This past Wednesday night I, along with my cousin, New York artist Steven Palermo, went to Scopello in Brooklyn to catch author John Keahey read from his most recent book “Seeking Sicily.” Steve and I, being family, both come from a Sicilian background, and while this topic may be more of interest to me than it is to him, he had shown some interest in the book while I was reading it and I thought it would be great for him to come down and check things out. I have written about Keahey’s book on this blog a couple of weeks ago and for those who are interested in Italian - and particularly Sicilian history - this is a book that should not be ignored. For my money, it was one of the best books about Sicily and Sicilian culture to come along in a very long time and it captivated me over the three days I devoured it. The reading was wonderful and it was a real treat to meet and hear the author read from such a wonderful book. I can’t praise this book enough and for those who are interested in the topic, just follow this link in order to secure yourself a copy.
But there was an additional treat on the agenda that night and that was musician/singer Michela Musolino who provided the audience with some wonderful traditional Sicilian songs and poetry. It was a pleasure to finally hear Michela sing live and to finally be able to meet her as well. She has a wonderful and powerful voice and her music is also something to seek out and enjoy. I first became familiar with Michela’s work through my attempts to seek out traditional Sicilian music, which isn’t easy to come by. I happened upon her CD “Songs of Trinacria” some years ago and I’ve been dying to see her perform live ever since and last Wednesday night, I finally got the chance. You can find more information about her and her music at her website and I highly recommend everyone stop by and check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Over the past couple of years I’ve been getting more and more in touch with my roots and being able to experience a night such as this was truly amazing. It was a beautiful combination and I’m glad I was able to attend.
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