Antonio Artese Quartet - Voyage (2019)

"Voyage" and its many meanings: It can be an internal journey, an exploration, a military expedition, or a pleasure trip. But, the composer emphasizes, it can also be understood as a sea voyage for survival, which is faced by those who want to land on another earth in search of a future. And, by the way, Maestro Artese recalls that Termoli (his homeland) has always been a hospitable land: "There is a culture of welcome and disembarkation here, which we have forgotten a bit about." And his travels, set to music, will also have this purpose — to remind the residents of Termoli of their origin and history. "As an artist, I wanted to connect this album with the message of humanity, and I feel obligated to bring this testimony to my land."
Artese, whose second "homeland" is California (where the CD has already been presented), has been living in Tuscany for some time, where he is a promoter of important cultural and musical projects. He composed twelve original songs for this work between 2008 and 2011, but never recorded them. That's how this project stayed in the drawer for a while, until now.
Inspired by classical music and jazz, the album encourages the listener to explore different musical languages, paying constant and equal attention to all instruments played in a natural acoustic manner (clarinet, piano, bass and drums). Then listening itself becomes a journey that causes a huge emotional impact.