On a sunny Sunday in August, Stewart Copeland played in front of more than 40,000 people at the Notte della Taranta Festival in Melpignano in the deep south of Italy, a land where Mediterranean cultures meet, where tradition and popular tales are linked to music and magic, and where the earth and the people are one... 

The music, known as taranta and pizzica, is typical of the southern land of Puglia, although a slightly different style can be heard in other southern areas of Italy. The psychedelic sound of this music-a mixture of ethnic Mediterranean sounds based on percussion instruments-used to be a part of the healing process (one might even call it an exorcism) of people stung by the dangerous tarantola spider. The victim fell into a state of semiconsciousness and began to move as if by hypnotic shock. The power of the music was said to be able to bring the victim's mind back to a normal state.

As can be seen in the photo at the top of the page, the most important instrument of the taranta is the tamburello, a typically round percussion instrument played with the hands and often used in traditional and popular music. As Stewart reported in an interview, "It's incredible how a young boy could play this instrument so well around here; this is good even when you want to 'conquer' a girl as if you can't play tamburello, you would probably have no chance at all in this land..."

It's early morning on a sunny August 17. Trucks arrive to start work on an event that will be remembered for a long time in the deepest south of Italy in that area called Salento, that wonderful land in the southern part of Puglia famous for its olives, its trullo houses, its beautiful landscapes, and its fantastic people. This is where Stewart has decided to spend a fantastic holiday-if it can truly be called one, as Stewart has spent more than a week in long rehearsals in preparation for this show known as La Notte della Taranta.

Stewart arrived in Italy on Saturday, August 9, and a couple of days later he started rehearsing in Zollino, another village inside Salento. Six days of hard work followed of arranging popular songs and traditional chants, most of which Stewart had never heard, let alone performed before. Similar to his experience studying the roots of rhythm in Africa years before, this process gives Stewart the chance to learn from the inside about a culture whose music is an important influence on everyday life. (And to tell the truth, Italy lies not too far from the northern tip of Africa.)

An ensemble of at least 15 musicians has been set up by Vittorio Cosma, a well-known Italian musician whose collaborations range from playing with Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) to composing soundtracks. Using both traditional instruments and the latest keyboard sounds, he has done a great job of arranging this music to be performed in a modern key, reinventing the songs and giving each track a fresh and enthusiastic vibe while retaining its traditional heart. It was Vittorio who asked Stewart to take part in the Notte della Taranta Festival.
Stewart Copeland, Maestro Concertatore of the night, accepted with no doubt.

"When they asked me to come to this place, I never expected what I'm living now. This is a great place. I've never been here before, and I never knew anything about this music called taranta - not to be confused with tarantella!"

"It's an incredible experience I will never forget. Everybody here plays tamburello, and if you don't play it, you might have a hard time in finding a girlfriend!"

"It's so natural for them to learn how to play tamburello and be very close to popular songs and dances. I've met incredible musicians here unknown anywhere else. It's really great to be part of this festival, and it would be great to bring this fantastic stuff around the world for people to listen and enjoy it."

Ponderosa [Stewart Copeland Italian Promoter]

Special thanks to
Giordano Copparoni
Sergio Fanton - Notak Music Solutions

More information on Pizzica can be found at:
City Of Melpignano
Pizzicata.it
Taranta.it