“Terra Madre”

Guest: Nick Mantoan

After having enchanted us in 2021 with the songs of his masterful, fourteenth album "Where The Wind Blows/Dove Tia O Vento" (finalist Targa Tenco 2020 for Best Song), a record/act of resistance, art's response to adversity (including the pandemic) composed of ten splendid songs in which he discovered and rediscovered himself as a songwriter, singer and electric guitarist,  Beppe returns to our stage to let us listen to his most recent recording project: "Terra Madre". Played and written in different languages, after the autobiographical songs of "Where the Wind Blows", in this new album the Genoese musician opens up to a world of fantastic tales and dreams linked to the 'mother lands' of his itineraries. It is an album that draws energy from new sonic explorations in the creative territory between acoustic guitar, composition and songwriting. "The main concept of the new album is the 'right to dream', consolation and refuge at a time when reality is putting us to the test and the answers and ways out are not clear." The dream that involves everyone's emotions is that of "Un Panino", the only single already released, where we imagine being able to listen to the voice of Fabrizio De André and his fascinating reading of reality, but, pervaded by the dream, it is also the epilogue of the ballad "Dark Yellow Thread" set in Colorado south of the dunes of Sand Creek where,  Unexpectedly, the obvious reparative shooting of betrayal is replaced by forgiveness, thanks to the teaching of an old Native American. The runaway couple who jump into the darkness over the border wall in "Terra Madre" (the 'title track' of the album) dreams of a better life, while the dream that pervades "Pick and Sing With You" is that the artistic spark between the old musicians, fathers of music, will leave an indelible mark over time. The interlinked verbs of "Resta Per Sempre" dream of a world of harmony, while "La Musica ha Parlato" is a dream of hope, which tells of the fleeting moment of collective joy at the moment when the last note of a memorable artistic event goes out. The work is completed by some instrumental compositions and two arrangements of traditional songs with a pregnant meaning: "St James Hospital" (on the theme of repentance, celebrating the centenary of Doc Watson's birth) and "Mis Amour" (Provençal ballad about thwarted love that comes from a linguistic minority of the Occitan valleys and revives the emotions of meeting the Genoese Acoustic Nights). An album in which Beppe Gambetta's music continues to surprise and amaze, in which the main soundtrack is based on the "drive" of the guitar, always open to experiments and innovative sound games out of time, intolerant of fashions, and which sees the participation of some great international guests such as David Grisman, Dan Crary, Tim O'Brien and Howard Levy. With 18 concerts to his credit since 1990, our great friend Beppe Gambetta - musician and exceptional man - is certainly one of the artists who have most trod our stage. Virtuoso of the acoustic style, universally recognized as one of the true innovators of his generation, now consecrated internationally, Gambetta is today considered by the American masters themselves as their equal, worthy continuator of a musical tradition that is always alive and renewing. At home in the States (even literally: for most of the year he lives in New Jersey), a consolidated fame thanks to the numerous tours, the participation in the most prestigious international festivals and the teaching activity in the context of very popular workshops, during his career Beppe has had the opportunity to play with the greatest artists of the international folk scene, including Doc Watson,  Norman Blake, David Grisman and Gene Parsons. In recent years, Beppe has tirelessly continued his usual activities: concert performer, researcher, producer and traveler and has also been awarded the title of Ambassador of Genoa in the World while in August 2019 he received the Franco Enriquez National Prize dedicated to those who promote art and communication of social and civil commitment (this is the touching motivation: "An extraordinary musician who makes his instrument the narrative voice of a life path and a philosophy that puts man at the center of everything. Each of his performances both in Italy and abroad is full of pathos, vibrant introspection and emotional communication. When we mention Beppe Gambetta, we are talking about a popularizer of dreams, a guitarist capable of transmitting the purity and magic of the musical message in a unique, inspired and unrepeatable way."). For this multi-guitar jurney Beppe chose to involve the excellent guitarist Nick Mantoan, once a very gifted student of his and now a professional and leader of his own rock band.

https://www.beppegambetta.com/