INSPIRATION

Only two kilometers today, across the bridge on the Flumendosa and I have already arrived! And the weather continues to be beautiful and sunny.

I get the beautiful central square, with the beautiful building of the old Town Hall, the front staircase and a beautiful monument to the wars fallen. Launeddas themed artwork in the flowerbeds. Today, in fact, I am in the homeland of the oldest reed instrument, direct descendant of the Greek aulos.

I meet Cristina, who has been following me for some time and has taken care to organize a beautiful day. We stop at the Marconi cafe, right on the square, for a coffee, and here we meet Andrea Pisu, launeddas player (someone called him the ‘Jimi Hendrix of launeddas’) with whom I had already played many years ago in a very experimental situation. We are also joined by Giancarlo Seu and Irene who will host me in their bnb. Giancarlo also plays the launeddas and I suspect that today this will be the main theme. I have the confirmation when Salvatore Trebini meet us for lunch, another launeddist, and the conversation concerns the masters Aurelio Porcu and Efisio Melis, and the manufacturer par excellence, the ‘Stradivarius’ of the launeddas Luigi Melis.

In the afternoon we go on the banks of the Flumendosa, here wide and almost at its mouth, to admire the bridge with its arches, part in cement part in iron. Then we go to Porto Corallo, passing near the fishpond and a hill containing the ruins of a castle, to get to the coastal tower. At this point the three launeddists take out the instruments and give two extemporary performances, one under the tower and one at the top of the steps, where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the coast. I regret not having the ukulele with me to be able to join them.

The evening ends in the basement of the Marconi cafe, where the Sarrabus Cultural Club Circle is based. Here we are joined by Antonio Uras and other musicians with whom we play an ethno-experimental jam fired by human warmth!

SOUND FRAGMENTS

SHORT SARDINIAN STORIES

Sandrino, seven and a half years old, lost his father, a fan of Sardinian music and a good dancer, when he was still in Irene’s belly, but today he has an exceptional step-father, Giancarlo, who somehow must have transferred his passion for music.

As we play like crazy, Sandrino is sitting on the drums that beats like crazy with us … but after a while some adults ask him to stop to make the adults play. He waits and as soon as we finish he starts trampling like crazy again. But with the ‘tail of my ear’ I’m listening and what I hear sounds perfectly, it makes sense in its imprecision, there are clear ideas.

The next morning when I’m ready to leave, Sandrino is in the garage with his grandfather who works the cork to create different objects. He is scratching a piece in silence. His grandpa tells me that he really likes working the cork, so they let him do it. Perhaps it is at this age that one learns crafts and consolidates passions. Go ahead then Sandrino, beat the drums and rasp the cork!