Songs of a Journey

Songs and music from the 1924 Italian silent film
‘Dall’ Italia All’Australia’

performed by I Viaggiatori

Some of the songs: Santa Lucia Mamma Mia Dammi Cento Lire Canzone Delle Donne Funiculi Funicula Tarantella Valzer della  Mezzanotte Ciuccio Reginella Campagnola Tammuriata Nera Valzer della Fisarmonica

Monday, May 25 at 7:30pm

Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow

Members $10, Non-members $12   |   Part of 2009 Italian Week

Click here to download the poster below in PDF format 1MB

Presented by Illawarra Folk Club, IATI, It.So.Wel. Illawarra Folk Festival Fringe Event.

More information and images from David De Santi 0409 57 1788 desanti@illawarrafolkclub.org.au

To hear the band, go to: www.myspace.com/dallitaliaallaustralia

 Click here to download a high resolution image of the band (1.7MB)

 Click here to download a high resolution image of the band (2MB)

Celebrate 2009 Italian Week with a rare chance to hear the band that plays the live music for the silent film Dall’ Italia All’ Australia. They will perform the songs and tunes from the film.

The band is a truly multicultural and cosmopolitan combination with Kavisha Mazzella and Irine Vela from Melbourne and Mark Holder-Keeping and David De Santi from Wollongong. They bring together varying musical experiences but combine to present sensitive and harmonious renditions of new and old folk songs. Kavisha grew up in the Italian quarter of Fremantle while David grew up in Port Kembla and Oak Flats in the Illawarra!

Kavisha sings like an angel and plays guitar, while Irine provides a Greek tinge to the music on bouzouki and mandolin. Mark provides the soothing sounds of clarinet and saxophone while David uses the power and finesse of the piano accordion to provide varying moods to the music.

I Viaggiatori have performed the music to the film at the National Folk Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, Illawarra Folk Festival, Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour and on the South Coast.

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The live music for the film is arranged by Kavisha with traditional and original tunes and songs including: Mamma Mia Dammi Cento Lire, Tammuriata Nera, Funiculi Funicula, Santa Lucia, Valzer della Fisarmonica, Madonna Del Mare, Tarantellas, Valzer della Mezzanotte, Bella Ciao, Wedding Sheets, Angellare., I Guaglione, Canzone della Donne, Reginella Campagnola and Canzone del Ciucciu, About Kavisha It was after a chance meeting in a derelict church hall with members of The Amicizzia Club of Fremantle in 1989, that Kavisha Mazzella discovered a wonderful group of elderly Italian women. Through their friendship, Kavisha started researching songs that were dying out, resulting in the formation of a choir of sassy, earthy matriarchs who sang these songs with a vibrancy never heard before. They were the "Joys Of The Women", whose story was recorded in Franco Di Chiera’s memorable documentary The Joys Of The Women on the ABC in 1993.

Kavisha continues to sing these songs and her own compositions.

"My songs are about true stories. About celebrating life, love, journeys and displacement, physical and spiritual. They are about the search for home, earthly and mystical .They are about hope in spite of dark times. I mix country with gypsy, folk with blues, social commentary and comedy.

It’s a mix of Mediterranian soul with Country roots. We were migrants from Britain to Australia in the sixties. Our family grew up with "sing songs " around a piano. I grew up in a house where my Irish /Burmese grandma played Woody Guthrie songs on the banjo and where my Italian Uncle was singing Neapolitan Opera in the kitchen of the family restaurant... so that explains the weird mix of influences in my songs I guess! And that’s why I like to get the audience singing along too...." Kavisha