I Calanti
Lu Salentu

The tarantismo, before being considered from a musical perspective, should be seen for what it has always been since ancient times, that is, tradition and folklore. It was thought that at specified times of the year (especially in summer), the bite of the spider known as the “tarantula” (hence the term “taranta”) would cause women (deemed weaker and therefore more vulnerable) to have a hysterical reaction that provoked a frenetic and frenzied dance, with bouts of self-harm. To save the victim’s life (it was not the bite that was necessarily fatal, but rather the physical exhaustion from a dance that could last days), priests, doctors, and especially musicians were consulted. It seemed that merely rhythmically pounding the tambourine, seemingly “accompanying” the outbursts, had the miraculous gift of calming the excesses (for more on this, I recommend the studies on the topic by Prof. Fumarola and De Martino). From this, the “tarantata” music became extraordinarily widespread, growing to fully identify the region where the taranta had chosen to reside: Salento.

The Calanti is a unique folkloristic group, starting from the origin of the name. Now, you should know that in the small towns of Salento, it is customary to give a nickname not to individuals but to entire families. The aforementioned nickname can refer to character, physical, or attitudinal traits of the person, as well as habits or typical sayings. It has one characteristic: it sticks to the family even for generations to come. The first “Calante” was Ucciu (Antonio) Colitti who in Ugento (a little over ten thousand souls nestled among the gentle curves of the Ionian coast) cured the “tarantate” with the passion for the tambourine, passed on to brothers and cousins with whom he went from house to house to “cure” women bewitched by the bite. Over the years, this “art” was handed down to subsequent generations of the Colitti family, reaching the present day. The torch of the Colitti Calanti has passed to Daniele (leader), Cosimo (guest star his twin Damiano), Simone, Mirco, and newcomer Irene, who decided to bring the tradition to all those who have increasingly shown curiosity towards this genre. Together with guitarist Alberto Carratta (born in 1986 and the only non-Colitti), they form the Calanti, a diverse and numerous group of twenty-five-year-olds (they also have three pairs of dancers who perform the traditional “pizzica,” the dance of courtship) that released “Lu Salentu,” their first self-produced album in 2002. The songs are those of the popular tradition, along with new pieces written by Daniele aiming chiefly to underscore the origins of the Calanti, juxtaposing them with typical frescoes of early 20th-century Ugento. On this note, I mention my favorite “Scennu vinennu” (going and returning), which narrates the life of the laborers hired by the owner called “mmammineddhru” (baby boy). In “I Calanti ne chiamamu” (We call ourselves Calanti), the origin of the 'nciurita (nickname) is meticulously explained, while in “'U tamburreddhru” (the tambourine) love for this simple yet highly challenging, hypnotic, and curative instrument, the symbol of tradition, is sung. Completing the ten-track album are Ugento folk songs like “Zumpa Ninella” (Jump Ninella), a cheerful “serenade” from a lover to the beautiful Ninella; “Mesciu Arenzu” and “Cent'anni sale”, and new compositions such as “Tarantella ballata” and the concluding “Lu Salentu”.

The sound of the Calante family is that of the purest tradition: cousins take turns on tambourines, tammorras (similar to a tambourine but without the metal jingles and with a more distinct sound), rhythm and acoustic guitars, accordion enchanting and making those who crowd their performances dance, also self-produced since Alberto is both a guitarist and sound technician. In fact, it is a spectacle: seeing them dressed in typical costumes one has the sensation of a leap back several decades. Daniele’s voice is not always brilliant, but the others (especially the newcomer Irene) support him worthily, expressing all the passion for music and traditions of this family historically tied to tambourine and pizzica. If you have never listened to a tarantata, it is difficult for me to explain it to you in a few words. It could be defined as a dance, sociological ritual of liberation, courtship and seduction, virtuosity, obsession, hypnotic trance. All encapsulated in the typical position of the hands beating the tambourine, to which long colored “zacarelle” (strips of fabric like ex-votos to Saint Roch) are attached, until bleeding from the rhythm that increasingly shakes the body and encourages continuing further. The Calanti now perform practically everywhere, and in 2002 they came second at the Dialectal Song Festival of Imperia, taking off from there towards Northern Italy and Switzerland. Their second album is titled “Le origini” and obviously continues in the path traced by this “Lu Salentu”. In the latest one, there are also symbolic songs like “Santu Paulu” (Saint Paul of Galatina, protector of the tarantate) and “Lu rusciu te lu mare” (The sound of the sea), a traditional song performed by practically everyone, including Gianna Nannini, Piero Pelù, and Franco Battiato. The Calanti for a journey into lower Salento’s tradition, brilliant artists of a region that continues to have very little fantasy to offer....to be listened to in front of a steaming dish of ciciri e tria accompanied by a good red wine.

....and now, blame Fusillo, this review was expressly requested by him.