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..........................Over the last few months, I have been working
on a CD project with Frans Baldacchino 'il-Budaj' who lives in
Birkirkara, Malta. This is not the first time I have produced
or arranged backing music tracks for Frans who in turn uses them
in his various television and radio appearances. We rarely hear
of these productions here in Australia due mainly to the distance
involved and the lack of Maltese programmes shown here.
Frans and my collaboration on such projects has been satisfying
on a personal level for both parties, but the results may also
be significant because of the aspect of joint projects between
Malta and Australia. Although distance presents many a problem,
over the years we have developed an understanding and a working
system, which has helped us eliminate this burden.
In my last visit to Malta (September - December 2003) I spent time visiting Frans in his garage studio in Birkirkara, where he spends many hours painting, sculpturing and writing verses for his g[ana singing performances. Frans, who is better known as 'il-Budaj', is in great demand in the Maltese music scene and works regularly in many venues and clubs. On his invitation, I even found myself joining his team of guitarists and accompanying him in some of these spots. One special appearance was at the President's palace which was a memorable occasion where Maltese g[ana singing was heard in this majestic building for the first time.
The experience gave me a better insight of
the venues Frans 'il-Budaj' works, as well as the type of material
he presents as part of his repertoire of g[ana songs and poems
which he sings with the greatest of passion and soul. In fact
it was while accompanying him at the President's palace that I
got the idea of how impressive it would be to present an g[ana
medley, with several key changes between different themes, to
fully showcase his special talent in front of such a distinguished
audience. Naturally, it was too late by then but I resolved to
discuss it with him for the future.
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I approached him with the medley idea in my next visit. Frans,
who possesses a pioneering spirit, liked the idea and took up
the challenge. I promised I would start working on it as soon
I got back to Melbourne…and so the wheels were in motion.
I arrived back in Melbourne on New Year's Day 2004. By June I had finished the g[ana medley arrangements and had also completed the music tracks at my house in Donvale. I then sent the master to Frans who loved the ideas and immediately, wrote the appropriate lyrics and mixed his voice to them at Creative Recording Studio, in Zabbar.
The g[ana medley ran for nearly fourteen minutes
and we were both pleased with the result, so we decided to do
more tracks and release a complete CD album of our work.
The musical arrangements are mostly based on Maltese traditional
g[ana themes which I arranged and played in the same style I did
in my CD 'Neon'. While I tried to stay true in the Maltese prejjem
motifs on the guitar, as well as the general chord structure,
the backbeat and the tempos are more modern, as are the sounds
of electronic instruments. Vocally, Frans stayed close to the
traditional melodies and expression of Maltese g[ana themes and
yet I feel there is a new spark in some of his vocal work.
France Baldacchino's lyrics in the album are a mixture of humour, social comment, pathos and spiritual praise to God. For those hearing Maltese g[ana singing for the first time, it is worth remembering that this form of Maltese indigenous singing is usually accompanied by three acoustic guitars, but it is also important to remember that g[ana keeps evolving and growing as it has over many centuries.
One aspect that makes this musical art form very Maltese is its fidelity to the Maltese language, and 'il-Budaj's dedication to his national language in track six 'Maltija' is tantamount to an anthem. Ironically, this is not a traditional theme but a song I wrote to which I asked Frans to write the lyrics. Perhaps it is appropriate that this song moves away from the traditional themes and stands alone as an original melody, which demands attention by being different in a body of work based on Maltese g[ana themes. The Maltese language has stood alone against the threat of extinction under many rulers in its history, yet, it always survived.
The work Frans and I offer here is a myriad of ideas and inspirations, which we sketched and painted on the same canvas or 'Tila', as we say in Maltese. We hope you will enjoy the music as much as we enjoyed creating it, between continents.
General details:
The name of the CD is 'Tila' (canvas)
Vocals & lyrics by Frans Baldacchino 'il-Budaj'
Musical arrangements, and music production by Manuel Casha
Vocal mix - Creative Recording Studio, in Zabbar Malta.
Cover design and concepts by Manuel Casha.
The price of the CD is $20.
Plus $2 postage if sent t by post in Australia.
Manuel Casha
P.O Box 4353
Ringwood, Victoria 3174
Australia
