WOMAD

Cordas et Cannas

From Italy

Cordas et Cannas (the name means "strings and pipes") hail from Sardinia and fuse the Mediterranean island's traditional music with contemporary sounds. Sardinia has been a stopping point for traders from Africa and the East for centuries, and its music reflects this cosmopolitan mix. The island's main instrument, the launeddas - a bamboo pipe whose players use circular breathing techniques - has a sound akin to Celtic pipes, a similarity which boosts the claims of those who hold that the Celts travelled up from Africa and through Europe before reaching Ireland and Scotland. Its mystical, ancient sound also attracted the attention of jazz giants such as Lester Bowie and Ornette Coleman, who have played and recorded with Sardinian musicians. The island's vocal tradition of polyphonic singing, heard in the shepherd songs of the "tenores", is also beguiling. WOMAD regulars will recall the songs of the Tenores di Bitti from 1995's festival.Cordas et Cannas was founded 18 years ago by Gesuino Deiana, a key figure in Sardinia's recent musical development. Gesuino, whose father was a music teacher, began to play in rock bands in the sixties, influenced by the likes of Hendrix, John Lee Hooker and Clapton. In the seventies, he studied his island's heritage and developed a fascination with its musical roots and instruments. The group usually performs as a three-piece, although guest musicians often join them on stage. The core line-up is: Gesuino Deiana (guitar, harmonica, vocals); Francesco Pilu (launeddas, flute, accordion); and Bruno Piccinnu (percussion). Gesuino has recorded a solo album for Real World Records and helped to organise a WOMAD event in Sardinia. Cordas et Cannas has one compilation album available in the UK, and three others on Italian labels. This will be the group's first appearance at WOMAD Rivermead.