Alla Boara - Work & Song (2024) [Hi-Res]

Drummer and composer Anthony Taddeo, founder of Alla Boara, first encountered Alan Lomax's 1950s Italian field recordings during graduate school, struck by a communicative power the classroom couldn't contain. A decade later, that material became the foundation of the album "Work and Song," recorded and filmed on July 7 and 8, 2023, at Cleveland's BOP STOP club, with the band performing in the middle of the audience.

The album's compositions are rooted in fundamental human experiences — work, romantic longing, separation, and communal celebration — carried through songs like "Almond Sorters," "U Leva Leva," "Questa Mattina Me Son Alzato," "Mamma Mia Dammi Cento Lire," and "Me Me Ne Fon." Across two sold-out nights, these themes came vividly alive, transforming the venue by turns into a Calabrian tuna boat, a Sicilian piazza, an ancient ruined church, and a Sardinian meadow, moving the audience to laughter, tears, and a final swaying singalong.

The music's emotional range has been compared to the prose of Elena Ferrante, the comedies of Fellini, and the sorrowful iconography of Cimabue — a blend of earthy realism and near-religious depth. The album becomes a bridge across time and cultures, carrying Italian folk tradition to a new generation of listeners in a language that reaches beyond ordinary understanding.

Tracklist:
1. Alla Boara - Almond Sorters (feat. Jamey Haddad, Chris Coles & Patrick Graney) (LIVE)
2. Alla Boara - U Leva Leva (Intro) (LIVE)
3. Alla Boara - U Leva Leva (feat. Jamey Haddad, Patrick Graney, Chris Coles, Tommy Lehman, Amanda Powell & Daniel Bruce) (Live)
4. Alla Boara - Questa Mattina (LIVE)
5. Alla Boara - Mamma Mia Dammi Cento Lire (feat. Tommy Lehman, Anthony Taddeo, Amanda Powell, Clay Colley, Daniel Bruce & Ian Kinnaman) (LIVE)
6. Alla Boara - Ballu (Intro) (feat. Anthony Taddeo) (LIVE)
7. Alla Boara - Ballu (feat. Jamey Haddad, Chris Coles & Patrick Graney) (LIVE)
8. Alla Boara - Som Som (LIVE)
9. Alla Boara - Venite Adoremus (LIVE)
10. Alla Boara - Mi Me Ne Fon (Intro) (LIVE)
11. Alla Boara - Mi Me Ne Fon (feat. Jamey Haddad, Patrick Graney & Chris Coles) (LIVE)