Madreperla. Fourth Cd of Banditaliana, coincides with the 18th anniversary of the group and testifies its full maturity, a goal reached not only through the many performances all over the world since the very beginning, but also thanks to what its four members have achieved, together or separately, in the most different contexts.

Madreperla (mother-of-pearl) is a symbolic title recalling the sea, which is great part of the music of the group, as well as the precious and shining material obtained from the rough and colourless oyster, and the musical instruments, often embellished on keys, buttons and boxes with that same “marine” material.

In the six years from the previous Cd Lune the three steady members of the group have in fact worked on original projects both on their own and together, but with wider lineups and with different levels of participation. These experiences have brought new incentives, more creativity and mutual understanding between the three musicians, who in the meantime were joined by a new protagonist: Gigi Biolcati, percussionist with a wide experience in all musical domains, previous member of the trio Alboran and enthusiast learner of African rhythms.

All this has deeply influenced the production of Madreperla and its outcome. First of all it has brought a subtle change in the working style of the group, encouraging a common process of writing and arranging , evidenced by the fact that each musician has produced at least one piece in the Cd. More united and on equal levels, the group has an increased capacity to perform more intensely than in the past.

Second, this new cohesion has allowed Banditaliana to gain back the production process of the Cd: in fact Madreperla was recorded and mixed in a studio by the musicians themselves under the expert supervision of Stefano Melone. This “craftsmanlike” working style has allowed to take care collectively of every single moment of the music, sharing the work in depth and making it the produce of the entire group.

Original compositions, instrumental virtuosities, precious rhythmical joints and refined arrangements are the stylistic key feature of the group. In Madreperla, Banditaliana’s kaleidoscope of sounds results a fresh and sunny music that knows no boundaries and searches for innovation, but keep sticking to its roots: Tuscan and Italian tradition, which - with the help of jazz improvisation and songwriting - combines the many traditions of the Mediterranean Sea,. A cultural area which, in the imagination of Banditaliana, goes far beyond the Sicilian Santa Maria di Leuca and Capo Passero, ideally extending from Istanbul to Rio de Janeiro….