Milagro Acustico, the band of driving force Bob Salmieri, is back with a new cd that you takes you to ancient Persia. This album is based around the poetic work of Omar Khayyam, born in 1040, for a long time mostly known as a scientist. He wrote verses during the heyday of Islamic culture, but also a time of the first religious extremism and violence. His texts of the Rubaiyyat are translated into Sicilian and set to music. In the booklet you can see various photos from the Persian world and English translations of the texts.
The music of Milagro Acustico on this album is rather moody and melancholic. It’s varied, accessible melodic world music, with of course the necessary ancient Arabic influences mixed with more contemporary and western elements. Quite a few musicians and vocalists have been involved in this album with a warm Mediterranean atmosphere. Male and female voices, diverse instruments like percussion, piano, clarinet, flute and madolin create a very enjoyable flowing mixture. I think this album will be appreciated by people who like the work of Francesco Banchini or the dreamy folk/world music of the Prikosnovénie label.