Italian band Kalàscima includes six friends from the deep Salento in southern Italy. They are one of the most innovative bands in the Italian world music scene. Drawing from traditional Taranta, they have reinvented tradition through a combination of electronic music, transfixing beats, original melodies, and folk environments.
The band has performed at numerous international festivals. Recordings include Quannu ‘u diavulu te ‘nkarizza… l’anima ne vole (2003), Santa Maria del Foggiaro (2010), Psychedelic trance tarantella (2014) and K (2018).
Kalàscima uses a wide range of instruments such as bagpipe, traditional flutes, Italian organetto, a vast array of percussion from southern Italy and from all over the world (riqq, darbuka), thrilling vocals and modern instruments like electric bass and loop machine.
The musicians in Kalàscima are stable members in some of the most important Italian folk bands and orchestras including the Orchestra Popolare “La Notte della Taranta ” (directed by Ludovico Einaudi, Steward Copeland, Mauro Pagani, Joe Zawinul), the “Orchestra Popolare Italiana” from the prestigious Auditorium “Parco della Musica” in Rome, the Pizzicata Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Sicily.
The lineup includes Aldo Iezza on Italian and Irish melodic bagpipes, whistles; Federico Laganá on tammorre, daf, darbuka, tar, riqq; Luca Buccarella on accordion and vocals; Massimiliano de Marco on guitar, mandolin, Irish bouzouki, vocals; Riccardo Basile on bass, programming and vocals; and Riccardo Laganá on percussion and vocals.
Discography:
Quannu ‘u diavulu te ‘nkarizza… l’anima ne vole (2003)
Santa Maria del Foggiaro (2010)
Psychedelic trance tarantella (2014)
K (Ponderosa Music & Art, 2018)
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.