•
Rating: CARAGNA NO
or "Milan and the blues, the tradition and the wave"
Many people think it is impossible to reconcile different traditions, especially when they seem antithetical. Teka-P are here to dispel this false belief. First of all, who are Teka-P? Teka-P is a sextet from Milan that has been traveling around the north for a few years, offering their music in the Milanese dialect. But forget about folk and country, forget Van De Sfroos, Luuf, and Charlie Cinelli: these guys have managed to channel the Milanese song onto the not-so-parallel tracks of Blues, Soul, and R'n'B (the good kind, which has nothing to do with the pimps that run on Mtv).
Imagine an Enzo Jannacci led astray on the road to Chicago, a Nanni Svampa caught in psychedelic frenzies, and you still won’t have a clue of the musical and cultural implications that Teka-P bring into play. In "Caragna No" you will not only find reinterpretations of classics like "Ma Mi", "La Ballata Del Pittore", or preservation of tradition, or typical cabaret, but also absolutely original compositions ranging from vaudeville jokes like "Sgiaff" or "L'operari" to thoughtful reflections on the passing of time and age ("El Temp El Passa Mai", "Guardie E Ladri"). In my opinion, among all the tracks, the engaging opening of the title track and the true story of "CT", a character who wandered around Castello Sforzesco during the '70s, stand out unforgettably (have you ever heard about "Il clero ti uccide con l'onda"?).
Andrea and Ivo’s originality in writing, the voices and stars of the group, is in giving the "bastard children of Milan" a human and never rhetorical voice, sprinkling the lyrics with irony, making the chorus always perfectly measured, moving from the typical pathways of blues towards post-kraut rhythms (the verse of "L'operari" is exemplary), allowing the guitar and vocal tones to burst like fireworks, making the piano a dominant but not overwhelming instrument.
It’s been so long since my area had a group like this, capable of producing an album that connects to tradition without being subdued by it and offering a carefree and unmissable live show.
from "CT"
"la gent che la và, la gent che la vègn
che la te dà a trà per on moment
la gent che la voeur minga capì
che chi chi inscì sèmm adrèe a morì
Gh'era on tal cont on carr e tri can:
la Bella, l'Umanità e l'Amòr
parlava e vosava dentr'al castèll
parlava e vosava di ond in del ciel
L'hann trovaa
cont i can da fà pissà
disèn ch'el coeùr l'è s'cioppàa
ma l'è l'onda che se l'è ciappàa
il clero ti uccide con l'onda!...”
from the website www.tekapi.it, where you will find samples and live performances
Loading comments slowly
