14/06/2022
The Gathering.
The genre-defying album The Gathering, produced and conceived of by world-renowned producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Ferdinando Arnò, documents a feverishly inspired cross-cultural dialogue, featuring a formidable collective of musicians spread across three continents.
The album is a wonderfully, motley musical mashup featuring Arnò in close collaboration with musicians from around the world. The composition “Tamburi” features the Alfio Antico—the talking drum—powerfully contrasted with futuristic rhythms. Here, Arnò is collaborating with blind singer-guitarist Daniel Gonora and brass section leader Joseph Chinouriri.
Another profound cultural exchange is in the song “Preta.” This swirl of sound features improv from United States-based percussionist—Gabriel Jarrett—son of legendary jazz icon Keith Jarrett; second-line funk from New Orleans-based Native American band Cha Wa; the buttery vocals of British-born singer-actress Sandy Chambers; the fierce flows of New York hip-hop MC Dante Lennon and the emotional flow of London, England-based rapper Brother May; the warmly winsome vocals of Common Mama’s Jon Kenzie; and cameos from Gaetano Carrozzo and the Moka Band. The song was written by Ferdinando Arnò and Joe Barbieri, and the video features Neapolitan actor Lino Musella.
The Gathering also features the musical mosaic of "Santu Lazzaru” which boasts a fragment of Miriam Makeba’s a ca****la version of “The Click Song” enhanced with the addition of the Simple Impact Choir, and a sample the from an ancient song by the Salento artist Uccio Aloisi.
