This new project, ‘FOOD’, completes a Trilogy of work by Paolo Fresu and Omar Sosa, including the Duo’s previous releases, ALMA (2012), and EROS (2016). Featuring guest contributions from Washington, DC rapper Kokayi, Cristiano de André (son of the famous Fabrizio), cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, South African singer Indwe, and American pan drum master Andy Narrell, the album is a musical investigation of the theme Food from the perspectives of taste, aesthetics, and ethics. Over the course of a year, the sounds of restaurants and wineries were recorded, as were the voices of those who work in these food locales. We hear the mechanical clanking of presses, the delicate clinking of glasses, the sounds of oil frying, wine pouring, knives cutting vegetables, as well as the narrating voices of chefs and winemakers and patrons in Italian, Sardinian, Friulian, Spanish, French, English, and Japanese. The songs on the album are the tales of recipes, culinary settings, and sociability. They are comprised of field recordings, duly edited, mixed, and looped that serve as a soundtrack upon which Paolo and Omar have composed a suite of original music, including an arrangement of the song ‘A Cimma’ by Fabrizio de André. The cover artwork is an image by fantasy researcher Diego Cusano. The face of the woman wearing a tomato spaghetti hat brings together the Italian and Cuban souls. ‘FOOD’ seeks to express the pleasure of taste, conviviality, discovery, and dialogue… but also the importance of healthy eating, and the need for awareness of the precarious situation of sustainable food production on the planet.
There are some ensembles that can change the way we hear music. Paolo Fresu & Omar Sosa Duo is one such ensemble. By hearing we don’t mean merely listening, but rather experiencing the music as a matter of heart, and soul, and empathy. Paolo & Omar are one of the best-known and best-loved groups in Italy and beyond. They are capable of creating both sonic and conceptual bridges between two seas and two continents. They have been refining their musical proposal, concert by concert. As further evidence of their artistic maturity, after the great successes of their albums ‘ALMA’ and ‘EROS’, the Duo turns to a new projectconcept dedicated to the theme of food and wine and their essential aspects. The idea of producing a concept album expressive of their beautiful Sardinian-Cuban connection and dedicated to a particular theme characterizes all of the Duo’s work over the past decade. Paolo & Omar dance together in a uniquely Latin way – creating a winning mix of jazz, Cuban, and African elements. And if Fresu is now an important icon of contemporary music, then Sosa continues to inspire the Duo to wide-open horizons. The quasi-polyphonic structure of the music, and the extreme care taken with all of the recorded sonic elements, are reflected in the Duo’s profound and entertaining, and technically impeccable, live shows.
