Songs from the Island (Playlist)
Last night, I dreamed an island and as I slept, I heard the music playing. On her golden shores, I heard the blend of languages and traditions conversing and of voices joyfully… Read More
Bella Ci Dormi (Songs I Love #23)
I recently worked with my friend Mauro Durante on a song for the new album I Dreamed An Island. The song called “Bring Down The Wall” is sung in English but has… Read More
Tombstone for Anna
There are countless examples in the art and architecture of Norman Sicily that show quite what an extraordinarily cosmopolitan environment there was during the short reign of the Norman kings. I wanted… Read More
Cloak of Blue
Today in the 21st century and in Europe in particular, we have access to so much materially that it’s easy to forget how precious and rare certain materials were centuries ago. I’ve… Read More
Sicilian Poet
These days, I’ve been working on the last few songs of the new album. Although mostly sung in English, I also wanted the album to have a multi-lingual dimension like the cosmopolitan… Read More
Santa Maria La Blanca, Toledo
I recently visited the church of Santa Maria la Blanca in the medieval city of Toledo in Spain. This remarkable building, despite its name, was a synagogue until the expulsion of the… Read More
Mediterraneo
I’ve always been fascinated by the Mediterranean’s extraordinarily rich cultural traditions, built up over millennia and which span Europe and Africa, East and West as well as the Greek, Latin, Berber and… Read More
Origins
When we forget where we come from, we run the risk of forgetting who we are and where we’re going. If the average European examined his DNA and genealogy, I’m sure he… Read More
Stories hidden in the stone
Visiting the beautiful architectural sites of southern Italy or Spain, I love observing the small details engraved or carved into the stone. In Sicily it might be an Arabic inscription on the… Read More
