Compagnons Roulants
Jan Senso Terro
FolkClub Ethnosuoni (www.folkclubethnosuoni.com)

Compagnons Roulants give the graceful music of the Occitania territory of Southern France and Northwest Italy fresh, haunting arrangements. Traditional songs and dances that blend the flavors of both countries mesh beautifully with sensitively composed and arranged originals. Instrumentation is spare and low-tech, with fiddle, mandolin, accordion, acoustic bass, and understated percussion. Paola Lombardo's light, unaffected voice skips easily over the airy melodies. They use subtle jazz inflections, minimalist arrangements, and Medieval drone to bring out the colors in these sweet, sprightly tunes.

"Jan Senso Terro"

The title track ("Landless John") is a cheeky delight, with its low accordion blips and Silvio Peron's clipped vocal delivery. The traditional "Pichota" is a smooth, romantic ballad about delousing. "La bello vinnho" ("Beautiful vineyard") tells the story of winemaking, from the growing of the grapes to pouring the finished product into a glass. It builds in tempo and texture, with Lombardo's urgent vocals spinning the tale to a near frenzy. In Gabriele Ferrero's delicately jazzy "Countrodanso," his fiddle hops as if from stone to stone around the tricky rhythmic quirks. Jan Senso Terro is a finely wrought piece of work, delivered with droll humor and warmth. - Peggy Latkovich

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Audio: "Jan Senso Terro" composed Peron/Salvagno
©2000 Folk Club Ethnosuoni, Italy, used by permission

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