Ilaria Capalbo's first work as a leader is inspired by the story of Karthago, a powerful city founded on the southwest coast of the Mediterranean by a legendary queen and doomed by its closeness to the colliding empire of Rome. The lingering motives in this tale, part ancient history and part myth like many of the stories that the Mediterranean tells, are the courage, resiliency and vulnerability needed to grow in the light of uniqueness, to pursue a vision and to stand by it — regardless of odds — not to be forgotten.
The band is a quintet featuring Ilaria on bass alongside Thomas Backman and Fredrik Nordström on reeds, Andreas Hourdakis on guitar and Fredrik Rundqvist on drums. It occasionally grows into a septet with the addition of Tobias Wiklund on cornet and Mats Äleklint on trombone. Together, they give life to music with a narrative depth, as though outlining a story: ample room is given to the imaginative force of some among the most creative musicians on the Swedish scene, whose different personalities create a powerful and original balance under the steady guide of a leader from the rhythm section. The tunes are crafted at the intersection between free improvisation, rock riff-building and echoes of contemporary classical repertoire: the band delivers them through a cohesive and fearless sound.
1. Belóved
2. Part I: Ab radice
3. Karthago
4. Mare Nostrum
5. Scintilla
6. Moth
7. Part II: Ago Radices
8. What Remains Of Those Days
Ilaria Capalbo: bass & compositions
Thomas Backman: alto sax, clarinet
Fredrik Nordström: tenor & baritone sax
Andreas Hourdakis: guitar
Fredrik Rundqvist: drums
Tobias Wiklund: cornet (on Belóved)
Mats Äleklint: trombone (on Belóved)
Recorded at BAS Bandhagen on April 25-26, 2021 by Mats Äleklint
Mixed and mastered at Bluenord Studio by Fredrik Nordström
Artwork: Gabriele Cernagora
Photography: Klaudia Rychlik
Design: LOUP Studio
