Tarantolati di Tricarico

Tarantolati di Tricarico are a group of Lucanian folk music.

The group was founded in 1975 by Antonio Infantino, with early performances in the Rome music club Folkstudio, run by Giancarlo Cesaroni. Their lyrics in Lucanian dialect showcase the Tricarico tradition: the drums, the holy water font and the wine fiasco. Popular and pagan celebrations with the rhythm of the tamburo highlight denunciations against poverty and daily injustices to the peasant population.

Over the course of their career, Tarantolati di Tricarico have participated in national and international festivals such as the De Andrè prize in Rome, Rock Against Racism in Brussels in 1978, WOMEX held in Copenhagen and the Jova Beach Party organized in Praia a Mare and Policoro in 2019. Other performances have been held in Brazil with the Rio Samba School, in Uruguay with Beth Carvalho, in Russia, the United States and Romania.

Some of Tarantolati di Tricarico's songs were featured in the film soundtrack to Mario Monicelli's The Roses of the Desert ("Le rose del deserto") and to the multimedia piece Magna Grecia: Il mito delle origini by Emir Kusturica.^[1] A hymn was composed for the Matera "2019 European Culture Capital" based on a text by the Materan poet Roberto Linzalone and performed at the 2015 Milan Expo.^[2]

The group is also a non-profit organization, I Tarantolati del Gruppo di Tricarico, formed in 1999.

Personnel

Founding members

Franco Ferri – surdo and vocals
Rocco Paradiso – cupa cupa and vocals
Marcello Semisa – percussion
Pino Molinari – percussion

Collaborators

Maria Anna Nolè – background vocals and dance
Gianluca Sanza – bass and vocals
Viviana Fatigante – vocals
Enzo Granella – vocals and guitar
Giorgio Pavan – mandocello and guitars
Pierluigi Delle Noci – drum set

Discography

Antonio Infantino ed il Gruppo di Tricarico

1975 – I Tarantolati (Folkstudio)
1976 – La Morte Bianca – Tarantata dell'Italsider (Folkstudio)

Antonio Infantino and Tarantolati di Tricarico

1978 – Follie del Divino Spirito Santo (Fonit Cetra)
1996 – Tarantella Tarantata (Amiata Records)