Vaiano’s Paisanos – Vaiano’s Paisanos (Jalopy Records, 2026)
String band Vaiano’s Paisanos features Rachel Meirs on violin and mandolin, Maxwell Apra on mandolin, tenor banjo, and tenor guitar, and Van Burchfield on guitar, with Quentin Bardinet and Albanie Faletta as additional musicians on select material.
The self-titled album, Vaiano’s Paisanos, contains a fascinating, timeless and delightful set of music inspired by 1920s and 1930s recordings made in New York City by immigrant musicians. These include Cape Verdean, Italian American, Trinidadian, and Venezuelan artists. Its repertoire includes mazurkas, waltzes, polkas, fiddle tunes, mandolin pieces, and pre-Belafonte calypsos.
Rachel Meirs first encountered some of the source recordings more than a decade ago while working at Jalopy Theatre. Several tracks trace back to Cape Verdean musicians recorded at Columbia’s New York studios for the Portuguese-speaking market, including works by Augusto Abreu, Johnny Perry’s Instrumental Trio, and Orchestra di Notias. Elsewhere, the album includes Italian American pieces associated with Frank Fazio, Nullo Romani, Giovanni Vicari, and the widely recorded mazurka “Pioggia Di Rose.”
The closing tracks, “Caracas” and “Roses Of Caracas Waltz,” come from Trinidadian-Venezuelan pianist and composer Lionel Belasco, whose recording career lasted five decades.
Buy Vaiano’s Paisanos.
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.