Ciao Carla!
Mortrude Sluurp | Poughkeepsie, NY | 11/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an unexpected treasure. Carla Bley & Steve Swallow join musicians from Sicily in a set dedicated to Carla's compositions. And there are several absolute gems in here...a thoroughly entertaining version of "Lone Arranger" (with the dialogue sections spoken in Italian!) and a funky, laconic "Egyptian". The real standout, though, is an achingly beautiful version of "Dreams So Real." This is worth the price of the CD alone...it begins with a guitar voicing the melody and just swells from there....incredible solo work as wellWhile the arrangements aren't always very different from those on Carla's own CDs (Dreams So Real is one very notable exception), the band digs into each with joy, energy and enthusiasm. A really remarkable CD!"