Thirty years after the release of Il Ballo di San Vito (1996), Vinicio Capossela brings a special concert to Monforte in Jazz, performing the album in its entirety and revisiting one of the most significant chapters of his artistic journey.
“More than an album, Il Ballo di San Vito was a story,” explains Capossela.
A story born among cities and muddy provincial roads, propelled from town to town like a giant pinball machine, with Turin serving as one of its most important destinations. The album owes much to that city and to the people who helped shape it: drummer Davide Graziano, sound engineer Carlo Rossi, guitarist Cato Senatore, and the ever-watchful presence of Renato Striglia, guardian spirit and travelling companion throughout that adventure.
This anniversary is not simply a celebration of the past. Rather, it is an opportunity to set those songs in motion once again, as one might reopen a dance floor that has remained closed for far too long.
The restless energy that animated the album—crossing guardrails, emotional hinterlands and communities of outsiders—eventually arrived on the banks of the River Po with Il Tanco del Murazzo, where the image of a great Eastern turkey taking flight foreshadowed artistic paths that would later lead to Live in Volvo and, years afterwards, Ovunque Proteggi.
Recorded between Bologna and a series of temporary homes, Il Ballo di San Vito featured an extraordinary cast of musicians, including acclaimed guitarist Marc Ribot, whose first collaboration with Capossela began with this album. His participation in this anniversary event remains a possibility.
For the Monforte concert, the intention is to bring the entire album back to the stage, restoring its original vitality while also making room for songs from other works that celebrate significant anniversaries this year.
Because Il Ballo di San Vito was never an album meant to be experienced sitting still. The creative fever that gave birth to it demands movement. And after thirty years, the stone remains untouched by moss.