristic honey is obtained.

Tilietulum is a journey that began many years ago, listening to the herds of cows that graze in the fields of the Taleggio Valley at all hours of the day and night in the summer months. Each cow has its cowbell, and each herd has its sound. When listened to musically, the resulting “concert”, without a beginning and end, is a polyrhythmic and layered experience, contemplative and hallucinogenic.

In this version, Tilietulum is a totally improvised solo. The music I am discovering originates from the process of transforming movement into sound and vice versa. The dance of the fingers on the instrument, the tongue with the reed, and the cowbells hanging from the neck translate the body’s movement into sound.

“Clarinets have to do with trees, they are trees, and they refer to moss, damp and water… the alto is unpredictable, wild, lyrical, rustic and oblique” (G. Locatelli, Julien Aunos, Citizen Jazz, 13 September 2020).

However, the alto clarinet also reminds me of the sea goose, which launches its cry and calls with its neck turned upwards.

After the concert at Area Sismica, I sent the recording to Gianmaria for mixing and mastering. We have known each other for a long time, and it is natural to talk about the sound, the recording, and the music. He told me: “The solo is softer, ‘more dance,’ you are less critical of yourself.”

I liked that.

Hardly ever does the listener focus so clearly on the issues that the person playing is dealing with.

A few days later, I therefore asked him if he felt like writing something: