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Traditional Sicilian and Neapolitan Folk Music
A Tribute to Matteo Casserino and Gino DiMichele
Phil Lawrence--Mandolins and Guitars
Eddie Guthman--Bass
Echoes of the Silent Fountain is a re-creation of a 1984 LP recording by Matteo Casserino and Gino DiMichele. These two unique musicians were friends of Phil Lawrence. Gino owned a music store in the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco where Phil used to teach guitar and mandolin; Matteo was born in Sicily but migrated to America in 1936 when he was twenty-three years old. In Sicily he learned to play the music of his homeland and he brought that knowledge with him to the States. He and Gino formed a duo; they used to practice in the music store and Phil was often present as they played. The two older men were always willing and even eager to allow Phil to sit in on their “rehearsals” and that's how Phil learned to the play the music of his own homeland (Phil's grandparents all emigrated from Sicily and his mother had been born there also.)
The 1984 album is titled The Silent Fountain. It contains twelve traditional southern Italian instrumental tunes and one original by Matteo. Aside from Gino and Matteo, there are two other supporting musicians. Phil's re-creation of this album was recorded in his home studio in Sebastopol between between July and October of 2017. Phil plays the guitar parts and the mandolin parts himself. He began by listening and studying the original vinyl LP; he then used the available sheet music of the melodies to assemble his guitar and mandolin parts track by track until he had perfected Matteo and Gino's music as much as possible Occasionally Phil added his own harmony lines to simulate the parts of the supporting musicians on the original LP. The resulting recording is a very high fidelity, precise rendition of his friends' original recordings, complete with rich harmonies played by twin mandolins. And since the original LPs are nearly impossible to find and their quality of sound preceded the digital era of recording techniques, the public now has a new, cleaner version of these beautiful Italian melodies.
Echoes of the Silent Fountain is a tribute CD to Phil's two friends who have long passed away; it is also a tribute to his homeland and his family. The melodies on this recording are rarely-heard, authentic folk tunes. They evoke the enchantment of the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Sicily with its olive groves and citrus trees, the towering volcanoes, Etna and Vesuvius, the color of Italian streets and piazzas, the rhythms of the various dances, and the spirit of the people of southern Italy. There are marches, waltzes, mazurkas, tangos, dramatic ballads, and even an original tarantella by Phil Lawrence. This is folk music played the way it should be played—with loving care and dedication, and a respect for the deep traditions of the elders and the homeland.
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