The champions of southern Italy’s pizzica tradition have become an institution, though one that shows no signs of going stale. Leader Mauro Durante co-composed the material here with assorted New York tunesmiths, including producer Joe Mardin, who brings a polished but not over-glossed sound to the hand drums and vocal harmonies. Opener Quannu te Visciu turns a Puglian chant into near hip-hop, and the church-like voices are as likely to be denouncing corruption as praising sun, moon and sea. There is fierce fiddle, jaunty squeezebox and thunderous drumming, plus guest electric guitar from Justin Adams. As the tomato sauce cover suggests, a rich harvest.
