La Musica della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Play It Again Sam
• ASIN: B00006EXJW
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,701 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't get any better than this, November 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: La Musica della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita (Audio CD)

This album is interesting in a great number of ways. First, it's one of those rare quality recordings available outside Italy with folk music from Calabria. Second, the performances are outstanding. The singing sounds like it has sprung from the performers' heart rather than being just a flat interpretation of the music. I imagine that one doesn't necessarily need to understand the lyrics to appreciate this music, as a matter of fact, at certain point one may wish not to know the subject of the songs. The words reflect a world unto our own where a different code of laws reigns supreme and which exists in a dimension most of us would not want to explore except in works of fiction such as Mario Puzo's novels. The lyrics speak of a ruthlessness of spirit which is somewhat disturbing, but this is counterbalanced by the quality of the music.

Finally, this will be a treat to those who speak Italian and always wanted to have some exposure to the colourful dialects of the south. Although a few tracks are in Italian, you can hear plenty of Calabrese, a dialect derived from Latin, Arabic, Greek and French.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great folklore in South Italian dialect, December 21, 2002

By 

Richard Stoner (Binghamton, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: La Musica della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita (Audio CD)

A rare glimpse into the dying world of the Calabrian mafia, this CD is endlessly fascinating to those of us who grew up in Sicilian or Southern Italian households and heard stories similar to those in the songs of honor, revenge and sacrifice. Of course knowing the dialect will help any listener appreciate the full meaning of the lyrics, but even those unfamiliar with those terms that appear in almost every song, such as'sango' for blood or 'onore' for honor, can appreciate the wonderful contrast between the harshness of the lyrics and the melody of the songs. The counterpoint and complexity contained in these songs reflect the complex societies from which they come, raw, real and emotionally honest.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, October 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: La Musica della Mafia: Il Canto di Malavita (Audio CD)

This album is incredible. I have vague memories of my great-grandmother speaking and singing in Italian, but I don't speak or understand it. Nonetheless, this album is amazing. A work of true historical importance and a valuable piece of Italian culture.