Eremìa

At the very tip of Italy, Calabria has been the gateway to Greek civilization, a heritage Ettore Castagna, founding member of seminal band Re Niliu, has been emphasising in his numerous Mediterranean musical adventures. A multifaceted personality of musician, anthropologist and novelist, multi-instrumentalist Castagna debuts under his own name with Eremìa, Greek for ‘solitude’, an enriching thoughtful hermitage instigated by the lockdown isolation. Actually, Castagna gives full vent to his compositional side in the company of many musicians who provide a variety of timbres, languages and genres, from traditional Calabrian music to Greek and Middle Eastern ambiences, and from folk songwriting to rock and jazz styles.

An entrancing bowed lyre enlightens ‘Middalo Pricìo’, the poetical opener sung in Grecanico (Calabrian Greek minority language). The next track, ‘Riace’, incorporates melodies and rhythms from the Iranian tradition, while the title-track is a meditative song with a prog-rock feel, embodying the essence of the album – memory, reflection and visionary dimensions. Elsewhere, two bowed lyres and tabla lead and accompany the ballad-like reprise of ‘Afrosine’, whereas the jazz-inflected ‘Mundu Spersu’ is built upon traditional lyrics. The extensive final number, ‘Dimenticanza’, displays field recordings alongside a driving rhythm sustaining a dialogue sung in Calabrian dialect and Arabic, which states a migrant’s mixed feeling of uprooting and hope. An introspective cultural crossroads of musical narratives full of heart.