Crêuza de mä
| Crêuza de mä | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Fabrizio De André | ||||
| Released | March 1984 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 33:29 | |||
| Label | Ricordi | |||
| Producer | Mauro Pagani, Fabrizio De André | |||
| Fabrizio De André chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Crêuza de mä is the eleventh studio album by Fabrizio De André. It is sung in the Genoese dialect.[2] All the songs were written by De André and Mauro Pagani, with all lyrics by the former and music mostly by the latter; in a 2011 interview within the documentary DVD series Dentro Faber (Inside Faber), about De André's life and works, Pagani stated that his job on the album was to create melodies and arrangements for De André's already complete lyrics, on the basis of some "over-simplified" melodic ideas by the Genoan songwriter. Halfway through the album sessions, responding to Pagani's repeated concerns that the lyrics would be incomprehensible to non-Genoans, De André reassured his friend by telling that his music was so good that even Sicilians would get the meaning of the songs without understanding a single word.[3] However, full Italian translations of the lyrics (by De André himself) were included in the album's liner notes.
Track listing
All lyrics by Fabrizio De André; music by Mauro Pagani and Fabrizio De André.
- Crêuza de mä ("Muletrack by the sea")- 6:16
- Jamin-a ("Jamina", an Arabic female name)- 4:52
- Sidún (i.e. Sidon, in Lebanon) - 6:25
- Sinàn Capudàn Pascià ("Sinàn Captain Pasha", a legendary braggart from Genoa) - 5:32
- Â pittima ("The flea", a derogatory nickname for a tax revenue officer) - 3:43
- Â duménega ("On Sunday") - 3:40
- D'ä mê riva ("From my shore") - 3:04
With the notable exceptions of "Jamin-a" and "Sidún", inspired by De André and Pagani's then-recent trips to Africa and the Middle East, all songs are about Genoa in the 1800s; in particular, "Â duménega" is a jokey song about prostitutes being allowed to walk freely through the streets of Genoa on Sundays, and about the township exploiting the "income" generated by prostitution to pay for the works in the Genoa port; "D'ä mê riva", on the other hand, is a regretful and nostalgic lament of a sailor leaving Genoa for an unknown destination, maybe for good.
Personnel
- Fabrizio De André - Guitar in D'ä mê riva and vocals
- Mario Arcari - Shennai in Jamin-a
- Aldo Banfi - Synclavier
- François Bedel - Goblet drum and percussion instruments
- Francis Biggi - Consultancy on medieval and ethnic instruments
- Walter Calloni - Drum kit
- Dino D'Autorio - Bass guitar in Sinàn Capudàn Pascià
- Edo Martin - Synthesizer
- Franco Mussida - Classical guitar and electric mandolin
- Mauro Pagani - Oud, bağlama, bouzouki, mandolas, mandolins, viola, synthesizer, vocals
- Maurizio Preti - Percussions
- Massimo Spinosa - Bass guitar
- Domna Samiou - Introduction to Crêuza de mä from Aria per gaida sola.
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ (Italian) Infos and credits about Crêuza de mä
- ↑ Dentro Faber, DVD 5: Genova ed il Mediterraneo (Genoa and the Mediterranean).