Northern Migrations
“Northern Migrations" features original solo piano compositions and improvisations by Francesco Turrisi and the 10 year journey of Italian pianist from the heart of the Mediterranean to the North of Europe.
The migratory desire is as old as mankind itself. And it has been the embodiment of cultural diversity and enrichment. Northern Migration has been a recurrent theme in Turrisi’s life and it's the source of inspiration for this solo project.
Francesco's family migrated from an impoverished Sicily in the 1970's to the more industrially developed north of Italy in search of work and a better life. After growing up in the city of Turin, Turrisi himself then migrated north, at the age of 19, to study music at the Royal conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands. After completing his studies in jazz and baroque music, he went further north towards Ireland, ultimately settling in Dublin.
His music has been described as ‘lyrical piano art music’, and it’s informed by a confluence of many diverse idioms. Francesco’s music is layered with a multitude of different stylistic references, reflecting his myriad musical experiences and his life journey. Early baroque ostinato bass lines, evocative Mediterranean modal melodies, minimalistic grooves, renaissance counterpoint woven into a core of jazz improvisation all co-exist organically in Turrisi's music, creating a unique, and hard to define musical language.
1. Taksim I (Partenze)
2. Isole
3. Mi Mariposa Hermosa
4. Carpinese
5. On The Fourteenth Day
6. Northern Migrations
7. Taksim II (Longings)
8. A Thousand Tears Old
9. Ostinato
10. Toccata Cromatica
11. Passacalio
12. Volo Meglio Solo
13. Taksim III (Il Ritorno)
Francesco Turrisi - piano, accordion (6), frame drum (9)
All songs by Francesco Turrisi unless otherwise noted.
Additional Roland Juno by Ben Rawlins (6)
2018 Taquin Records