Aksak Project – Trebisonda (Aemme Records, 2017)
Aksak Project is an Italian ensemble that has absorbed multiple musical influences. The group features several multi-instrumentalists who combine western musical instruments with global instrumentation.
In terms of musical inspiration, Aksak Project brings together jazz, funk bass, Italian, North African, Spanish, Arabic, Latin American, and other global sounds along with the mesmerizing sounds of the hang drums.
Trebisonda features instrumentals as well as songs in Spanish and a lingua franca called sabir (a mix of Italian, Spanish and other languages) that was spoken in the Mediterranean from the 11-19th centuries.
The lineup includes Achille Meazzi on guitar, oud, santur, laouto, cello, ronroco, charango, cuatro venezolano, saz, harmonium, sikus; Alberto Venturini on clarinet, bass clariner, darbuka, drums, udu, hang drum, percussion and programming; Eloisa Manera on violin; Gianni Satta on trumpet and flugelhorn; Alessandro Cassani on acoustic and electric bass; Nicola Mantovani on soprano sax; Camilla Barbarito on vocals and spoken word; and Marco Turati on vocals. Special guest Roberto Cipelli appears on piano on one track.
Trebisonda is an exquisitely-crafted album by Aksak Project where jazz, global sounds and a trance-like atmosphere come together effectively.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
