MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release – March 2010

Be Transported with I VIAGGIATORI’S debut album SUITCASE SERENATA

It’s a CD that transports you to forgotten fishing villages, moonlit olive groves, and a hard life under a hot sun where women sang melancholy songs of lost love, displacement and revolution and fought hardship with a fierce sense of humour.

I VIAGGIATORI’s debut album Suitcase Serenata is a poignant and earthy homage to Italy and the thousands of people who have immigrated to our shores. Part travelogue, part lament, part protest you will be captivated by this intoxicating album peppered with traditional and original roots music unearthed and inspired by Italy and the Italo-Australian diaspora.

Suitcase Serenata is a window into another time and another place, with the sounds of folk, celtic, gypsy, blues and Italian world music woven expertly together by this impressive quartet.

There’s the vocals of Aria award winner Kavisha Mazzella, well known in the Melbourne world music scene for her original songs which slide smoothly from heartbreaking passion to dreamy high notes. Her rich sound is reminiscent of Portuguese Fado queen Mariza, fused with the social commentary of Luka Bloom. The clarinet - sometimes haunting, sometimes joyful - is played expertly by multi-instrumentalist Mark Holder-Keeping; whilst the tremble of the bouzouki is enough to make you melt under the expert musicianship of Irine Vela from another lauded aria-winning group -The Habibis. David De Santi, one of the most well known names on the folk scene in Australia – as accordian player, band leader, folk historian and artistic festival director – is bound to get your feet tapping to his authentic yet fresh interpretations of Italy’s world-famous tarantellas and waltzes. 

Since forming in 2006 I VIAGGIATORI (The Voyagers) have always had the ability to take listeners on a vivid and sensory journey. I VIAGGIATORI was formed by Kavisha Mazzella to perform live with silent documentary film ‘Dall’ Italia All’ Australia’ for the 2006 National Folk Festival in Canberra. The film chronicles the voyage of the passenger steam-ship Regina d’Italia (Queen of Italy) at the turn of the century. Melbourne journalist and author Tony De Bolfo stumbled on Dall’ Italia All’ Australia’s existence through his research for his book entitled In Search of Kings (Harper Collins Publisher). Since that time the band has performed the music to the film at festivals and cinemas around Australia.

From the rugged coast of Napoli, to the rice fields of the Po river valley, to the misty mornings of Fremantle, there’s no need to board a plane – although you may well be inspired to - with I VIAGGIATORI’s charming debut - Suitcase Serenata.

Don’t miss out on seeing I VIAGGIATORI at:

Port Fairy Folk Festival 5-8 March
Brunswick Music Festival 14 March
The National Folk Festival 1-5 April
Italian Week Suitcase Serenata Tour - Brisbane / Mittagong / Sydney / Wollongong / Canberra - venues to be advised

GENERAL MEDIA ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT DAVID DE SANTI
Mob: 0409 57 1788/  email: desanti@bigpond.com
INTERVIEWS PLEASE CONTACT KAVISHA MAZZELLA
Mob: 0412 893 355 kavisha@kavisha.com
Click here for IMAGES and MORE INFORMATION go to: www.viaggiatori.com.au