We've created a Myspace for the Zumpa band, which David and Mark are part of at: www.myspace.com/zumpafolk
Zumpa performs old Italian folk tunes with new vigour and fun! Tarantellas, old songs...

Some folk may have seen a very special production at the 2006 National Folk Festival involving Kavisha Mazzella performing Italian songs and music to a 1924 silent film Dall'Italia All'Australia. Anyway you get a chance to see this very special performance in the Illawarra in May with Kavisha, her bouzouki/mandolin player Irini Vela, and other local musicians known The Viaggiatori. The Viaggiatori are David De Santi, piano accordion; Mark Holder-Keeping, saxophone and clarinet and Bob McInnes, violin. Dall’Italia All’Australia, of 60 minutes duration first screened in Italy in May 1925. The film chronicles the voyage of the passenger steam ship Regina d’Italia (Queen of Italy) – one of the three ships first built for the Lloyd Sabaudo Shipping Line at the turn of the century. The film showcases the panoramic views witnessed by Italian, Yugoslav, Greek Arabic and Jewish migrants as they stood atop the deck of the old steamer during their sevenweek world odyssey from the Italian port of Genoa to Australia, by way of the Suez Canal in Egypt. Melbourne journalist and author Tony De Bolfo stumbled on Dall’Italia All’Australia’s existence through his research for his book entitled In Search of Kings (Harper Collins Publisher). The film is screened to the live music of Kavisha Mazzella, Irini Vela and The Viaggiatori to create a unique experience of vision and traditional style Italian folk music. It will appeal to all generations - those that travelled to Australia and those fascinated with Australia's cultural history. The performances will be part of the leadup to 2007 Italian Week and is presented in conjunction with the Illawarra Association of Teachers of Italian (IATI Inc.).

THE FILM & MUSIC PERFORMANCE

Thursday Empire Theatre, Bowral 7.30pm;
Friday Gerringong Pics and Flicks 8pm;
Saturday 2pm City Diggers Wollongong;
Sunday 2pm Anita's Theatre Thirroul

Tony De Bolfo begins the screening by talking about his amazing story to find the film and of his family's travel to Australia on the sister ship of the film's subject, the Re d'Italia (King of Italy).

The film then screens with live music accompaniment by Kavisha singing and playing guitar and tambourine and Irini Vela on bouzouki and mandolin. Kavisha and Irini are joined by local musicians David De Santi on piano accordion, Bob McInnes on violin and Mark Holder-Keeping on clarinet and saxophone. Together they perform traditional Italian songs, tunes and melodies to weave a beautiful musical tapestry under amazing images from Angelo Drovetti's film.

The film runs for 1 hour with an intermission.

Here's the total Illawarra, May 2007 schedule:

Tickets available at the door 30 minutes prior to performances.

7.30pm, Thursday 24 May - The New Empire Cinema, Bowral, 327 Bong Bong Street, Bowral tel. 4861 4676. Tickets $15

8pm Friday 25 May - Gerringong Pics & Flicks. Gerringong Town Hall, tickets on sale from 7.30pm. Tickets $15

2pm, Saturday 26 May - afternoon performance, City Diggers Wollongong, tickets on sale from 1.30pm. Tickets $15 or $20 for the afternoon and evening concert.

7.30pm Saturday 26 May - evening concert with Kavisha Mazzella and Irini Vela and Zumpa, official opening of 2007 Italian Week in the Illawarra, City Diggers Wollongong. Guest speaker Anthony De Bolfo. Tickets $15 or $5 if you go to the afternoon showing.

2pm Sunday 27 May - afternoon performance, Anita's Theatre, Thirroul, tickets on sale from 1.30pm. Tickets $15 or $20 for the afternoon and evening concert.

6pm Sunday 27 May - evening concert with Kavisha Mazzella and Irini Vela and Zumpa, Anita's Theatre. Tickets $15 or $5 if you go to the afternoon showing.

The Sydney Passengers, Regina d’Italia  1924

Is your family name here?

The following is a list of Italian, Greek, Albanian, Polish, Yugoslav, Palestinian, Arabic and Indian passengerswho disembarked the Regina d’Italia in Sydney via Melbourne on the voyage filmed by Angelo Drovetti for Dall’Italia All’Australia in late 1924. Amongst the Melbourne passengers them was Giacomo Silvagni, the fatherand grandfather of legendary Carlton footballers Sergio and Stephen Silvagni respectively. As most of thepassengers’ names were written in freehand rather than typed onto the manifest, spelling inaccuracies are likely.

Click here to see the full list

Here's some of the names....