(audience clapping) - Good evening. Thanks for coming out. What a beautiful place. (guitar strumming)
(audience chattering) (emotional music) (audience cheering and clapping) Oh. (intense music) ♪ Well, I'm calling the calling up ♪ ♪ Calling up ♪ ♪ Calling up the sprit of the land ♪ ♪ Calling up, yeah, I'm calling up ♪ ♪ Calling up the sprit of the land ♪ ♪ Well, I'm calling up,
yeah, I'm calling up ♪ ♪ Calling up the sprit of the land ♪ Calling up, yeah, I'm calling up ♪ Calling up the sprit of
the land, hey ♪ (Justin exclaiming) ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ When those saints come marching in ♪ ♪ When those saints come marching in ♪ ♪ Oh, Lord, I want to be that number ♪ ♪ When those saints come marching in ♪ ♪ Yeah, the saints come marching in ♪ ♪ When the saints come marching in ♪ ♪ Whoa ♪ (audience clapping) - Thank you. - Thank you so much. It's a huge pleasure to be here in this beautiful
venue with you tonight. So the first time for me, I
was here actually 12 years ago with my band, Canzoniere
Gre
canico Salentino. So special to be back. The next song is Italian. It's a classic Italian
old song, which was sung by Domenico Modugno. This one is a song called, "Nostalgia," about a man who is
forced to leave his land, and it's called "Amara Terra
Mia, Bitter Land of Mine." (soft music) (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro singing in foreign language) (audience clapping) - Thank you very much,
(speaks in foreign language). - Well, hi. My name's Justin
Adams. I'm from the UK. And this is Mauro Durante,
who comes from Puglia, which is the very furthest south part of Italy, as I'm sure some of you know. (audience clapping)
Ah. Beautiful region, very nice wine as well. (audience laughing) And that last song, you know, came from, it was a very famous Italian song. When we worked together, we try and find common elements with some sort of thread to them. And I saw as we walked in, there was a little thing written up about that the music tonight,
it
was something about the human spirit. And really when it comes down to it, it's that effect that music
can have on the music, on the human spirit. That is why I think both of
us are involved in this thing. And so these are the connections. So as I said, sometimes
we do traditional things, or old songs, and then, sometimes, we write our own tunes. And this one is a new one of ours, is it? Yeah, just that one. So this is a new one of
ours that we're gonna do. And,
(guitar strumming) it's called "
Sweet Release." Okay. (upbeat music) ♪ I got beads, I got
oil, I got gris-gris ♪ ♪ I've got years of toil ♪ ♪ Credit, I got debt ♪ ♪ If there's a lesson, I
haven't learned it yet ♪ ♪ I've got a reason, I've got
a rhyme, I've got a heartbeat ♪ ♪ But I'm running out of time ♪ ♪ Whiskey, time tough ♪ ♪ Once tasted, you know,
it's never enough ♪ ♪ But these strings, this drum
from another world, they come ♪ ♪ Bringing messages of peace
and psalms of sweet release ♪ ♪ These strings and this drum,
fro
m another world, they come ♪ ♪ Bringing messages of peace,
and psalms of sweet release ♪ ♪ Get a one way to get back,
get a refund, get sacked ♪ ♪ sing love songs, sing
the doge, keep singing ♪ ♪ Nobody knows the words ♪ ♪ Get a refill to get back,
get a refund, get sacked ♪ ♪ Running out of time,
running down a nerve ♪ ♪ Running outta a road ♪ ♪ As we're hitting the curb,
with these strings, this drum ♪ ♪ From another world, they come ♪ ♪ Bringing in messages of peace ♪ ♪ And psalms of sweet re
lease ♪ ♪ These strings, this drum,
from another world, they come ♪ ♪ Bringing messages of peace
and psalms of sweet release ♪ (Mauro singing in foreign language) ♪ These strings, this drum,
from another world they come ♪ ♪ Bringing messages of peace
and psalms of sweet release ♪ ♪ These strings, this drum,
from another world, they come ♪ (Mauro singing in foreign language) ♪ Bringing messages of peace
and psalms of sweet release ♪ ♪ These strings, this drum,
from another world, they come ♪ ♪ Br
inging messages of peace
and psalms of sweet release ♪ (audience clapping) (intense music)
(audience chattering) (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro singing in foreign language) (audience cheering and clapping) - Thank you, (speaks in foreign language). - So I was talking a
little bit about, you know, the spirit in music, and Mauro traditional music
that his music's all been based on from Puglia, was originally used for a trance, healing ritual. And I found myself drawn
to these kinds of
music as being maybe closest to the
original purpose of music. You know, I mean, healing is a big word, but making you feel
better is a simple word that everybody understands, this is what music does. And what we particularly look for, I think, you know, those of
us, I'm sure you guys are all big music lovers. And I think what we look
for is those moments of transcendence where
suddenly we feel transported by music, and they're hard to predict, and they're hard to describe because it's kind of b
eyond language, that's the beauty of it. And I've had the privilege
of working with some incredible musicians from all
kinds of different cultures and styles of music. But when I've worked with some
musicians from North Africa, West Africa, particularly
musicians of my age, who come from fairly traditional
background, for them, when you're talking about
those magical moments of transporting music, they
often talk about the jinn, which is, you know, where
our word genie comes from. It's the jinn
of the
spirit and the spirits. And they can be dangerous,
and they can be malevolent, but they can also be powerful, and they can bring very valuable gifts. And I've come to, you know, although coming from a very
kind of rationalist background, I've come to see that as
actually in a 40 year life of playing music where, you
know, we're talking a lot of the time about abstractions
and, you know, vibe, but actually the jinn is
not a bad way to describe and talk about this
kind of magical moments. S
o this next song is called "Djinn Pulse." And we're gonna see if we can
invoke some of the good ones, into the Kennedy Center. (guitar strumming)
(James speaks faintly) (emotional music) (audience cheering and clapping) (guitar strumming)
(audience chattering) So seeing as we're in such
auspicious surroundings, I can say that I finally, after kind of many years of
trying to, or thinking about it, I finally got 'round to
reading Homer's "Odyssey," (audience laughing)
which was, you know, I though
t it was gonna
be a big heavy task. Actually, I really got into it. And I sort of got the idea of this guy, who was being pushed
around the Mediterranean, kind of against his will by forces that are kind of beyond his
control, forces of jealousy, anger, injustice, rage, war, you know, these things just push him around the sea, and keep him from returning to home. And he's brutalized by war himself. And I was just thinking,
"Well, this is not so different from what's
going on now, you know? So th
is one, I guess, is
a song about refugees, and people forced to leave their home. It's been going on a long time. (guitar strumming) If out of interest, if you're
wondering what Mauro's doing, he's actually putting water on his drum, which makes it go deep and heavier, otherwise, it gets too tight.
- It's really quiet in here, so, (Mauro speaks faintly).
- How's it going? In Ireland, they have a similar frame drum called the bodhran. Maybe you guys know it, but if they need to do
the same thing
in Ireland, they use Guinness, which I think it maybe
(audience laughing) might work better, you know? - Just have to try.
- Okay. (drum tapping) Still pretty high.
(guitar strumming) Apparently, there's a
live stream going on. So if anybody's watching this from afar, welcome and thanks for tuning in. (drum tapping) (guitar strumming) (emotional music) ♪ I left my home, and I took to the sea ♪ ♪ West wind blow, carry me over ♪ ♪ Nowhere to rest ♪ ♪ Still moving ♪ ♪ Nowhere to rest ♪ ♪ Still movi
ng ♪ ♪ Six days we rode ♪ ♪ Six days of fever ♪ ♪ When we reached dry land ♪ ♪ We were treated as strangers ♪ ♪ Nowhere to rest ♪ ♪ Still moving ♪ ♪ Nowhere to rest ♪ ♪ Still moving ♪ ♪ Through this worried land ♪ ♪ Through this worried land ♪ ♪ Through this worried land ♪ ♪ Through this worried land ♪ (audience cheering and clapping) Thanks. So because we've come to the capital, we've got a special part of the act now, it's a bit of showmanship
that we've been working on. So watch carefully
bec
ause something amazing is gonna happen.
(audience laughing) (audience laughing)
(audience cheering) I've been working on that one. (audience laughing) - I think also that it's
polite if you also stand up since we stood up.
(audience chattering) And the next step is actually dancing. (guitar strumming) (intense music) (Mauro clapping)
(audience clapping) ♪ Yeah, I'm tough as a gun, until I cry ♪ ♪ Whiskey running on a railroad dry ♪ ♪ Gotta keep moving, better
keep me in the back ♪ ♪ I'm on ghost
train ♪ ♪ Footsteps burning all the way to home ♪ ♪ Hearing my name, but don't really call ♪ ♪ Stack it to the right,
trying not to fall ♪ ♪ I'm on a ghost train ♪ (James and Mauro singing
in foreign language) (James and Mauro singing
in foreign language) ♪ Yeah, I'm looking into the mirror ♪ ♪ Ain't nowhere to live ♪ ♪ Everything I touch
seems to vanish again ♪ ♪ Keep waking up into
the same damn mirror ♪ ♪ I'm on a ghost train ♪ ♪ Shake it up, wake it
up, enough is enough ♪ ♪ I'm on a ghost t
rain,
I don't wanna get off ♪ ♪ This ghost train ain't built for glory ♪ ♪ I wanna get off and
get out of this story ♪ (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro and James singing
in foreign language) (Mauro and James singing
in foreign language) (audience cheering and clapping) - (speaks in foreign
language) Thank you so much. (guitar strumming)
(audience chattering) Are you tired already?
(audience laughing) (emotional music) - Oh. Hey. Oh. Hey. Hey. (emotional music) (James clapping)
(audienc
e clapping) (James clapping)
(audience clapping) (people cheering and clapping) Mauro Durante, his fingers are on fire. - Justin Adams. (guitar strumming) (emotional music) (drum tapping and rattling) ♪ I'm sick at heart,
sick of the wars of men ♪ ♪ That's right ♪ ♪ I said I'm sick at heart ♪ ♪ Sick of the wars of men ♪ ♪ I've had my fill of trouble and pain ♪ (James shouting)
(emotional music) ♪ I'm sick at heart ♪ ♪ Sick of the wars of men ♪ ♪ I had my fill of trouble and pain ♪ ♪ Pounding wav
es, the rocks and stone ♪ ♪ This dark wrote down,
nobody knows the code ♪ (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro shouting) ♪ All leaves are foreign,
I see right through 'em ♪ ♪ The moon shines bright on darkest blue ♪ ♪ Dark clouds running, all crows scatter ♪ ♪ Everything living, born to die ♪ ♪ I said, everything living, born to die ♪ (Mauro singing in foreign language) (Mauro shouting) (people cheering and clapping) - Well, thank you so much. - Justin Adams. - Mauro Durante. We're very ho
nored to play
at this beautiful place. So thank you so much for
coming and checking us out. Thank you to the organizers of this team to have us all the way to
Washington, DC to play. As I say, it's a really big honor for us. And we're gonna be out there. We have a few CDs, we'll
come out and sign any, if anybody wants any. And, otherwise, have a great evening here, and thank you so much for
being a wonderful audience. (people cheering)
- Thank you. (Mauro speaking in foreign language) - [Host] T
hank you for joining
us at Millennium Stage. For more information about
the upcoming Millennium Stage programming, please visit
us online at our website, or on Facebook. As we prepare for another performance, we ask at this time that you
would exit the seating area, so we can safely clear the area. If you wanna meet with the artist, you may do so at the back of the-
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